A sharp pang gripped Kyla’s chest, a cold wave creeping up from her toes to the crown of her head.
Her gaze locked onto the self-driving car vanishing into the distance. Without hesitation, she scribbled down its plate number.
She slipped into a quiet corner, pulled out her phone, and dialed. The call connected instantly. A laid-back male voice came through the line. “Well, well, it’s been a while. Miss me? Let me guess-another hotel? I promise, you won’t regret it.”
Kyla’s fingers tightened around the phone, her tone sharp. “I need to discuss something important with you.”
“Oh? And what pressing issue made you reach out first?” the man teased.
“Can you hijack a self-driving car and make it crash?” Kyla asked without preamble.
A brief silence followed, then a soft chuckle. “Naturally. Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? But… my skills don’t come cheap.”
Kyla inhaled deeply. “Two hundred grand.”
“For that price, I can guarantee minor injuries, but nothing fatal,” the man countered smoothly.
Kyla realized she was being taken advantage of.
Her jaw clenched. “What do you want?”
“Simple. A night with you.”
Kyla didn’t respond immediately. She already knew this was coming.
After a brief pause, her voice turned cold. “Fine. But not tonight. I have something important today.”
“Deal.” The man agreed without hesitation. “Just don’t think about backing out, or I might feel inclined to expose your secrets.”
Kyla gave an indifferent “understood” and sent over Sadie’s license plate.
Keystrokes echoed faintly over the call.
Moments later, he spoke. “In ten minutes, that car will collide with another self-driving car at a traffic light. The probability of fatality? Around eighty percent.”
A slow, pleased smile spread across Kyla’s lips. “Perfect.” She ended the call and immediately swallowed a pill.
The pill was designed to strain her heart-mimicking a severe cardiac episode that would fool any medical scan.
She had kept it as a safeguard, anticipating the day Noah might suspect her illness was a facade.
Now, it was time to make the act real-to ensure Noah stayed by her side instead of running to Sadie’s rescue.
The drug worked fast. Pressure built in her chest, her breaths turning labored.
Supporting herself against the wall, she staggered toward the hospital.
The busy outpatient hall blurred before her eyes.
A final inhale-then she crumpled to the floor.
“Someone collapsed!”
“Nurse!”
“She’s not breathing!”
“Blood pressure’s plummeting!”
“Her heart’s out of rhythm!”
“Increase the dosage, now!” Inside the oxygen chamber, alarms shrieked as medical personnel scrambled to stabilize Kyla.
Kyla’s face was ghostly pale, her brows knitted, her lips trembling as if she were on the verge of death.
Noah arrived in a rush the moment he received word.
He stormed into the oxygen room, the sharp scent of antiseptic hitting him immediately.
His eyes found Kyla on the hospital bed-barely hanging on.
A doctor turned to him. “Mr. Wall, Miss Wade’s condition is critical. We’re doing everything possible.”
A nurse spoke to Noah, “Are you a relative? Hold her hands-she might remove the oxygen mask.” Noah’s gaze fell on Kyla.
Inside the mask, condensation had gathered, making each breath a struggle. She fought to stay conscious.
Noah moved quickly, following the nurse’s commands. His strong, slender hands pressed firmly on Kyla’s, ensuring she remained still. Kyla’s voice was a fragile murmur. “Noah… I feel terrible…”
Noah’s brow furrowed in immediate concern. “Kyla, stay with me. The doctors will take care of you.”
Kyla’s fingers twitched as she weakly attempted to hold his hands, but Noah intentionally pulled away. Instead, he pressed her wrists down firmly, making sure she didn’t remove her oxygen mask.
His focus was absolute; his eyes locked on Kyla with an intensity that made everything else in the room seem distant and irrelevant. It was as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them.
Despite the pain, Kyla felt a twisted satisfaction deep inside. As long as she kept Noah occupied, Sadie wouldn’t get the help she needed. She would die.
Meanwhile, Sadie sat in the self-driving car, unease gnawing at her. Something didn’t feel right. Was it just a coincidence that she ran into Kyla twice at the hospital? And who had sent her grandma those photos and the letter? Who could know so much about her life, her family? It had to be… Kyla, right?
Before Sadie could process the thought, a car ran a red light and slammed into the side of her vehicle with a deafening bang!
Everything flipped; Sadie was thrown around like a rag doll, her body violently jolted with every impact.
Panic surged through her as she instinctively wrapped her arms protectively around her abdomen.
Her head hit the window hard, sending a jolt of searing pain through her skull. Blood streamed down her forehead, and her vision blurred as she struggled to focus.
Through the pain, Sadie noticed flames licking at the car’s exterior, getting dangerously close.
Fear gripped her heart, freezing her in place. Her breath caught, shallow and quick. The seatbelt and airbag had trapped her, and the door was pinned to the ground.
Sadie’s fingers twitched, the only part of her body still free. She could feel the warmth of the fire creeping closer, and a cold realization hit her: if she didn’t escape, the flames would consume both her and the baby.
“Help…” Sadie’s voice was barely audible, a faint whisper against the overwhelming roar of the flames.
Each breath felt like she was inhaling fire itself, the smoke stinging her lungs and clouding her thoughts. Her body felt numb, but she forced her trembling fingers to find her phone. The screen was smeared with her blood, a cruel reminder of the danger she was in. Desperation surged through her as she pressed the power button three times with frantic urgency.
The phone dialed Noah, her emergency contact. She had set this up long ago, believing he would always be there when she needed him most.
Now, in this burning wreck, he was her only hope.
Each ring seemed to drag on forever, the silence more deafening than the flames. The car was slowly being consumed by fire, and the smoke was choking her. Time was running out.
Sadie dialed again, panic clawing at her chest. Every ring felt like a knife twisting in her heart. Her pulse raced, her thoughts frantic. Please, just pick up.
Then, at last, the call connected.
“Are you serious? Can’t you leave me alone?” Noah’s cold and impatient voice snapped through.
Before Sadie could speak, Noah continued, his tone clipped, “Kyla’s in critical condition. I don’t have time for this. If you have something to say, then wait.”
“I’m dying, Noah…” Sadie’s voice was barely a whisper, weak and strained. “For everything we were, please, save me…”
The smoke filled Sadie’s lungs, a burning ache that made her vision swim and everything around her fade into a blur. She held the phone tightly, clinging to it as if it were her last thread of hope.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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