Chapter 4

The moment they found each other, the dormant story snapped back to life and began racing toward the ending already written for them.

The scene before me felt like a message from the author, delivered with a sneer: You never stood a chance.

I sat in my wheelchair, my expression blank. Beneath the numbness, the pain remained.

Hannah finally eased Cedric away and laughed. “Be good and go home. I’ll come see you in a few days. Now stop it. If my husband finds out, he’ll be upset.”

I felt like a pathetic voyeur, forced to watch from the sidelines as they shared a moment of happiness that belonged only to them. Then, an ugly thought crept into my mind. I wished Cedric had died in the crash.

Hannah turned around and saw me. She froze.

Our eyes met. A flicker of discomfort crossed her face. Her complexion turned a little paler.

I had given up on her. I had forced myself to relive the truth over and over until I thought I had become immune to the pain.

Yet the moment I looked into Hannah’s eyes, tears spilled before I could stop them.

My first instinct was to get away.

My injured leg made the chair difficult to maneuver. I fumbled with the wheels.

Being seen like that, helpless and humiliated, was deeply humiliating.

The sight of my tears sent Hannah into a panic. She hurried toward me.

“Leon, what happened to your leg?”

She stopped in front of me, looking me over carefully from head to toe.

Her gaze finally settled on the bandages across my chest. Her voice caught as she asked, “How did you get hurt this badly?”

If she had said nothing, I might have kept myself together.

That question unleashed every ounce of hurt and anger I had been holding back.

I looked up into her concerned, bewildered eyes and enunciated every word clearly.

“Cedric wasn’t the only person injured in that crash. When you abandoned me at the scene for him, what did you think would happen to me?”

As I went on, more color drained from Hannah’s face.

The hazy fragments of the crash suddenly snapped into focus in her mind.

When she saw Cedric lying there, all she could think about was him. Nothing mattered except keeping him alive.

She had completely forgotten that my injuries were far worse than his.

If I had not wrenched the wheel aside at the last second and sent the car straight into the barrier, there was no telling whether she or Cedric would have escaped unharmed.

Hannah’s eyes filled with tears and guilt as she reached for me.

Her hand stopped inches away. Her fingers trembled as she asked, “Does it hurt?”

My face must have been deathly pale. I gripped the wheels and rolled backward. Then, I shook my head. “It doesn’t hurt.”

When Hannah realized I was recoiling from her, she fell apart. She burst into tears and threw herself at me.

“I’m sorry, Leon. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry. Cedric had a head injury, and I panicked. All I could think about was saving him. Please don’t blame me, okay?”

I managed a bitter smile and leaned away from her hand. After taking a deep breath, I questioned her again.

“When I was in surgery, the nurse told you I was the patient. Why did you still pull the entire medical team away? Why couldn’t you come see me, even once?”

Hannah shook her head. My question seemed to catch her off guard.

She paused for a moment before saying, “Cedric was unconscious. I was terrified that he’d die. Your injuries were something the trauma team could handle. I knew the other doctors could help you.”

Cedric. Everything was about Cedric.

I did not know what to say. A hollow cold opened inside my chest and spread until it felt as though I would never be warm again.

All the disappointment and pain I had carried for so long, along with the despair and terror of nearly dying, came crashing over me. I could no longer contain the anguish or the bitter resentment against her.

In a hoarse voice, I asked one final question. “How long have you known Cedric?”