Chapter 3

[Now are you finally awake, you idiot?]

[You saw it! That’s Chloe’s picture! He’s texting his childhood sweetheart behind your back on your wedding day! Does that look like true love to you?]

[Bail out right now while you still have a chance!]

That unmistakable profile photo and Lucas’s guilty twitch made my world spin.

I snapped, reaching for his jacket:

"Lucas, give me your phone!"

Instead, he jammed it behind his back, panic flashing across his face as he forced an awkward smile. "Luna, babe, it's our wedding. Don't overthink things—"

Before he could finish, Lucas's body jerked rigid. He lunged forward, grabbing my arm in terror.

I caught his sudden horror, spun around instinctively, and saw a massive commercial delivery truck barreling straight toward my door!

My blood ran cold as pure, icy dread swallowed me whole.

"Driver, stop! PULL OVER!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Startled, the driver slammed on the emergency brakes.

The car whipped into a wild, screeching drift, tyres smoking.

Before it could balance out—

BOOM!

A deafening roar ripped through the air, and my world went completely black.

I don't know how much time passed, but agonizing pain dragged me back to consciousness.

Paramedics were rushing toward me with a gurney, their faces pale with urgency.

And right next to me lay Lucas—crushed, bloody, and dead beyond saving!

[He got what he deserved!]

[The bastard set you up, but karma caught up with him. He died in your place!]

[That truck was aimed right at your seat. Thank God you screamed in time! The drift changed the car's angle, and his seat took the fatal hit instead.......]

Her words turned into muffled background noise.

My head pounded violently.

Lucas’s shady behavior right before the crash proved it—he really was trying to kill me!

Lily hadn't lied to me!

All that "deep, unconditional love" was nothing but a sickening, one-sided joke........

[Don't cry, babe. A scumbag like him isn't worth your tears.]

[Your injuries are just surface bruises. The real emergency is getting to the hospital to transfer your mom!]

[When she heard about the wreck, she collapsed from a heart attack and was rushed to the ER.]

[The surgeon assigned to her is a hack—he’s going to kill her on the operating table!]

Lily’s urgent voice snapped me back to reality.

Yet right behind it came a wave of dizzying confusion.

This timeline proved Lily was right about the crash.

So why did Mom die in the ambulance when I tried to transfer her in my past life?

"I'm fine!"

"Go help the driver!"

I shoved the paramedics' hands away, forced myself onto my feet, and flagged down a relative who had pulled over at the scene to rush me to the hospital.

Mom's life was on the line. I couldn't afford to jump to conclusions this time.

I had to see her with my own eyes before making any calls.

Minutes later, I burst into the hallway and spotted Dad pacing outside the operating doors, looking destroyed.

"Dad! How is Mom?"

Dad dragged trembling hands across his pale face. "The doctors said it's bad. They need to do bypass surgery immediately, or she won't make it."

Lily’s voice instantly cut in:

[Lies! Operating here is what's going to kill her!]

[Babe, my warning already saved your life once!]

[Don’t second-guess me! Stop the surgery and transfer her to St. Jude’s right now!]