Chapter 4

I looked Jacqueline dead in the eye, calm.

"Jacqueline, you passed out the whole ride, right? So how exactly would you know whether I drove smoothly or not?"

Her eyes darted away. She had no answer.

Then she screamed.

"You jolted me so hard it woke me up from being knocked out! You just got your license, this is on you! Give me back my baby!"

My voice went cold. "It's true I just got my license. It's true I'm not a confident driver yet."

"And you knew all of that, Jacqueline. You knew I was a beginner, that I wasn't steady behind the wheel, and you still begged me to drive you to the hospital."

Called out, Jacqueline broke into a shriek.

"You liar! You killed my baby! You're a murderer! You give me back my child!"

In front of me the comments were flooding past.

【Just apologize! Calm the pregnant woman down first!】

【She's just heartbroken, she doesn't really blame you!】

【Soften up a little, admit fault, keep it from blowing up!】

I frowned at the stream of comments.

If I apologized now, that was as good as admitting in front of everyone that my driving had shaken the baby loose. That would make me a murderer, locked in.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jacqueline sneaking looks at the space in front of me.

She could see the comments?

I drew a slow breath and hardened my tone.

"Jacqueline, something terrible happened, and I know you're both devastated. But you can't just say whatever you want. You know perfectly well how that baby was lost. If you think it's my fault, call the police. Let them pull the surveillance footage. Let them check the records."

"Whatever I'm responsible for, I won't shrug off a cent of it. But a blame that isn't mine to carry, I will never take."

With that, I turned and walked straight out of the hospital.

That night my phone blew up.

【Rookie Female Driver Jolts Pregnant Woman Into Losing Her Baby】 was trending.

The photo attached was my driver's license. Five thousand comments in the thread, every one of them cursing me out.

"This woman is a straight-up killer."

"Just got her license and she's hauling a pregnant woman around? What's going through her head?"

"Heard she's stone-cold at work too. A coworker asked her to grab a food delivery once and she wouldn't even do that."

Within a few hours my name, my company details, my private social accounts were all dug up and thrown wide open.

The online mob came down like a flood, and from start to finish I never explained, never responded.

The stage was set. The bigger it got, the better.

After all, the higher you climb, the harder you fall.

Early the next morning, I pulled myself together and went in to work like any other day.

The company entrance was packed with a dark mass of people.

A row of cameras stood ready, independent bloggers crouched on the steps livestreaming from their phones, and several microphones carried the logos of different TV stations.

Jacqueline sat in a wheelchair, her husband standing beside her.

The moment she saw me climb out of the taxi, she struggled up out of the chair, jabbed a finger at me, and yelled.

"That's her! She's the one who killed my baby! And she still hasn't given me a single word of apology!"

Every lens swung my way at once, flashes going off in a solid wall of light. Half-blinded, I squinted and threw up a hand on instinct to shield my face.

Several microphones were shoved right up to my mouth.

"Are you Eleanor Gray, the one who caused a pregnant woman to lose her baby?"

"Do you have any response to Ms. Fletcher's accusations? Are you considering an apology?"

"Did you really just get your license?"

"How did you feel that day when you learned the baby was gone?"

I looked around at all of them and kept my voice level.

"Jacqueline, do you still stand by it? That I killed your baby with my driving?"

Jacqueline sobbed until she could barely catch her breath. "It was you! Are you still going to lie about it now?"

I looked at her, and the corner of my mouth lifted before I could stop it.

"Who said you were ever in my car yesterday?"