Chapter 3

3.

But I felt nothing. Not a single ounce of sympathy.

Just a desperate need to get away.

"Let go of me!"

Sebastian's face twisted with anger, his eyes burning with a possessive fire.

"Your mom is gone, and your dad left when you were a kid. Where else can you go? The only person you can rely on now is me!"

Rely on him? I laughed a shaky, tear-filled laugh.

"How could I rely on you? When have you ever, not once, taken my side?"

"You didn't just abandon me, you threw me in jail! You made me the laughingstock of all of New York!"

"Do you have any idea that my mother just died? I just wanted her to be at peace. Why was that so hard!"

Seeing my tears finally break through, Sebastian froze, a wave of immense regret washing over him.

"Nora, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I thought… I thought you had already waited so many times, that one more time wouldn't matter―"

My mind went blank. I slapped him, hard.

My understanding hadn't earned his respect; it had become a license for him to trample all over me.

I grabbed my suitcase and got into the car parked at the curb.

The next second, a thick, sweet, and cheap perfume smell hit me.

Mia had borrowed this car just a few days ago. It was filled with her presence.

I didn't think twice. I slammed on the gas and peeled out.

Sebastian, refusing to give up, followed me in his Porsche.

But I quickly realized something was wrong―the brake pedal went straight to the floor!

The brakes had failed!

I desperately cranked the steering wheel, trying to use friction to slow down, but at a red light, I still slammed into the back of an SUV.

There was a deafening bang as the airbag deployed, and then everything went black.

"Nora!"

Through the haze, I thought I heard Sebastian's soul-shattering scream.

When I woke up again, my body was wracked with pain. I had a broken rib and soft tissue damage everywhere else.

The doctor's face was full of relief.

"You were lucky you weren't going faster. No internal bleeding. If you had been, I can't imagine what would have happened."

Sebastian's eyes were red-rimmed as he listened intently to the doctor's instructions.

I stretched out my left arm, fumbled for my phone on the nightstand, and started dialing 911.

Sebastian noticed immediately.

"Nora, are you calling the police?"

My gaze shifted to the corner of the room, where the real culprit was casually playing on her phone. I pointed a shaky finger at Mia and hissed.

"Who else? Get her out of here! I'm pressing charges for attempted murder!"

Mia put on her signature innocent face, looking like a startled deer.

"Nora, the car… I was going to take it to the shop tomorrow. I had no idea you would suddenly take it."

My chest ached with rage, but I was so weak my voice was just a whisper.

"The car was broken and you didn't tell me! You wait until after I crash to say you were going to fix it tomorrow! I could have died!"

I hit dial.

Suddenly, Sebastian snatched the phone from my hand and ended the call.

"Nora, it was a misunderstanding. There's no need to make a scene."

My vision went dark. For a moment, I couldn't tell what hurt more, my body or my heart.

I could only whisper, "Get out… Both of you, just get the hell out…"

Mia just rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Seriously? It was just a few minor injuries, you didn't even―Ah!"

A loud smack echoed through the room. Sebastian had slapped her, hard.

"Out!"

Sebastian's voice was raw, the veins in his forehead bulging. He had reached his limit.

Mia clutched her face, tears of disbelief welling in her eyes.

"You hit me? For that bitch Nora!"

Her voice was venomous. The look she gave me as she stormed out was terrifying.