Chapter 32
“Am I really the one asking too much?” Sharon looked up, her gaze calm as it landed on Carter. “You gave Kelly the wedding that should’ve belonged to me. To make Kelly famous, you threw down ten million like it was nothing-didn’t even blink. Then you froze my cards, and now you’re saying I’m the one who wants too much?”
Carter’s voice was low and cold. “That’s not a reason to keep going after Kelly, over and over again.”
Sharon let out a quiet, bitter laugh. “Of course. I’m always the one targeting her. Kelly is spotless, untouched by any filth, pure
as snow.”
He heard the sarcasm. He wasn’t that dense. But all it did was deepen the crease between his brows. To him, Sharon now seemed more unreasonable than ever.
Just as he opened his mouth, her voice cut in first. (1)
“I hope you and Kelly can clear up all the false rumors about me online. Otherwise, don’t blame me when things fall apart.”
His gaze darkened, unreadable. “Fall apart?”
“That’s right. Don’t believe me?”
“Not really.”
She smiled faintly, offering no more. “Then we’ll see.”
Once again, their conversation ended in silence and disappointment.
Carter left not long after, and Xavier returned, taking Sharon home.
The next day, Sharon drove to pick up Matty after school.
The storm hadn’t passed, but Matty hadn’t seen her in days and had been begging to.
Thinking of Matty brought a quiet warmth to Sharon’s chest. Even the tight pain buried deep inside her heart seemed to ease a
little.
Traffic was heavy at that hour, and worried she’d keep Matty waiting, Sharon sént him a quick message.
[Matty, traffic’s bad. I might be a few minutes late.]
Matty replied right away: [Got it. Don’t rush. Drive safe!]
Sharon couldn’t help but smile.
Back then, whenever Kelly wasn’t there-even if Sharon wasn’t technically late-Theo would always give her a hard time if she arrived a bit too slowly.
One time, Sharon had a cold, coughing nonstop as she walked. Theo didn’t ask if she was okay-he was too busy texting Kelly.
Now, as she passed through an intersection and began to make a turn, she suddenly caught sight of a car speeding directly
toward her.
Her expression shifted. She yanked the steering wheel hard, but it was too late.
The other car slammed into hers.
She heard a deafening crash. Then-nothing.
1/2
She didn’t know how much time passed.
Through the shattered glass, faint sobs slowly brought Sharon back to consciousness.
“Carter… you’re finally here… That woman-she was terrifying. She didn’t even brake before crashing into me… I thought… I thought I’d never see you again…”
Her eyelids fluttered open. Through the broken windshield, she saw a tall, familiar figure carefully pulling someone from the wreckage.
Kelly.
It was Kelly?
Did she… did she just get hit by Kelly?
Tears ran down Kelly’s face in streaks, her expression fragile and tragic as she buried herself in Carter’s chest.
“Carter, I really thought I was going to die. I was so scared…”
His voice was low, comforting. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”
The chaos outside swelled-crowds gathering, murmurs rising.
Carter didn’t even glance her way. He shielded Kelly, guiding her through the onlookers like he meant to leave.
A trail of black smoke coiled up from the wreckage, flames licking at the edges of twisted metal. The acrid stench of gasoline stung her nose.
Sharon coughed and struggled to breathe.
She tried to move, but her leg was stuck-jammed somewhere in the crumpled car frame.
She reached into her pocket, fumbling for her phone, hand trembling.
The car was on fire. If she called for help now, would they get here in time? Or would she already be ashes by then?
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