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"Poolside [Part Three]"

     A hot searing pain coursed through my body as I pulled myself to my feet. Looking around, my wife had gone missing.
    I raised my hands to my mouth, calling out her name, but heard nothing. I called out again, my eyes scanning our empty yard. Beside me, I could hear my kids crying out in pain. Those poor souls, they didn't deserve any of this. I need to get them help.
    I raced into the house and found the phone on the wall. I quickly dialed 9-1-1 and explained my entire situation. They said the ambulance would be there shortly.
    As I hung up the phone, I heard a creaking from upstairs. Was that my wife? Maybe she was looking around for something to help our kids?
    I raced up the stairs, calling out for her. When I turned the corner to our bedroom, that's when I spotted them. There was a man with long, dark hair and those cold evil eyes peering over to me. My wife was sitting on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
    "What the hell is going on here?!" I demanded. "And who the hell are you?"
    "The names James," the man said, his hair slicked back. He was holding a knife to my wife. And I wasn't having it. But I dared not step closer, as I didn't want him to hurt her. "Your wife and I go way back," he said. "Isn't that right, Trina?" We turned our gaze to my wife.
    She began sobbing in response. "Why can you never just leave me alone?!" She demanded. "I had to do so many things. So many unspeakable things just to try and get you off my back, to try and get you to just leave me alone! But you're so hung up on a dead relationship from over a decade ago that you have to go and ruin everyone's life who has nothing to do with you."
    Everything clicked for me in an instant. She'd never told me about any past relationship. Hell, any time I'd ask she would immediately change the subject. And now I knew why.
    James' eyes narrowed at my wife as he held the knife closer to her throat, making her cry out and sob even more. I had to do something and fast. But what could I do?
    "Don't make me do something I'll regret!" he shouted, his face red with rage. "I just wanted to prove to you how much I loved you. I told you I'd follow you to the ends of the earth and never let you go. Those were in our vows! But every chance I got to show you my love, you kept pushing me away. Do you know what that does to a guy?! And look, I even put in so much time and effort to build you and your precious little family a pool and you can't even be grateful?!"
    I could feel my heart racing. This guy was really getting on my nerves. Through the rush of adrenaline, I grabbed his arm with the knife in it and twisted hard. With my other hand, I grabbed him by his shirt collar. He struggled against my grasp, kicking and throwing punches at me. They stung a bit extra with all the burns I'd endured, but I pushed through. I needed him away from my wife. Away from this house.
    I dragged him over to the window overlooking the road outside the front lawn. And, I threw him out the window, the glass shattering around him as he went.
    "Nooo!" Trina cried as she leaped from the bed and over to my side. I held her tightly. I couldn't be more grateful that she was here with me.
    We both turned our gaze to the window. The ambulance had arrived just in time as James' body twitched as the pool of blood spilled out from under him and onto the pavement beneath.

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