Chapter 4

Over the next month, I tried to contact Ethan.

After all, he still had my documents.

But he was so busy planning Chloe's birthday party that he couldn't care less about me.

It wasn't until the day before Chloe's birthday that he finally showed up.

He seemed to have completely forgotten what happened a week ago.

"Tomorrow is Chloe's birthday. She loves excitement and wants you to join us for a track race."

I paused. Chloe used to be a professional race car driver before she retired.

Inviting me was obviously her way of showing off.

"I'm not going," I said calmly.

Ethan seemed prepared. He pulled my passport and ID out of his pocket and waved them in front of me.

"Weren't you looking for these? Behave, and I'll give them back to you."

"Otherwise..."

My expression darkened. I knew Ethan would keep his word.

So, I agreed.

The crowd Chloe invited were mostly wealthy, spoiled heirs.

The moment they saw me, they looked at me like a zoo animal.

They laughed and mocked me openly.

"Ethan, why is your ex still clinging to you? She actually followed you here."

Before Ethan could speak, Chloe wrapped her arm around his, smiling sweetly.

"I invited Clara! The more, the merrier. Plus, she knows how to drive. I thought we could all have a friendly race."

Their cruel whispers filled my ears.

"She's just a disbarred lawyer. Racing her is beneath us."

"Can't believe the 'eight-time divorcee' is actually real."

I sighed inwardly. Thinking of my passport, I closed my eyes.

"How do you want to do this? Just say it."

Chloe smirked and slid into the driver's seat of her sports car.

"Simple. First to cross the finish line wins."

"But hey, if anything happens and someone loses their life... they can only blame their own bad luck."

She whispered the last sentence.

My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively gripped the steering wheel.

The race started smoothly.

But halfway through a sharp turn, Chloe's car suddenly skidded.

My brakes failed to react in time, and I crashed straight into her. My car flipped over.

Screams and cries for help erupted around us.

My legs were pinned under the dashboard, and shattered glass sliced deep into my thigh.

I couldn't tell if an artery had been severed.

Blood was gushing out rapidly.

The track's emergency medical team quickly pulled us out and rushed us to the hospital.

The doctors had just barely managed to stop my bleeding when Ethan stormed into my room, his eyes bloodshot.

He slapped me hard across the face, grabbing my collar violently.

"Clara! You did that on purpose, didn't you?! Chloe is still in the emergency room! If anything happens to her, I will make you pay!"

But she was the one who swerved into me.

My vision was blurry.

I saw a doctor walk out of the operating room.

"The patient is hemorrhaging. We need a blood transfusion immediately, but our blood bank is running low..."

"Take hers! Use her blood! Please, you have to save my wife!"

Ethan grabbed my arm roughly.

The sheer force reopened my wounds, and blood began to seep through the bandages.

My doctor tried to stop him.

"She can't! She has a severe blood clotting disorder! She almost severed her artery and we just stopped the bleeding."

"If you draw her blood now, she could die!"

But Ethan was deaf to any warnings. He screamed frantically:

"I don't care! Draw it! What does her life have to do with me? I only need Chloe to live!"

I looked up at Ethan's back.

"Clara, I only want you to live."

In my dazed state, I seemed to hear Ethan's voice from the past.

Because of my clotting disorder, Ethan used to treat me like a fragile porcelain doll.

Once, we were caught in a landslide while hiking.

He had held me tight and told me the exact same thing.

As long as I lived, nothing else mattered.

But now, a frenzied Ethan ignored the doctors and forced them to draw my blood.

Bag after bag of my blood was rushed into the operating room.

Ethan threw my passport and documents onto my bed.

I forced myself to stay conscious.

Ignoring the nurse's pleas for me to stay, I took my passport and walked out of the hospital.

This time, Ethan and I were completely settled.