Chapter 4

Alex couldn't stand the sight of all the blood, so he grabbed some tissues and roughly wiped at my head and face, like he was trying to erase the mess.

I was shaking all over from the pain.

Afraid Ryan would rush over again, I clenched my teeth and kept quiet.

Charles finally found an excuse to let off some steam. He raised his glass toward me with a sly grin. "Come on, have a drink with me. Maybe it'll help you calm down after all that excitement."

Alex kept dabbing at my face with a tissue, sounding annoyed. "She doesn't need your toast. She's with me."

Charles just laughed. "Then how about this, let Eva give you a toast instead?"

Alex suddenly looked interested.

He glanced at Eva, who looked dazed and pitiful from the drinking, then leaned in and lowered his voice. "Three thousand a glass."

He sounded so eager, like he was afraid he'd miss his chance to get Eva drunk.

I felt completely numb, like I was just going through the motions.

I watched as the waiter lined up shot glasses in front of me.

Maybe ten, maybe twenty, I lost count after a while.

By the time I finished, I ended up coughing blood, but Alex never even looked my way.

He kept his eyes glued to Eva the whole time.

It wasn't until Eva started puking from all the booze that he finally couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, his voice soft with concern. "That's enough."

Eva passed out, and Charles scooped her up, looking furious and worried as he glared at Alex. "Just you wait!"

Alex just ignored him, looking lost and lonely.

He hauled me to my feet and dragged me out of the room.

My feet felt like they were stepping on clouds. It was soft, unsteady, like I could fall at any moment.

I could hear all kinds of noise, people arguing, and I thought I heard Ryan shouting for me somewhere in the chaos.

I struggled to turn my head, but my vision was so blurry that Ryan was nowhere in sight.

It wasn't until Alex dragged me out of the bar that I finally realized what Charles meant when he said, "Just you wait."

A silver-gray sports car came barreling toward us, like it was out of control.

The last thing I saw was Ryan's face, twisted in terror, as he rushed toward me like a madman.

The sports car was barreling straight at me. I didn't hesitate for a second, I shoved Alex out of the way.

Then came the deafening crash, and everything went black.

*****

The beeping of the machines beside my ear seemed to go on forever.

When I finally came to, I was lying in a hospital bed.

There was only one person standing by my bedside, Alex's assistant, with a chilly, indifferent look.

As soon as he saw I was awake, he spoke in a frosty tone, "Mr. Sterling asked me to tell you, don't pull that cheap trick again. Don't make him sick with that."

My mind was still foggy from just waking up, so his words barely registered.

I blurted out, "Sorry, what?"

The assistant shot me a look of pure disgust. "You know exactly what I mean. If you hadn't stepped in front of him last night, Mr. Sterling would've been just fine."

That was when it clicked. He meant the moment I stepped in front of the car for Alex last night.

My fingers clenched slightly, and I nodded. "I know."

Alex could have dodged it.

Charles was just making a scene, acting out to blow off steam.

But I had a serious head injury and was still drunk.

Everything was a blur. I couldn't think straight.

All I could think was, if something happened to him, Ryan and I wouldn't be able to escape responsibility. So I pushed him out of the way on instinct.

So, Alex figured I was just playing out some melodramatic rescue, acting like a hero willing to risk it all.

The reason behind it? Everyone could see right through me.

I couldn't argue with that.

The assistant spoke again, his tone icy. "Mr. Sterling wants you out of the hospital by tonight. He's going to Ms. Young's art auction. If you can't handle it, then find someone else to do it."

I was discharged from the hospital that afternoon.

Before heading to see Alex, I stopped by home to grab the check I'd set aside.

Then I picked up Daniel from elementary school and brought him along to the bank.

Alex was so relentless, I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on.

I needed to teach Daniel how to use the money I'd saved up for him, and I had to do it soon.

I transferred all the money from the check into his bank account.

Then I patiently walked him through how to add the card to his phone and pay for things with it.

I also showed him how to get cash out at the bank if he ever needed it.

He had a tough time learning, but in the end, he got the hang of it.

But halfway through, he suddenly stopped trying to learn.

He looked down, watching me in silence.

I suddenly got really anxious, and before I knew it, I lost my temper.

"Focus! This is a ton of money. You're going to need it for a long, long time. Do you understand?" I shouted.

Lately, I had this bad feeling, like I wouldn't be around much longer.

If I left, Daniel would be all alone. What if he didn't know how to use the money? What if someone scammed him out of it?

What if he couldn't manage his money and spent it all? What would he do then?

Just thinking about it kept me up all night, every night.

Daniel had never been yelled at by me before, and his face was clouded with guilt and worry.

My nose burned with emotion, and I softened my tone.

"I'm sorry. I just want you to learn this well. There are so many things you'll have to figure out by yourself someday."

Daniel was quiet for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Are you going to leave me?"