All Chapters of In The Face of Death: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When the chain collision happened, the windshield instantly shattered, and the deformed dashboard pinned my right lower leg down. The excruciating pain of my bone snapping brought tears to my eyes instantly. Right then, I also caught the pungent scent of leaking gasoline.“Shawn…” I gasped out, struggling to turn my neck. “My leg is broken, and there’s fuel leaking up front. Quick, undo my seatbelt for me…”Sitting in the driver’s seat, Shawn Adams’s hands trembled as he ripped off his own seatbelt. However, his gaze swept right past me and fell on the backseat.“Willow! Willow, talk to me! Where did you get hit?”In the back, Willow Benson, the new intern at Shawn’s precinct, was clutching her head and crying. She had complained that the seatbelt was too uncomfortable when she got into the car and had refused to wear it, so at the moment of the impact, she was thrown against the back of the front seat.“Shawn, my head hurts so badly. Do I have a concussion? I feel like throwing u

Shawn froze. He clearly didn’t expect the very first thing I would settle with him was the ownership of the house.“Lea, what’s the point in counting pennies like this?” Shawn barked. “Yes, half the house belongs to you, but didn’t I pay for the other half? Right now, I am exercising my share of the right to allow Willow to stay here for a few days. She’s from out of town, and she just graduated only to experience a traumatic event like this. She doesn’t even have anyone to take care of her. Am I supposed to send her back to that dreary, cramped shared apartment?”“You could’ve rented a place for her. You could’ve arranged a staff dormitory for her. You could’ve paid for a hotel room,” I replied. “But instead, you chose to let her live with you in our home!”Willow came running over and grabbed my hand, tears streaming down her face.“Lea, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t know this mug was yours. Shawn handed it to me, so I just used it… I know you’re angry at Shawn for saving me firs

“So there’s really no way to punish him?” Joanna gritted her teeth in frustration.“There is. Jo, do you remember that senior from law school during our university days? The one who always drove his opponents absolutely crazy during debate competitions?”Joanna’s eyes instantly lit up. “Luke O’Connor? He’s currently the youngest senior partner in the city, specializing in complex commercial and civil dispute cases. But his fees are very high, and he doesn’t just take on any case.”“It’s fine. I have the money.”The next morning, Luke O’Connor showed up right on time at Joanna’s apartment. He was wearing a dark gray suit and rimless glasses, his expression cold and stern.“It’s been a while, Lea. Joanna has given me a rough overview of the situation over the phone, and I’ve reviewed the copy of the accident report from the traffic police.”He pulled a document out of his briefcase and laid it flat on the coffee table.“From the current official assessment, this is being treated a

Across the screen, I could almost smell the bitter stench of burning flesh from that day.When a person was abandoned in the face of death, it was impossible not to feel resentment.Yet, I suddenly realized that rather than hating him, I felt sorry for myself, for the version of me who, even while hurting so badly that I almost fainted in that sea of fire, still fought desperately to survive.There was no greater sorrow than the death of one’s heart.“Luke,” I said calmly, “make two copies. Have one as material for a lawsuit to submit to the police and the court, and send the other one to Shawn and his lawyer. Also, draft two documents for me. One will be a property division agreement to dissolve our cohabitation relationship, and the other will be a notice of revocation regarding my design patent licensing agreement.”Luke adjusted his glasses and nodded. “Alright. I’ll get right on it.”The next morning, I finally picked up Shawn’s phone call.“Lea, what on earth do you want?

The righteous confidence on Shawn’s face crumbled as the footage played on.When the video finally ended, the screen plunged back into darkness.Shawn stared blankly at the black screen. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and every last drop of color drained from his face. He reached out toward the laptop, but his fingers were trembling too hard to press any key.“This… this isn’t the complete footage,” he said, his voice hoarse. “It’s an angle issue. The dashcam’s angle couldn’t possibly capture what I was doing at that moment–”“Couldn’t capture what?” I sat calmly on the sofa, quietly watching him struggle. “Shawn, even the traffic police have verified the integrity of the video. You had a full two minutes before the fire even started.”Shawn snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot. He lunged forward, trying to grab my wrist, but Joanna stepped in and shoved him back.“Lea, listen to me!” Shawn said in a panic. “My mind was just consumed with saving the injured at the ti