Stuart hated to see Edie badly hurt, and it broke his heart to hear her cry. He had no choice, and he didnāt look back at her.
"I donāt want you to save me. Please just leave," Edie began crying hysterically. "Donāt do this, Please, I beg you!"
Stuart remained unmoved by Edieās emotional plea. āOh, God! Please get her out safely,ā he prayed.
When Stuart didnāt answer, she turned to Childe. Her only hope was him. "How could you do this to her?" Her throat gulped as she swallowed. "She cares deeply for you. Thereās still time for you to put an end to this," she pleaded.
A thousand conflicting emotions surged through him. Then it was like a switch was flipped, and he went back to his usual self. "No one cares about her, and sheās an orphan. Anne has a heart condition and itās hard to say how much longer sheāll live. If she dies now, she wonāt be in any more pain." Childe laughs sarcastically. "Edie, youāre too kind. You donāt belong in the Yates Family."
Childe looked at Stuart, but Stuart didnāt even flinch, He just stared straight ahead. His hands were balled into fists and squeezed against his thighs. He took a deep breath, allowing no emotion to show on his face, and Childe hated him for it. Then in a low voice, Stuart said, "Take Edie to the car."
The men picked her up ruthlessly and put her in the back seat of the car. "No....." were the last words, Stuart heard. Edie was beside herself, not knowing what was going on inside the chateau, and suddenly, she heard a gunshot. She was terrified. "Please...No....." Her mind was in a whirl, and she didnāt know what to think.
Stuart slowly opened the door to the chateau. He made his way onto the front deck, then step by step, gripping the railing, he made it halfway and stopped. He took a deep breath and made it to the car. Without saying a word, he sat in the back seat beside Edie. Ivan quickly started the engine, and as he put it in gear, he glanced back at Stuart. "Are you okay?" he asked timidly.
Stuart nodded his head. "Iām fine. Just drive," he said.
Edie looked at his pale face, pale as death. Her face was flushed, her lips tightly pressed together, and there were tears in her eyes as she stared at him. She wanted to know what happened but was afraid of the answer.
Stuart blamed himself for all of these tragedies. None of this would have happened if he hadnāt brought her into his life. The pain he felt when he looked into her eyes was unbearable. He brought his hand up to her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" he asked.
Edie nodded then hung her head, the tears now flowing in earnest. She couldnāt lie. She wasnāt okay. She sniffed and swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand, trying desperately to regain control of her emotions. "What...happened.....to....." She hesitated, unable to finish her sentence. She was terrified to find out the truth.
Stuart didnāt mince words with Edie because he knew how worried Edie was. "The little girl wasnāt harmed," he said in a low voice.
Edieās eyes brightened, and she looked at him with disbelief. "She wasnāt hurt?....." she asked, curious. She looked as though she debated completing the rest of the sentence and hesitated before saying, "Why did Childe let her go?"
"All you need to know is...sheās fine," Stuart caught his breath slowly, smiling faintly at her.
"But I heard a gunshot..." Edie tilted her head to the side, pausing to think. "Something doesnāt seem right?"
Stuartās eyes were focused on her with some kind of emotion sheād never seen in them before. It terrified her. It was then that she realized something was very wrong. Edie clutched at his hand, his cold fingers curling around hers. His right hand slowly grabbed at her wrist. "Donāt look," he whispered in a hoarse voice.
Tears begin to leak from Edieās eyes, slowly at first, then a surge of uncontrollable sobs gushes out. "What the hell happened?" she asked as she pulled his hand away. "What did he do to you?"
Stuart was in too much pain to speak. He leaned toward Edie. "Stuart...." He heard Edie screaming just as he lost consciousness
Back at the Bolton Chateau, Childe sat on the floor covered in blood with a gun in his hand. The whole scene kept replaying itself over and over again in his mind, like some horrible movie on an endless loop.
"It doesnāt need to end this way," Stuart pleaded. "You donāt need to kill anyone else. I will put an end to your suffering. If I die, itās all over." Then Stuart turned the gun to his chest and slowly put his finger on the trigger.
"Please, let this be the end," Stuartās voice flat with resignation.
Childesā mind went blank except for a single phrase, "He canāt die!"
After so many years of hating Stuart, Childe didnāt even think about it. He started running at top speed and yelling in full voice, "No." He was trying to get the gun back, but it was too late. "Boom," the gun went off in the struggle. He just grazed Stuartās hand, right before he pulled the trigger.
The bullet tore into Stuart just below his heart, tearing through his stomach and exiting just above his right kidney, leaving a hole the size of a small marble. A splatter of blood went with it and splattered the wall and Childe. Stuart stumbled, but he did not go down.
Childe looked at him, hurt, confused, and a little scared. He looked over the emotions on Stuartās face and sighed sadly, "Why would you sacrifice yourself for a woman?"
Stuart could barely speak, but he managed to speak a few words out. "Because I love her and I would do anything for her," he answered.
Childe shook his head at his answer as if it didnāt make any sense. "All these years, Iāve tried to bring you down, and all it took was a woman? I donāt understand?" There were a few awkward moments of silence, he looked at Stuart and asked, "This child means nothing to you, but you were willing to give your life for her? Why?"
The explanation made his head spin; still, he didnāt understand. Childe was frustrated, helpless, and hopeless, a multitude of confusing thoughts revolving, eating at his heart. These feelings had been pent up inside him for a long time. Todayās loss had been the trigger, but they would have broken out eventually. He couldnāt control anyone. He couldnāt defeat anyone. He couldnāt even overcome the shadow in his heart. Thinking of this, another wave of weeping washed over him.
Childe knew he had to help soon, or Stuart would pass out from shock and blood loss. Grunting, he helped him to the door. Still, Stuart never uttered a word, but the expression on his face was calm.