Chapter 3
I shoved the phone in Linda's face. "Look! It's Dr. Grant! Ask him! Ask him if your parents are in the ER right now!"
But Linda didn't even glance at the screen. She swatted my hand, sending my phone clattering to the pavement.
"Are you ever going to give it up, Grace?" she shrieked.
"You're still cursing my parents, you bitch! You want to go play hero and donate blood? Fine. Transfer the money, and you can go. Do it!"
I scrambled to pick up my phone. The call had been disconnected.
The screen was shattered, but it was still working.
A part of me wanted to just walk away. After everything she had done, did I really owe her parents anything?
But my conscience, the doctor in me, wouldn't let me. It didn't matter who the patient was or who their daughter was.
Two human lives were at stake.
I gritted my teeth. "If I transfer the money, you'll let me go?"
"That's right. Seventy grand. Now."
"Fine."
Whatever it took, I had to get to that hospital and donate blood to save her parents.
I could call the police later to get the money back.
But when I tried to make the transfer, a notification popped up: [Transaction failed.]
Shit. I had just bought a new car yesterday.
So I had maxed out my monthly limit.
"What's wrong? Broke?" Linda sneered. "What happened to all your money, you bitch?"
"I hit my transfer limit, Linda! I'm not lying! Your parents are dying! Please, just let me go! I swear I'll give you the money tomorrow!"
Linda just stared at me coldly and said, "No. Fucking. Way."
"Don't you have other friends, Grace?" she added, her voice dripping with scorn. "Go beg them for the money!"
I clenched my fists, biting my lip so hard that I tasted blood.
She wasn't going to let me go if I didn't transfer the money right now.
Ignoring the sting of the broken glass digging into my fingers, I frantically texted my cousin, begging her to spot me seventy grand.
Her reply was instant: [Is this really you?]
I sent back a shaky voice message.
A moment later, a notification popped up. She had sent me one hundred grand.
I instantly transferred seventy grand to Linda.
"Can I go now?" I said, struggling to keep the frustration out of my voice.
Linda wore a satisfied smile.
I let out a shuddering breath and turned to leave.
But just as I did, she blocked my path again.
"Grace, you're my best friend, right?" Linda said. "And I happen to be short one bridesmaid. So you're in. You can leave after the wedding."
I was shaking with fury. "Linda, you are going to kill your parents."
"They're in a car accident!" I screamed. "They're waiting for me to save their lives! I gave you the money! Why won't you let me go?
"They have a rare blood type! If nobody donates, they're going to die!"
Just then, Mia gasped, staring at her phone.
"Oh my God, you guys! There really was a car accident! Holy shit. Could it actually be Linda's parents?"
She held out her phone.
Someone on her social media feed had posted a photo from the crash site. The caption read: [Wedding car crash. A celebration turned into a tragedy. So sad.]
"See? It's a wedding car!"
"What if she's telling the truth? What if Linda's parents are really waiting for her?"
"Then let her go! She needs to get to the hospital!"
"It's so late already. I hope she makes it in time."
The crowd buzzed in panicked whispers.
Linda went white as paper.
She snatched the phone and stared.
But the photo only showed a corner of the crashed car.
No license plate was visible. There was no way to identify who was inside.
"Find out who it was!" Linda demanded, grabbing Mia's arm. "Was it my parents?"
"I'll ask," Mia replied, nodding.
She dialed, putting the call on speaker.
The call went through almost immediately.
"Hey," she said. "I saw your post about the crash. Do you know who was in the car?"
The voice on the other end hesitated. "Well, I can't remember names. But I know their kid was getting married today.
"You should've seen it. Blood everywhere. It was horrible."
Linda's breathing was coming in rapid gasps now.
"I told you Grace looked way too serious to be lying."
"This is crazy. What if the wedding really does turn into a funeral?"
"Can they even still get married after this?"
"Are you kidding? If her parents are dying, there's no way this wedding is happening."
I looked at Linda. "Are you going to keep holding me here?"
Her face was a terrifying shade of pale.
"Was their last name Hayes?" she whispered into the phone.
The voice on the speaker sounded uncertain. "Hayes? No, I don't think so. Let me think. Oh! I remember now. Someone said it was Reed. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was Reed!"
Linda's whole body sagged with relief. "You're sure? It was Reed, not Hayes?"
"Pretty sure. Definitely not Hayes."
She exhaled, color rushing back to her cheeks. Then she smirked, "See, Grace? Looks like you're not going anywhere after all."
It was impossible!
Charles specifically said it was Linda's parents in that accident. He wouldn't make a mistake like that.
I grabbed the phone. "Are you absolutely certain the last name was Reed? Not Hayes? Think carefully!"
"I heard people saying Reed. There were a bunch of people at the scene though, so I'm not totally sure."
The person on the other end sounded uncertain.
Jason plucked the phone back. "Stop. Play nice, be my bridesmaid, and you can leave after."
The second I saw Jason's face, something clicked.
What if Jason's parents were with Linda's parents?
They went to the church together. They could have been in the same car.
That's why people at the scene mentioned Reed.
Everything suddenly made perfect sense.
The pieces clicked into place.
I grabbed Jason's arm. "Is it possible," I said, "that your parents were in that car, too?"