Chapter 3

I pulled off my jacket and draped it over Layla, covering her mouth, nose, and chest completely.

"What do you think you're doing? What on earth is this?!" Dean Carter shouted.

"Sir, the first-aid manual recommends avoiding cross-contamination during rescue," I replied calmly, hands moving with practiced efficiency. "Especially when the situation is unclear, chest compressions alone work just as well as mouth-to-mouth."

Before he could respond, I'd already stacked my hands over her sternum. Years of football training had given me powerful hands, and now that strength surged into the compression.

First compression, full power!

Through the jacket, Layla's body went rigid. A sharp gasp tore from her throat.

Nice performance. Still "unconscious," huh?

I raised an eyebrow and added a bit more pressure on the second compression.

"Cough, cough... cough!!"

Layla broke into violent coughing, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal eyes blazing with shock and fury.

"She's awake! She's coming to!" Dean Carter's face flooded with relief.

Layla shot me a vicious glare, then, as if she'd used up all her strength, her eyes rolled back and she started to pass out again.

I immediately stopped, letting just the right amount of hesitation and alarm show on my face.

"Sir, I think she's fading again. But I already used the maximum safe pressure. If I push any harder, I could fracture a rib, puncture a lung... the consequences..."

I left it unfinished, but everyone understood: that wouldn't be saving a life. It would be ending one.

Layla's fingers, resting on the ground, curled ever so slightly.

That's when Cole, eager to prove himself, jumped in.

"Forget all that! Saving her comes first. A few broken ribs are better than a dead girl! Right, sir?"

Dean Carter looked at Layla's unconscious face, hesitated, then nodded.

"Given the circumstances... go ahead."

"All right. I'll do my best."

As if steeling myself, I rolled up my sleeves again, took a deep breath, and positioned my hands for an even harder compression.

"Get off me!!"

A full-throated scream exploded from the "unconscious" Layla on the ground.

She shot upright like a spring and slapped my hands away hard. There wasn't a trace of weakness on her face, only humiliated rage.

The whole world went quiet.