Clarissa’s POV
Reed swerved instinctively toward the shoulder, pulling over with shaking hands. I grabbed the dashboard, heart thrumming in panic.
“Reed!”
He wasn’t hearing me. His eyes were wide, unfocused, filled with a desperation that sent chills down my spine.
“My wife,” he said, staring ahead as if seeing something I couldn’t. “Ashley…she…she was just going to the store. She wasn’t supposed to—” His voice cracked. “Not her. Anyone but her.”
Tears welled in his eyes—Reed, the calmest, most controlled man I knew.
“Reed,” I whispered gently, terrified of making everything worse. “Drive to the hospital. Go. I’ll call Dante. I’ll figure something out. Just—just go.”
For a few agonizing seconds, he didn’t move.
“Lord, please… don’t take her.”
I didn’t wait for him to process it.
