Chapter 6

Mia POV

Outside the door, I felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing my throat again.

I rubbed my dry eyes.

Looking at the gold bangle on my wrist, I smiled bitterly.

So, this was compensation.

So, resisting his parents to sue Victor wasn't for me after all.

In his eyes, what was I?

Injured, but it wouldn't hurt; wronged, but it was nothing.

I meant nothing at all!

Even though my heart ached, I was already numb. I didn't rush in to confront him; I just quietly returned to my room.

During my recovery, Caleb cared for me meticulously, except when he was at work.

Meanwhile, I began to deal with the things Caleb had given me.

I sold the gold bangle and all the luxury items Caleb had given me, converting everything into cash and depositing it into the orphanage's account.

With fifteen days left until the divorce was finalized, Caleb took me for a follow-up check-up at the hospital.

Willow came with us.

"I need a check-up, too. Caleb, can you give me a ride on the way? Mia, you don't mind, do you?"

Without waiting for my answer, she opened the car door and sat directly in the front passenger seat.

Caleb frowned slightly. "You should sit in the back. It's not appropriate for you to sit in front."

Willow pouted. "Oh, is that Mia's exclusive seat? But I always sit in the front passenger seat. Otherwise, I won't go."

"Mia, do you mind if I take your seat?"

I ignored her and got into the car.

Willow paused for a moment, then smiled. "See? Even Mia doesn't care. Caleb, I don't care, I'm sitting in the front."

On the way, the car was filled only with Willow's sweet, delicate voice.

Caleb, however, responded distractedly, constantly checking me in the rearview mirror.

"Mia, what do you want to eat after your check-up? Should I cook for you personally?"

"Whatever."

Caleb was about to say something else when Willow suddenly reached into his suit pocket and exclaimed.

"Caleb, so my lipstick was here all along! No wonder I couldn't find it."

"It must have fallen in when you slept over at my place, I wasn't careful."

Her words were intimate, and Caleb instinctively looked at me, but I showed no reaction.

He hastily said, "Mia, I stayed overnight at Willow's house to discuss a project; it wasn't for any other reason. Don't misunderstand."

Willow also smiled and explained, "Yes, Mia, there's no way anything could happen between Caleb and me. Even though we're collaborating now, he and I will always be enemies."

I heard the provocation in her words.

I could foresee that if I hadn't discovered the truth about the kidnappings, if we hadn't divorced, then scenes like today, designed to cause 'misunderstanding,' would play out countless times in the future.

Once I questioned Caleb, I would be labeled as an unreasonable, crazy woman.

But I didn't want to be a crazy woman.

"Understood."

Caleb saw my cold reaction and was about to speak when suddenly, BAM! Our car was rear-ended directly by a large truck.

Through the rearview mirror, I saw the driver was Victor Thorne, who had escaped.

"Caleb Hayes, you want to send me to prison, you want to ruin me, right? Then let's die together!"

His eyes were savage, and his car sped wildly, clearly intending to take us all down with him.

Just as we were about to collide with the vehicle ahead, Caleb swerved the steering wheel sharply.

Our car slammed into the roadside barrier, and Victor's truck careened into the opposite lane, crashing into a large concrete barrier. Victor died instantly.

A dull pain exploded in my abdomen. In the second before I lost consciousness, I saw Caleb quickly shield Willow beneath him.

When I regained consciousness, I felt as though my internal organs had shifted. The immense pain made every breath feel like torture.

"Caleb, I'm in so much pain." Willow's face was covered in blood, and she cried piteously. "I've lost so much blood; am I going to die?"

"But I don't want to die..."

I saw Caleb tightly holding her hand, hooking his pinky finger to promise, "No, you won't. I won't let you die."

Beside me, there was no one.

All three of us were injured. Caleb's injuries were the lightest, and he could still walk.

Willow and I, however, were both lying on stretchers.

Nurses rushed over after checking our blood.

"Doctor, both patients are O-negative, but the hospital blood bank is out of O-negative blood. It'll take at least half an hour to get emergency blood delivered."

The doctor frowned. "That's too long."

Caleb quickly stepped forward. "I'm O-negative; I can donate blood to them."

"Doctor, he's also injured. We can't take too much. Right now, it's only enough for one patient."

"Which one first?"

The doctor pointed at me. "Give Mia the transfusion first. Willow can still speak and can wait for the blood to arrive. But Mia has lost too much blood. If she doesn't get a transfusion soon, she'll die."

At these words, Willow clung to Caleb, her wails suddenly escalating.

"Caleb, I hurt! Save me! I feel like I'm going to die!"

I strained against my heavy eyelids. I felt myself teetering on the edge of death. Only Caleb was familiar in this chaos; I wanted him to hold me.

I wanted to say I was scared, I was so cold.

And I hurt, too.

But I didn't even have the strength to speak.

In the silence, my eyes met Caleb's.

I also saw him hesitate, then point at Willow.

"Save her first."

The doctor tried to persuade him further, but Caleb insisted, "It's my blood. I say who gets saved first. Otherwise, I won't donate."

In that instant, I stopped myself.

I didn't want to say anything.

It was pointless.

In Caleb's eyes, I was no longer important.

It was a good thing I didn't love him anymore.

I would never love him again in this lifetime.

After a brief stalemate, the doctor didn't dare wait any longer. She told Caleb to get ready while urging the nurses to rush the emergency blood delivery.

That day, waiting for the blood, I felt like I was going through all the pain I'd ever experience in my life.

Every breath tugged at the wound in my abdomen, every tiny movement hurt so much it made my vision blur.

I could hear Caleb constantly encouraging Willow.

I wanted to cry, but my tears seemed to have dried up along with my blood.