Chapter 2 HELPING GONE WRONG.

"You killed my wife!"

Mr Blackthorn's voice thundered through the street. The doctor flinched at the sudden outburst, staring at him in disbelief. His face was twisted with rage, his eyes dark brown eyes burning as he held her responsible for the death of the woman in his arms.

"K-Killed?" she repeated, struggling to comprehend his accusation. "I was trying to save your wife!"

He suddenly rose to his feet. Before she could take a step back, he lunged at her, his hand closing around her neck.

"Mr. Blackthorne!" one of the men shouted.

The doctor grabbed his wrist, struggling to free herself. His grip tightened, cutting off her breath as she clawed desperately at his hand. Several men rushed forward, grabbing him and pulling him away from her. It took more than one of them to wrench his hand from her throat.

She stumbled backwards, coughing and gasping for air. Her blonde hair clung to her face, and sweat trickled down her temples. She pressed a hand to her neck, desperately trying to steady her breathing.

"You murderer!" Mr. Blackthorne roared as the men restrained him. "You killed my wife and my unborn baby! You're a murderer!"

Something inside the doctor snapped.

"I was trying to save your wife!" she shouted, her voice raw from the struggle. "What part of that don't you understand?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "Of course you were trying to save her. Because you were the one who hit her in the first place!"

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"I didn't hit your wife!" she snapped. "For the last time, it was an accident! I was a victim, too!"

"Bullshit!" He jerked against the men holding him, his gaze fixed on her. "Whatever you did, I'll make sure you regret it!"

"I'm not going to regret anything because I didn't kill your wife!"

Mr. Blackthorne bit down on his lower lip, his eyes filled with hatred. Then his gaze shifted towards her damaged car. "Thats your bloody car, right?"

The doctor followed his gaze. "Yes, it's my car. So what?"

"If you didn't hit her, why the hell is it damaged?"

For a moment, she understood exactly where his accusation had come from. He had arrived to find his wife dead, an injured woman beside a wrecked car, and a stranger covered in blood. But that didn't make his accusations right.

"Like I said, I'm a victim, too!" she insisted. "Everything happened so fast. A trailer hit her car, and her car crashed into mine. The trailer driver was the one who caused the accident!"

Mr. Blackthorne stared at her with open contempt. "Then why aren't you the one lying there dead if you're such a victim?"

Her mouth fell open. "How dare you-"

The wail of police sirens cut through the night. Several vehicles pulled up, followed by an ambulance. Paramedics hurried towards the dead woman while police officers began securing the scene. Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps and overlapping voices filled the street. Then came the flashes. Reporters and photographers had arrived, their cameras pointed at the wreckage, the bloodstained doctor, and the furious man being restrained by his security personnel.

The doctor turned away from the cameras, suddenly conscious of the blood covering her clothes and hands. Her body was drenched in sweat, and her breathing still hadn't returned to normal. She wanted to go home. She wanted to wash the blood from her hands and forget the terrible sight of the woman she had failed to save. Instead, she stood in the middle of a growing crowd, surrounded by strangers who had no idea what had happened.

An inspector approached Mr. Blackthorne. "Mr. Blackthorne, are you alright? I'm sorry this happened."

The paramedics were already preparing to transport his wife. The inspector glanced towards the ambulance before returning his attention to the grieving man.

"Can you please tell me what happened here?"

"I'll tell you what happened." Mr. Blackthorne said immediately. Instead, he turned towards the doctor and pointed an accusing finger at her. "She killed my wife and my unborn baby!"

The doctor's brow furrowed. 'Oh, for God's sake!' She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to hold on to what little composure she had left.

A female police officer approached her. "Ma'am, you'll need to come with us then."

The doctor stared at her. "Why? Why do I need to come with you? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"You killed them!" Mr. Blackthorne shouted. "Youre a liar!"

"I'm not lying!" the doctor shot back, turning towards him. "I told you what happened! I didn't hit your wife!"

"Liar!"

"Mr. Blackthorne, please," the inspector intervened. "You need to compose yourself. I understand that this is an extremely difficult moment, but threatening her will only complicate matters."

The warning did little to calm him. He continued struggling against the men holding him, his attention fixed entirely on the doctor.

The inspector turned back to her. "Ma'am, I need you to explain exactly what happened."

"I was on my way to the hospital for my night shift," she began, her voice trembling despite her efforts to control it. "Then a trailer hit the Mercedes-Benz. The impact sent the car crashing into mine, and the trailer driver ran away."

"Where is the trailer driver now?"

"He ran away!" she repeated desperately. "I couldn't stop him. I was trying to save the woman in the Mercedes-Benz!"

"She's lying!" Mr. Blackthorne roared. His face had reddened with anger. "She's the one who hit my wife! She's trying to cover it up!"

The doctor turned towards him, disbelief giving way to outrage. "Why would I do that? Why would I risk my life trying to save someone I'd deliberately hurt?"

He didn't answer her question. He didn't seem interested in anything she had to say. As far as he was concerned, she was the person responsible for the two lives he had lost.

"You're a murderer!" he shouted. "You deserve to be punished for what you've done!"

The doctor stood motionless, staring at him. She had come upon an accident. She had stopped to help a stranger. She had done everything she could to save a woman whose name she didn't even known. And now, surrounded by police officers, reporters, and strangers, she was being called a murderer.

The female officer touched her arm. "Ma'am, we need you to come with us."

The doctor looked at her, then back at Mr. Blackthorne. "Please. You have to believe me. I didn't kill her."

But Mr. Blackthorne's expression remained unchanged. His eyes locked onto slightly blue ones, cold and merciless.

"You. You're a murderer." He took a step towards her, forcing the men restraining him to tighten their hold. "I won't let a murderer like you walk free. I'll make sure you pay for what you've done. I'll make sure you suffer."