Chapter 4

[Isabella's POV]

The car suddenly shot forward in a zigzag pattern, swerving left and right. My heart immediately leaped into my throat.

I reached out to grab control of the steering wheel, but Claudia immediately shoved me aside.

"Let go if you don't want us to die!" I yelled at her.

Claudia didn't let go. On the contrary, she pressed down harder on the gas pedal until it hit the floor.

The massive crash sounded at the exact same time I heard Vincenzo's scream.

"Isabella!"

I tried to open the car door, but a piercing pain shot through my hands. I cannot move. All I could do was call out to him with all my strength. "Vincenzo… I-I'm here…"

There was a loud scuffling sound, and everything sounded like noise. However, nobody came to save me even after a long while. I tried my best to open my eyes. My vision was blurry from the blood in my eyes, but I could still see that my car was empty, save for myself.

The person who had screamed my name earlier hadn't come to save me.

As my consciousness gradually faded away, I found myself falling into a dream.

I dreamed about the time when Vincenzo flew all the way to Caraville while he was still pursuing me.

At that time, I was a captive of the most powerful man in the underworld, and I disappeared without a trace.It was Vincenzo who tracked me down through relentless inquiries, and risk his life to save me when there were a lot of bullets being fired.

We fled by car that very night. On a sharp bend, to avoid an oncoming out-of-control truck, he turned the wheel quickly and forcefully. The car went through the guardrail and down the hillside.

In the catastrophe, Vincenzo threw his arms around me and kept me safe in his hold as we were thrown around in the car, not caring that he was covered in bloody scrapes and cuts. The car ultimately rolled to a stop at the edge of the cliff, nearly falling off.

Then, he used whatever strength he had left and threw me out of the car.

However, he slid halfway out of the wrecked car with the other half of his body dangling off the cliff. He had nearly fallen to his death.

When the rescue team finally hauled him back up, he lay in my arms weakly, mumbling in his half-conscious state that he was bringing me home no matter what.

"Isabella... they only want to exploit you... I just want you to be safe... I will always... protect you... Please, stay with me forever..."

I was just about to agree to him when the scene suddenly began to warp out of shape.

I woke up with a start and opened my eyes, realizing that I was now at the hospital.

Vincenzo heard the commotion and excited rushed over. "Isabella! You're awake!"

The nurse, who was in the midst of changing my bandages, smiled as well. "You're finally awake. Mr. Cursley here has been keeping you company all day and night, and he nearly cried his eyes out. We all think that you're so lucky to be his little sister."

I was confused. "Little sister?"

"Yeah. Aren't you Mr. Cursley's younger sister?" the nurse asked as she put the old bandages away. "Mrs. Cursley even came to visit you this afternoon, and she cried so hard the entire time. She also told us to inform her immediately as soon as you woke up."

The glass in Vincenzo's hand suddenly shattered with a loud clink. He then shot the nurse a glare.

The nurse got a huge shock and immediately shut up. Then, she left.

I also jumped at the sudden sharp sound. The fragmented memories from just before I passed out fell into place.

Vincenzo had carried Claudia out of the car and walked away, leaving me behind as I cried for his help. He had abandoned me just like that.

I looked up at Vincenzo. He couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.

The corners of my lips lifted slightly. Then, I said in a hoarse voice, "Care to explain?"

Vincenzo panicked. He wanted to grab my hand without hurting me, so he awkwardly placed his hand lightly on my arm instead. "It's not like that, Isabella. It's just a misunderstanding. Claudia was in very bad shape then. That's why I—"

"Okay. I believe you," I said, interrupting him. However, my voice was completely void of emotion.

The rest of his words died in his throat.

Vincenzo thought that I would cry and scream or make a huge fuss, demanding to know why he chose to save Claudia before saving me and why he allowed other people to think that I was his sister while Claudia was his wife.

However, I did none of that. I was as calm as a corpse.

He opened his mouth to say something. I could see that his eyes were filled with guilt.

Instead, I closed my eyes. "I'm tired."

He stayed still for a long time.Finally, he said, "Isabella, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have let her drive. I've already told her off for that. If you're still angry, then you can yell at me or hit me all you like. Don't keep it bottled up inside."

I turned around and spoke calmly, “I'm really tired.”

Vincenzo panicked. Yet before he could apologize to me again, the attending doctor came in and politely asked him to leave. And so he did, though very reluctantly.

After he finally left, my eyes turned red. But this time, I had no more tears left to cry. Maybe my feelings for him had died from the moment I realized he'd been lying to me.

I wiped the corner of my eyes and decided to go back to sleep. I was going to leave him after I woke up.

Just as I had closed my eyes, however, there was a commotion from the ward next to mine.

"Why are you crying?" a woman shouted. "That female doctor next door was in a car crash. Her hands were cut by broken glass, and she might not be able to use a scalpel again. She didn't cry at all! You've only got a minor wrist sprain! What's there to cry about?"