Chapter 4

"Fine! Go!" Chloe yelled, stepping aside. "But don't expect me to nurse you back to health!"

She actually believed that I wouldn't be able to survive in the hospital without her.

Inside the room, the game volume turned down. Logan called out mockingly, "Chloe, maybe you should go with him. Don't worry about me. After all, your future mother-in-law is watching."

Chloe, who already resented my mother, grew even angrier. She threw the front door open. "Get out!"

My mom supported my weight as we stumbled down the stairs. My vision was spinning, and nausea was rising in my throat.

But when we reached the parking lot, my car was gone.

My parents had bought me a brand-new BMW M5 for my upcoming wedding. But my designated parking spot was completely empty.

Emily immediately dialed Chloe.

"Where is Ethan's car?!"

Logan must have heard us through the phone. He quickly ran down the stairs, looking panicked, and started explaining himself.

"Chloe said I could use the car for a couple of days... I accidentally dented it. I'll get it fixed and return it to you, I swear!"

I didn't waste a single breath on him. I unlocked my phone and dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"I want to report a grand theft auto. Someone stole my—"

Before I could finish, Chloe rushed down and slapped the phone out of my hand. Her face was flushed with embarrassment and anger.

"Are you crazy?! You want to go to the hospital, right? Fine! Let's go! Get in!"

She shoved me into her cheap sedan. She started the engine and drove like a maniac, slamming on the gas and the brakes violently.

Cold sweat poured down my face. My mom kept pleading from the back seat, "Chloe, please, slow down! Drive smoothly!"

Chloe's voice was like ice. "Oh, so a few minutes ago you couldn't wait, and now you want me to slow down?"

At 10:57 PM, we finally pulled up to the emergency entrance.

The emergency staff was already waiting outside with a gurney. The operating room was prepped. They just needed a family member's signature to wheel me in.

Chloe grabbed the clipboard, but before she could sign, Logan gasped dramatically.

"Oh my god! My AirPods! I must have dropped them in your car, Chloe! Help me find them real quick!"

It was 10:58 PM.

My face was completely bloodless. I could barely breathe.

"Sign... please... sign it..." I gasped.

The doctors and nurses glared at Chloe.

"Ma'am, sign the paper! The patient's groin is already severely swollen and bruised. 11:00 PM is the absolute limit for a successful recovery. Every second counts!"

Chloe hesitated, her pen hovering over the paper. She wrote one stroke of her name, then stopped. She turned to me.

"Can you just wait a minute? Let me help him find his AirPods first. It'll only take a second."

I closed my eyes. The pain was so intense that my lungs felt like they were collapsing.

Chloe was still muttering, "We're already at the hospital anyway, what's another minute? I'll be right back..."

The sheer absurdity of it all broke me. I opened my eyes and roared with every ounce of strength left in my body:

"If you're not going to sign, then get the fuck out of my sight!"

"Excuse me? How dare you—"

It was 10:59 PM.

Suddenly, the deafening roar of a sports car engine echoed through the hospital driveway. Everyone turned to look.

A woman in a stunning red dress stepped out of a Porsche. She pushed Chloe aside with absolute authority and stood right at the front.

"He said, get the fuck out."

Harper looked at the nurse, grabbed the pen from Chloe's hand, and signed the form with a flourish.

"I am his fiancée. Run the surgery."