Wait, Is Scott Foley *Really* Leaving 'Scandal'?

I don't know how you're holding up after watching last week's episode of Scandal, but I'm not doing so good. The end of the latest ep, "I'm Just a Bill," left the best character on the entire show (AKA Captain Jake Ballard) bloodied and beaten, I've been in a panic ever since. Does this mean that Jake is really dead? Is he off the show for good? Is Shonda Rhimes really doing this to me? I have a lot of questions but pretty much zero answers, and I don't even want to imagine the future of the show without Jake in it. If you're as worried about Jake's condition as I am, you might want to sit down for this: Scott Foley leaving Scandal might be a very real thing.

It's not that there's a ton of evidence pointing to the fact that Foley's definitely dunzo, but it's more about the fact that there isn't enough evidence proving that he's not leaving for my comfort. Foley definitely has reason to go — in 2014, he signed on for Rhimes' latest project, a comedy for ABC. Of course it's possible that Foley could do both, especially since he'd still have the same boss who could tweak filming to fit his schedule, but is a guy with three kids who seems to love being a dad about to spend basically all his time at work? I'm not sure.

And then there's the matter of Twitter. After Thursday's episode aired, Foley seemed to be bidding adieu to Scandal and the fans with this tweet:

Adding insult to injury, Foley retweeted a fan who said she'd miss seeing Foley on Scandal, which isn't a good omen. And then, of course, there's this tweet from Josh Malina, who plays David Rosen:

There's a chance that Malina is totally just trying to get everyone riled up (I wouldn't put it past these guys to fake us out), but I'm not so sure. Foley replied and retweeted the tweet, and while that's not exactly a statement from ABC, I just don't know, guys. I just have a terrible, terrible feeling about this one.

It's totally possible that Jake will survive this one and leave without dying, or that he's not leaving at all and (!!) isn't actually dead. But just in case he is, I think we should prepare ourselves for that reality. Just make sure you have your best Cabernet and your biggest wine glass ready Thursday night. This one might be a doozy.

Image: Nicole Wilder/ABC