NO, NOT NOW.

Chapter 14 - SCARLETT'S POV

My eyes opened slowly. And I felt my heart pound in my chest. Everything was happening so fast, I couldn’t even process it. One moment, I was standing there, about to get hit by a car. And then… nothing. The world around me blurred, and everything felt like a bad dream. My legs turned to jelly, and I collapsed to my knees, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I looked down.

Zayden was lying there, blood pooling beneath him, his body twisted in an unnatural way. I froze. My breath caught in my throat. He was pale, his face drenched in sweat, and the blood—it was everywhere.

I screamed.

“Help! Help! Someone, please!”

My voice was raw and shaky, like it didn’t even belong to me. I stumbled forward, my feet moving without thought, trying to get closer to him. My hands trembled as I reached for his body. It was like a nightmare, one I couldn’t wake up from. His skin was so cold, and the blood... the blood was too much. It made everything feel too real, too heavy.

“Zayden?” I whispered, shaking his shoulders. But there was no response. His eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow.

And then, just as I felt my world fall apart, Zayden’s hand shot out and gripped mine.

“Scarlett…” he groaned, his voice weak and strained. “Call 911… please…”

He was alive.

I nodded quickly, not even thinking, just reacting. My fingers fumbled for my phone, desperately trying to dial the emergency number. It felt like time had slowed down. I was too panicked to be precise, and everything felt like a blur. But finally, I got through. “911, what’s your emergency?”

“I—” I choked, my words barely coming out, “It’s Zayden… he’s been hurt! Please, please send someone!”

“Help is on the way, ma’am,” the dispatcher said. “Stay calm. Help is coming.”

But calm? I couldn’t even breathe. My hands were shaking so much, I had to hold onto Zayden for support. I didn’t know how long I stood there, waiting. It felt like hours. But then, finally, the sirens wailed in the distance. They were here. They were here to help him.

The ambulance arrived, and the paramedics rushed over, their faces serious. They quickly took over, moving Zayden onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. I didn’t care about anything else. I was already on my feet, following them, not even thinking about the mess I must look like or the confusion in everyone’s eyes as they watched me.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Vincent’s voice called out behind me. I could hear the concern in his voice, but I didn’t stop to answer. I couldn’t. Not now.

As the paramedics worked, my mind raced. What had happened? How had this happened? Zayden was supposed to be fine. He was supposed to be safe. He wasn’t supposed to be lying in a pool of his own blood, fighting for his life. My heart was breaking. I couldn't let him die. I couldn’t lose him. Not like this.

The ambulance doors slammed shut, and we were off, speeding down the road toward the hospital. My chest tightened as I watched the lights flashing through the window. The world outside was a blur. I didn’t care. All I cared about was Zayden.

Inside, I was a mess. My thoughts were a jumble. What did I feel for him? Was it love? Was it more? I didn’t know. But I knew one thing—he meant something to me. More than I wanted to admit. And I couldn’t lose him.

When we arrived at the hospital, I rushed out of the ambulance, ignoring the nurses’ calls to slow down. They wouldn’t stop me. I couldn’t stop myself. Zayden needed me. I had to be there for him.

The doctors and nurses were already waiting. They moved quickly, their faces set in professional determination. “Please step back,” one of the nurses said, but I didn’t listen. I didn’t care about anything else.

They wheeled Zayden into surgery, and I collapsed into the nearest chair, my hands pressed tightly to my face as I tried to stop the tears that were threatening to spill. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.

It felt like hours before they finally came to tell me something. The doctor stepped into the waiting room, his face serious. “The surgery was a success,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “He’s stable now. You can see him.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, so deep I thought I might suffocate. Stable. He was stable. I didn’t know what that meant, but it was enough. I stood up, my legs shaking beneath me, and followed the doctor down the hallway to his room.

When I walked inside, Zayden was lying there, pale but breathing, the steady beep of the heart monitor filling the silence. His eyes fluttered open when he heard my footsteps, and he looked at me, his gaze soft and full of something—regret? Guilt?

“Scarlett,” he whispered, his voice raspy. “I need you to listen…”

His words cut through me like a knife.

“I didn’t kiss her,” he grumbled, his eyes locking onto mine. “I swear. She kissed me, and I pushed her away. I didn’t want it. I’ve never wanted her.”

I stared at him, confused. “What are you talking about?” My voice was small, barely a whisper.

“I want you,” he said, his voice filled with desperation. “I want us. I want to be with you. Please, believe me.”

I swallowed hard. The words he was saying were everything I wanted to hear. But… “You want me?” I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “You want me after all this? You’re my father-in-law!”

The room fell silent for a long moment. The words I was saying seemed to hang in the air, suffocating everything around us.

“If you really wanted me,” I continued, my voice shaking with emotion, “you should’ve married me. You should’ve made it right, not sent me to your son. You ruined it. All of it. I can’t be with you.”

Zayden coughed, his body jerking with the force. My heart skipped a beat as I rushed to his side. His hand shot out, grabbing mine with a force I hadn’t expected. His face was pale, his lips trembling.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered, the words broken and painful. “I’ll do anything. Just please don’t leave me…”

His words hit me like a freight train. My chest ached, and I didn’t know what to say. I loved him—didn’t I? But this… this was too much. Too many feelings, too many complications.

The doctor rushed in, pushing me aside. “Get back, please!” he ordered, his voice sharp. “He’s not stable! He’s having trouble breathing!”

I was pulled away from Zayden’s side, my heart hammering in my chest as they worked on him. The doctor looked at me, shaking his head. “It’s bad. We’re losing him.”

My heart dropped. No. Not Zayden. Not now.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My body was shaking, my thoughts scattered.

Then, just as quickly as the doctor had spoken, he was running out of the room. Zayden’s breathing became steady again, his eyes slowly fluttering open as he looked at me.

The relief was overwhelming. He was alive.

But just as I rushed to his side, ready to kiss him, to tell him everything I’d been holding inside—

The door swung open.

Vincent stood there, his face twisted with disbelief.

He froze.

And I froze.

I was kissing Zayden.

In that moment, nothing else mattered.

Not the truth, not the lies. Just the way his lips felt against mine.

And Vincent had just seen it.