Chapter 5
"Elwood had to dash off for something. Hop in—I'll give you a lift. We're headed to the same spot anyway."
I turned her down without a second thought.
The whole thing just felt too sleazy.
Patrica, unfazed and thick-skinned as ever, just shrugged. "Fine, if you won't get in, I'll come out to you."
"What do you want?"
"Chill, Justine—I'm not here to bite your head off. But the three of us need to hash this out. Wouldn't it be smarter to clear the air right now?"
"I've got zero to say to you."
"Doesn't matter. I'll just shadow you then—go wherever you go, do whatever you do, till you give in."
Being the other woman was one thing, but this kind of shameless nerve?
We hit a deadlock.
Meanwhile, cars were stacking up behind us, horns blaring.
I gave in.
Patrica drove like a bat out of hell, weaving wildly through traffic, her voice dripping with gloating.
"You figured out Elwood was faking it ages ago, right? Why not confront him?"
"He warned you to steer clear of me—how'd you forget that so quick?" I shot back sarcastically.
"Because I wanna be Mrs. Matthews too—the real deal, out in the open for everyone to see."
"Then have at it."
"But that's not up to you, and it's not up to me."
Patrica kept one hand on the steering wheel while the other dug into the glove compartment, pulling out a diamond necklace that sparkled brilliantly in the sun.
When she saw me go still, her smirk grew even wider.
"It's called 'Dream's Tear.' Elwood shelled out millions at auction to snag it for me. Got anything like that, Justine?"
I didn't bite, just turned to gaze out at the scenery whipping by.
Memories hit you when you least expected it.
Must've been five years back—I'd spotted this iconic necklace in a magazine and fallen head over heels. When Elwood found out, he vowed to buy it for me on our wedding day, as proof of our forever love.
Guess he didn't forget; he just gave it to someone else.
Her win wasn't my loss.
Elwood had paid good money for it, so it was his call who got it. I wasn't resentful—just a quick twinge of regret that vanished in a flash.
"Nope. Congrats."
From there, no matter how much she needled me, I clammed up, eventually closing my eyes and pretending she didn't exist.
My stone-cold ignore really got to her.
As we approached the next turn, Patrica steeled herself, yanked the wheel hard right, and slammed straight into a utility pole.
"Bang—"
A massive crash echoed as the Maybach careened out of control, flipping end over end.
The impact shattered the windshield; I threw my arms up on instinct as glass shards slashed into them like knives, hot blood dripping down.
Everything spun wildly, the airbag smashing into my face. Right before I lost consciousness, I caught sight of the 'Dream's Tear' dangling near my fingertips. With the last ounce of energy I had, I pushed it away.
Then everything went black.
I passed out cold.
In a hospital ward, time blurred—it was like getting lost in the wilderness, with no sense of days turning into years.
I couldn't tell how much later it was when a buzz of voices dragged me back to awareness. My eyelids weighed a ton; I couldn't force them open, just picking up scraps of sound nearby.
"Mr. Matthews, both patients are in critical shape, but we've only got one surgeon on hand who can handle this. Whoever doesn't get operated on right away risks permanent disability. You have to decide now."
A heavy silence stretched out.
Quiet enough that you could almost feel his turmoil churning inside.
Sleepiness started pulling me under again—until Elwood's words snapped me wide awake.
"Save Patrica first!"
Those little words felt like a death sentence.
But his choice didn't surprise me one bit.
It was just a shame, really.
A shame that my plan had gone up in smoke.
Elwood and the doctor left the room, and moments later, familiar voices drifted in from the hallway.
"Elwood, this whole thing's blown up big time. How are you planning to clean it up? And why prioritize Patrica? Are you trying to get Justine killed or something?"
"How could I ever hurt her? I love her way too much. Once we're married, I'll get the best doctors to fix her up properly—no issues. Besides, we've still got over ten days; I just want to have a bit more fun while I can."
Elwood's tone grew heavy. "Patrica's been with me all this time—I can't give her any real status, and I damn well can't let her end up ruined."
The other guy let out a deep sigh.
"Ah, aren't you worried Justine will find out?"
"She won't. I've got everything under control. Come wedding day, I'll fully 'recover,' just like before. Plus, I ordered this huge diamond ring—she'll love it."
Their conversation started to fade as the anesthesia kicked in again, dragging me back into unconsciousness.
I drifted into a long dream.