Chapter 4

I felt a lump in my throat and couldn’t get a sound out.

Mr. Baxter was the first to laugh and smooth things over. “They know each other, yes.”

Then he casually locked the narrative into place. “She works under me. I figured since you’re both young ladies, you’d have plenty to talk about.”

I dropped my eyes, hiding the wave of humiliation rising inside, and curved my lips into a faint smile. “Right. We just know each other, that’s all. Can’t really say we’re close.”

His expression froze for half a second, before smoothing back into his usual calm. He patted my shoulder lightly. “Serena might be a woman, but she’s a brilliant negotiator. She’s a Consigliere I value highly.”

The mood in the living room instantly lightened. I followed along with a small smile of my own and, in a blur, heard him let out a tiny sigh of relief—a barely audible “Thanks.”

“Nice work. You’re even helping me fix the awkward bits. Thanks.”

I didn’t answer. I simply shifted a few steps to the side, quietly putting a bit more distance between us.

Fix the awkwardness? No. Every word I’d said had been the truth.

As evening approached, the Celeste family sent a car to take us to the restaurant.

The three of us youngers shared the same vehicle. I sat on the left, he was in the middle, Amelie on the right.

All the way there, he took meticulous care of her—adjusting the AC, handing her a blanket, unscrewing bottle caps. His attentiveness was flawless.

I watched them chatting happily and could only turn my face toward the window, staring blankly at the city lights streaking backward.

Halfway there, the sky suddenly opened up, rain pouring down in sheets. The road grew dim. The car ahead had its high beams on. Going downhill, the glare dazzled our driver. He didn’t turn the wheel in time, and our car slammed straight into the guardrail.

“Bang—”

The split second the glass exploded, he moved on instinct, pulling Amelie into his arms to shield her.

I was on the inside seat, the impact slamming me hard against the door panel. It felt like someone was prying my ribs open one by one. The taste of blood rushed up my throat, my ears ringing until everything went white.

Half-conscious, I saw the right-side door being yanked open. He climbed out with Amelie in his arms, one hand already dialing his phone, the other rubbing her back as he comforted her in a low, gentle voice. In that moment, the whole world seemed to shrink down until there was nothing left but her.

He’d apparently forgotten there was still a me in the car—forgotten completely and utterly.

When the ambulance arrived, the doctor said they had to treat the more seriously injured first. But faced with my body lying there in a pool of blood and the pale, frightened face in his arms, he hesitated for only a few seconds before ordering them to send her away first.

I watched the ambulance pull off into the distance, my vision slowly losing focus. Tears finally spilled over, tracking silently down my cheeks.

Gabriel—over twenty years of affections between us, and they still couldn’t compete with a single look she gave you.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. The world blurred around the edges. I never did wait for the second ambulance to arrive. Everything went dark as I slipped completely into unconsciousness.

I don’t know how much time passed before I woke up to the sound of voices all around me.

When I opened my eyes, my mom was patting her chest in relief, both anxious and overjoyed. “Thank God, Serena, you’re finally awake. Good thing the ambulance got there in time. You lost so much blood the hospital’s blood bank was nearly emptied. There were three of you in that car—how come Amelie only has some scrapes on her arm, but you ended up this badly hurt?”

My dad exhaled and picked up a glass of water. “Well, that’s because Gabriel was protecting her, of course. True love shows in times of crisis. The girl was so moved. I just went over to the next room to have a look—Gabriel was feeding her congee. The way she was looking at him? I’d say it’s basically a done deal.”

I listened quietly, waiting for them to finish before I rasped out, “How long was I asleep? Is the immigration paperwork done yet?”

“You slept for two days, really cared us to death!” Mom gripped my hand. “The paperwork is nearly ready. Another twenty days or so and it’ll be finalized. You just focus on recovering.”

Less than a month left. To my own surprise, the thought brought with it a faint feeling of relief.