Chapter 4

Isabel's POV

For a whole month, I tried contacting Mason. After all, he had my passport and ID. Alas, he was too busy preparing for Tiffany's birthday to even bother with me.

It wasn't until the day before her birthday that he finally came home. He had completely wiped clean what had happened a month ago.

"Tiffany's birthday is tomorrow. She likes a crowd, so she invited you to go racing with us."

I paused. Tiffany had been a professional race car driver before she retired. Inviting me along was obviously just an excuse to put me in my place.

I refused calmly. "No, thanks."

Mason seemed to have anticipated my answer. He pulled my documents from his bag and waved them in front of me. "Aren't you looking for these? Come with us, and I'll give them back. Otherwise…"

My expression darkened. I knew he was a man of his word. In the end, I had no choice but to agree.

Tiffany's racing event was mostly attended by spoiled scions. The moment they saw me, they acted as if I was some animal at the zoo, laughing and making snide remarks.

"Hey, Mason! Why is your ex-wife still clinging to you? She actually came all the way here for you!"

Before Mason could answer, Tiffany slipped her arm through his and smiled. "Isabel is my guest. It's more fun with a crowd. Besides, she knows how to drive too, so I thought we could all race."

Their mocking voices reached my ears without missing a word.

"She's just a disgraced divorce lawyer. Racing against her would be beneath us."

"I can't believe there are real-life people who actually go through eight divorces with the same person."

My heart sank. I thought about my passport and ID, then finally closed my eyes. "Come on. How are we doing this?"

Tiffany smirked as she bent down and slid into the driver's seat. "It's simple. First one to the finish line wins. But if anything bad happens, well… You can only blame your own luck."

Her last words were so soft that almost no one heard them.

My heart jolted. I instinctively tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

Everything went smoothly once the race began until we reached a turn halfway through.

Tiffany's tires suddenly lost traction. My brakes failed, and I slammed straight into her vehicle, sending my entire car rolling onto its side.

Screams and cries for help erupted around us. My legs were trapped beneath the steering wheel, and shards of glass had pierced my thigh.

I didn't know if the glass had torn an artery, but the blood was oozing for sure.

The racetrack had its own medical team. They quickly treated Tiffany and me before rushing us to the hospital.

The doctor had barely managed to stop my bleeding when Mason came toward me with bloodshot eyes. He slapped me hard across the face, then grabbed me by the collar, his voice breaking with rage.

"Isabel, you did that on purpose, didn't you? Tiffany's still in surgery! If anything happens to her, I swear I'll never let you off the hook!"

But Tiffany was the one who gave me a car with malfunctioning brakes.

My vision was still blurry. All I could see was a few doctors suddenly stepping out of the operating room. "The patient has lost a massive amount of blood and needs a transfusion. The blood bank is running low—"

"Take hers! Use her blood! Please, you have to save my wife!" Mason screamed, grabbing my hand and yanking hard. The force made my wound start bleeding again.

The doctor treating me hurried to stop him. "Absolutely not. She has a coagulation disorder. She nearly severed an artery, and we barely managed to stop the bleeding. If we draw her blood, she could die."

Mason wouldn't listen. He kept bellowing, "Just take it! I don't care if she dies! I only need Tiffany to live!"

I lifted my head and stared at his back.

"Isabel, I just need you to stay alive."

For a moment, I thought I heard Mason's voice from years ago. Due to my coagulation disorder, he had always treated me like I was made of glass.

Once, we had gone hiking and were caught in a landslide. He had said the exact thing to me then.

Now, with his eyes bloodshot, Mason ignored everyone trying to stop him and had my blood drawn anyway. Bag after bag was rushed into the operating room. He then tossed my passport and ID beside me.

I forced myself to stay conscious. Ignoring the nurse who tried to stop me, I took my documents and walked out of the hospital.

This time, Mason and I were truly even.