Chapter 2 Car Accident

Vivian’s POV

A sleek black car came at me like a speeding bullet, and before I could react, my body collided with the front corner of the car. The impact knocked me back, and I felt a sharp pain as I hit the ground.

“What happened?” A voice called from the car. Cold, controlled, and strangely familiar. It didn’t make sense.

The driver rushed out of the car, “let me check on you.”

I wanted to scream that I didn’t need help, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I struggled to sit up, my body protesting every move.

All I could think about was how much my life had gone downhill in the past twenty-four hours. The chaos, the betrayal, the divorce—now this, a car hitting me as if the universe itself had decided I wasn’t allowed to have a peaceful moment.

When the driver reached down to help me, I took his hand without much thought, using him to steady myself. Once I was leaning against the car, a sharp wave of frustration hit me. I was beyond done with this day.

Pushed by anger, I kicked the car.

Hard.

It was childish, I knew that. But for a fleeting moment, I felt a rush of relief. The metal gave way under my foot, and I felt the anger that had been building up inside me for hours finally release.

But before I could kick it again, the window slid down, and I stunned.

The man in the car wasn’t just handsome. Handsome wasn’t the word. He was... breathtaking. He wasn’t just a man; he was some kind of raw, magnetic presence that I couldn’t look away from. His gaze caught mine, and something about it made the world go quiet for a heartbeat.

“The kicking shows she’s fine. Give her some money and ask her to leave,” he said, his voice cool, as if dismissing me in one effortless motion.

I wasn’t sure why his words stung. Maybe it was the way he said them, so cold, so indifferent, as if I was nothing but an inconvenience. But in that moment, it wasn’t just about the money. It was about how easily he thought he could control me, how easily he assumed I would bow down to his wealth.

I couldn’t stop myself. “You think you’re all that just because you have money?” I shouted, with my finger pointed straight at him. “Well, I don’t care about your money. You can’t buy me.”

He didn’t even frown. The window slid back up, cutting me off. And that was it. I stood there for a moment, seething, unable to do anything but glare at the man who had already behind the window now.

The driver, aLKward and unsure, pulled out a thick wad of cash, his voice too polite. “Please, madam, just take the money and go to the hospital. My boss really has urgent business.”

I snatched the money from his hands and opened the car door, throwing the stack of bills back at the man inside before the driver could react. The money fluttered in the air, scattering around him like confetti.

Without a second glance, I turned and ran.

And then I heard it—his voice, distant but carrying a hint of smile. “Pick up the money,” he told the driver.

I kept running, afraid to get caught by him. But suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

My heart skipped a beat, and terror clawed at my throat as I spun around, expecting the worst.

Instead, I was met with the familiar face of Lillian, my best friend, looking at me with wide, confused eyes.

“Vivian?” she asked, her voice full of worry. “What are you doing out here? Why are you running?”

I exhaled a deep breath with a mix of fear and relief. “You scared me, Lillian. I thought it was him. I thought—” My words faltered, and I choked on the rest.

“Who? Who were you running from?” She pressed, concern knitting her brow.

I glanced at her, trying to force a smile, but it came out wrong. “I don’t know. I just—” I didn’t even know what to say. What could I say? Everything that had happened was too much. The divorce. The betrayal. And the strange man who had somehow claimed me as his—though I didn’t even know his name.

Lillian read my helplessness. “Come with me,” she said, pulling me toward a nearby café.

We sat in a quiet corner, the hum of conversation and clinking cups around us strangely comforting, though nothing could settle the storm inside me. I tried to breathe, tried to gather my thoughts, but the weight of my emotions pressed down on me, suffocating me.

Lillian’s eyes softened as she watched me, and I could see the worry etched in her features. “Talk to me, Vivian. What happened? Did Kyle do something?”

At the mention of Kyle’s name, a fresh wave of anger and sadness welled up in my chest. I took a shaky breath and let it out slowly.

“He set me up, Lillian. He and Debra—they set me up and humiliated me. Forced me to sign the termination of mating relationship papers, and now I don’t have anything left.” I wiped away a tear, only to find that more followed in its wake.

Lillian’s eyes flashed with a mixture of rage and disbelief. “That bastard. How could he? I knew he was a piece of shit, but this…” She slammed her hand on the table in frustration, causing a few heads to turn. I flinched but didn’t say anything. I wasn’t in the mood to explain.

“You always told me he wasn’t the one. You always told me,” I murmured, bitterness creeping into my voice.

“Yeah, well, I should’ve done more than tell you. I should’ve made you see what was right in front of you,” Lillian said, her voice dropping. “But we can’t change the past, right? We have to deal with what’s happening now.”

She was right. But dealing with it felt impossible.

I looked up at her, my face a mask of exhaustion. “And then there’s last night. I—I don’t even know what to think about it.”

“I was a virgin before that. And now... now I don’t even know who he was. I can’t remember his face.” My hands shook as I wrapped them around my coffee cup, the warmth doing little to thaw the coldness gnawing at me.

Lillian’s eyes softened, her lips pressing together in sympathy. “That’s not your fault, Vivian. It’s just one night. Move on from it.”

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to erase the memories, to forget the man whose scent still lingered in my skin, even though I had no idea who he was. “But I can’t move on, Lillian. I don’t even know where to go from here.”

Lillian’s face turned steely. “Don’t worry about him. That man, whoever he is, is nothing compared to the life you’ll build from here. You’re stronger than this, Vivian. You’ll get through it.”

I wanted to believe that. I really did. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how lost I felt. I had nothing. My house was gone. My family? In the hospital. All I had was this aching emptiness inside me that no one could fill.

As the evening wore on, I couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness that settled over me like a heavy fog. The life I had built with Kyle, the dreams we’d shared, had all been taken from me. And now, I didn’t even know where to go.

“I’m sorry, but you should go home,” I told Lillian as I pushed her gently toward the door. “You’ve done more than enough. I’ll be fine. Really.”

She hesitated but then nodded. “If you need me, I’ll be there. Call me anytime, okay?”

“Okay,” I said quietly, watching her leave. Once she was gone, I was alone.

I sat down on a bench, wondering where to go next, what to do with myself.

A car zoomed by, splashing filthy water all over me.

“Shit!” I yelled out loud.