Chapter 2

Smoke filled the cabin. The heavy scent of gasoline mixed with the sharp, metallic tang of blood.

"Mom… Dad…" I choked out, my voice barely a whisper.

In the front seats, my parents were slumped forward, completely motionless against the crushed dashboard. Blood dripped steadily from my father's forehead, pooling on the shattered glass below.

A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my abdomen. With trembling, blood-slicked fingers, I fumbled for my phone in the wreckage. I dialed Yohan’s number.

Ring. Ring. Voicemail.

I dialed again as I lay trapped in the crushed backseat, bleeding out, but not a single answer.

Through the shattered window, I saw Diana stumble out of the car she had used to ram us.

Tires screeched to a halt nearby. A black SUV pulled up, and Yohan jumped out.

"Yohan…" I gasped, reaching a bloodied hand toward the broken window. "Help…"

But Yohan didn’t even look at our crushed car. He ran straight to Diana.

Diana immediately crumpled into his arms, hyperventilating, playing the fragile victim perfectly.

"Yohan! I was so scared," she sobbed, clutching his shirt, burying her face in his chest. "My chest hurts… I couldn't breathe, I lost control of the wheel…"

"It's okay, I'm here," Yohan said, his voice frantic with worry. He stroked her hair, checking her for injuries.

I stared at them, my vision blurring from the pain and the sheer absurdity of the scene.

My parents were bleeding out. I was trapped, going into premature labor. And my fiancé was comforting the woman who had just intentionally T-boned us.

"Yohan!" I screamed, the effort tearing at my throat and sending another wave of agonizing pain through my belly.

He finally turned his head.

His eyes swept over the mangled metal, over my blood-soaked dress. But there was no panic in his eyes. Only a flash of cold irritation.

"Stop screaming, Lily," he demanded. "Diana is having a panic attack. I have to get her to a private clinic before the press arrives and makes a mess of this."

"My parents aren't waking up," I begged, throwing away all my pride. "The baby… please. Save us."

"The ambulance will be here soon. Stop being so dramatic."

Without another word, he turned his back on me. He guided Diana into the SUV, treating her like she was made of fragile glass.

He drove away, leaving me to the wreckage and the cold night.

I didn't know how long I waited until the paramedics finally cut me out. The ambulance ride was a blur of sirens and agonizing pain.

Under the harsh white lights of the hospital, chaos erupted.

"Pregnant female, heavy trauma, early labor!" a doctor shouted as they wheeled my stretcher through the doors. "She's hemorrhaging! Prep the OR for an emergency C-section immediately!"

"What about the older couple?" a nurse asked urgently.

"Severe head trauma. Put them on life support in the ICU, now!"

I was pushed down the sterile hallway, my vision fading in and out.

Every second felt like my life was draining away.

But as we neared the operating room, the stretcher jerked to a sudden halt.

Yohan stood blocking the double doors. Two of his massive bodyguards stood beside him, physically pushing the medical staff back.

"Mr. Payne, you need to move!" the lead doctor yelled, his face pale with panic. "She is bleeding out. We lose her and the baby if we don't operate right now!"

"Nobody goes in until she signs this," Yohan said coldly.

Through the haze of pain, I forced my eyes to focus on the bold letters at the top.

Letter of Forgiveness and Legal Assumption of Fault.

"Sign it," Yohan commanded, his voice devoid of any warmth. "You will state that your father was driving recklessly and caused the crash. You will take full legal responsibility."

"She… she T-boned us on purpose," I rasped, tasting blood in my mouth. "She tried to kill my baby."

"Diana made a mistake," Yohan said impatiently. "But if the police investigate, she could go to prison. I won't allow that."

"Move out of the way!" the doctor pleaded, trying to push past, but the bodyguards shoved him hard against the wall.

"I won't sign it," I whispered, clutching my stomach. "Let me die, then."

Yohan's expression didn't change. He simply pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and held it in front of my face.

It was a live security feed.

I saw my parents lying in hospital beds, tubes down their throats, the rhythmic rise and fall of the ventilators keeping them alive.

Standing right next to the machines were two more of Yohan's men.

"Sign it, Lily," Yohan said, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Or I make one phone call, and they pull the plug right now."

My breath hitched. "You wouldn't…"

"Diana is pregnant with my son," Yohan stated, delivering the final, crushing blow. "Her reputation matters more than your pride. My heir cannot have a mother with a criminal record."

My son.

The words echoed in my ears.

I looked at the screen. My parents, who had warned me about him, who had rushed to save me tonight, were now his hostages.

"Fetal heart rate is dropping!" a nurse cried out.

"Give me the pen," I choked out, tears finally spilling over, mixing with the dirt and blood on my face.

Yohan handed me a sleek, silver pen. He didn't even flinch as my trembling, blood-slicked fingers grasped it.

I pressed the pen to the paper. My blood smeared across the crisp white page, staining the words as I signed my name.

I traded the truth for the lives of my parents and my baby.

Yohan snatched the paper back, inspecting the signature with a satisfied nod.

"Good girl," he said softly. He stepped aside, waving his bodyguards away. "You can take her in now."