Chapter 6

The rich heirs around them immediately started egging them on. "Why not make it a friendly race? Ms. Tania versus Mr. Lanzi. Let's see who's better!"

Tania didn't respond. She started the engine, and the car let out a deep, low roar.

Simone settled into the driver's seat as well. He turned to remind Noemi, "Hold on tight. Don't be scared."

His focus was steady, yet the corner of his eye kept drifting toward Tania. When he noticed a man leaning in to talk to her, his grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

He knew he didn't have feelings for Tania. And yet, seeing someone else get close to her stirred an inexplicable irritation.

The feeling unsettled him. To cover it up, he poured an even more patient tenderness into comforting Noemi.

The race was about to begin. The two cars lined up at the starting line.

The moment the starting gun fired, Tania floored the accelerator. Her car shot forward like an arrow, carving a flawless arc through the first curve at breathtaking speed.

Simone followed close behind. He had to watch Noemi in the passenger seat, yet his attention kept drifting to Tania ahead, afraid she might push too hard and lose control.

The road twisted sharply.

Tania stayed in the lead. Just as she was about to take the final sharp turn, she caught something in the rearview mirror.

Simone's right rear tire ran over a broken piece of guardrail and burst instantly. His car lurched out of control and hurtled toward the cliff's edge.

"Watch out!" Tania shouted instinctively. Without hesitation, she yanked the wheel. Her car slid sideways, slamming into his path and forcing itself between his car and the cliff.

A loud bang thundered through the valley.

When Tania's racing car airbags deployed, she slammed into hard surfaces in rapid succession. Pain tore through her instantly.

Blood blurred her vision. Her left arm felt shattered, completely numb.

Simone's car was stopped by the impact, coming to a halt just inches from the cliff.

Ignoring the cuts on his arms from shattered glass, he kicked the door open and ran toward Tania's car like he'd lost his mind. He wrenched the twisted door open with brute force.

"Tania!" His voice shook with panic he'd never felt before. He reached out to check her breathing. Relief flashed through his eyes when he felt it.

But the sight of her covered in blood and her ghostly pale face made his chest tighten so hard he could barely breathe. "Hang in there. I'm calling an ambulance!"

He was reaching for his phone when a soft sound came from behind him.

Noemi, clutching her forehead, whimpered weakly, "Simone. I feel dizzy…"

He hesitated for a moment.

The next second, he turned to the people rushing over. "Presto! Take Noemi to the hospital first. She's badly shaken!"

He turned back, scooped Noemi into his arms, and hurried toward a car by the road.

Through blurred vision, Tania watched his frantic retreat. Blood seeped from the corner of her lips.

The man she had protected with everything she had chose Noemi, who'd barely been hurt, while her own life hung in the balance.

It turned out that all her sacrifices never weighed as much to him as a single tear from Noemi.