Chapter 3

In the car, Zoe suddenly reached over and squeezed Luke's thigh. "Not bad. You've been working out."

With a sharp screech of tires, the car swerved violently across the road. My shoulder slammed hard against the door panel, the sudden whiplash making me sick to my stomach.

Luke grabbed Zoe's hand and said hoarsely, "Don't touch me."

A surge of pure anger hit me. "Focus on the road!" I snapped, but neither of them paid me the slightest attention.

Not one to back down, Zoe reached over with her other hand to pinch him again. The two of them went back and forth, causing the car to repeatedly fishtail across the highway lanes.

Suddenly, Zoe licked Luke's hand and said tauntingly, "Try stopping me again!"

Luke shuddered.

The next second, the car shot across the yellow line and collided head-on with an oncoming bus.

The impact threw me forward, my forehead smashing violently against the back of the front seat. Blood instantly streamed down my face, blinding my left eye.

A high-pitched, deafening ringing filled my ears, followed closely by Luke's terrified roar.

"Zoe!"

Through a haze of red, I saw Luke running out like a madman with Zoe in his arms.

I was trapped in the mangled car for four hours before the fire department finally arrived. They sawed open the door and sent me to the hospital.

I needed six stitches in my head. Once they were done, the nurse asked for a family member to sign the paperwork.

I called Luke three times. Just as the call was about to go into voicemail, he finally picked up.

"Zoe was traumatized. She needs to stay in the hospital for observation today. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it later. Just stop calling me already!" he roared impatiently.

The line went dead with a sharp click.

The nurse shot me a look of profound pity. I said nothing and signed the form myself.

The next day, Luke showed up. His eyes swept over the gauze wrapped around my head, but he looked right through them, completely unfazed.

He grabbed my arm and tried to drag me out.

"Go tell Zoe you're fine. She's been crying nonstop ever since she heard you needed stitches."

The movement pulled at my scalp. Pain shot through me, and everything went dark for a moment. I tried to push him away.

"The doctor said I have to stay in bed."

He acted like he hadn't heard a thing, his grip not loosening in the slightest.

"You need to explain things to Zoe first. She hasn't slept a wink since the accident."

With a sudden, forceful yank, he wrenched me completely off the mattress.

My feet gave out, and the back of my head struck the floor. The impact felt like a sledgehammer driving straight into my skull, sending a sickening shockwave all the way down my spine to my tailbone.

Everything went pitch black.

I woke up to find myself surrounded by doctors and nurses.

Luke was standing at the very back. The first thing he said was, "Can you stop pretending to faint every single time? You made Zoe cry again."

His voice was laced with barely suppressed annoyance.

"If you don't want to explain yourself, just say so. What's the point of throwing yourself on the floor?"

I slowly sat up. Blood had traveled back up the IV catheter on the back of my hand.

"Let's break up."

Luke froze for a second, then his voice suddenly shot up an octave.

"Can you not make a scene at a time like this? Zoe is still crying and under observation right now."

With that, he stormed out and slammed the door heavily behind him.

Not long after, the door opened again.

Zoe came in, dragging Luke back by the ear.

"Mia, are you mad because he saved me and not you?"

She kicked him in the shin.

"Apologize to Mia! She's your girlfriend, so how could you just abandon her? Swear that from now on, no matter what happens, you'll protect her first!"