Chapter 140
If only his phone had still been in his hand, Sebastian thought he could’ve told Maxine not to wait for him.
His eyelids were growing heavier by the second, and all he wanted to do was drift into sleep.
But then–a voice. Familiar. Frantic. Desperate. Someone was shouting his name, begging him not to fall asleep.
That voice snapped him awake like a jolt of lightning. Was that… Maxine?
His blood–blurred vision struggled to focus as he looked around, but he could barely make out anything clearly. All he saw was a familiar figure–kneeling on the ground outside the shattered wreck, pounding on the window with something in her hand, her voice trembling with panic and tears.
“Sebastian! Don’t you dare fall asleep! Stay with me!” she screamed.
He moved slightly, forcing his eyes half open, and managed to mutter in a whisper so faint it barely counted as speech, “I know… I’m not sleeping… don’t
worry…”
He thought he’d said it loud enough, but to anyone outside, it was barely more than a breath.
Then–finally–the window shattered, helped along by the surrounding bystanders. He tried to open his eyes wider to see the person who had come for him, but his strength gave out. Everything went black.
The next time he woke up, he was in a hospital bed.
The last image before losing consciousness had burned into his mind–that woman’s silhouette, so familiar it made his heart jolt. He struggled upright, breath catching in his throat.
The door burst open. Kathleen stepped in with a food tray and gasped when she saw him. “You’re awake!”
He gave a small nod and looked past her expectantly. “Why are you here…? Where’s Maxine?”
She didn’t answer right away. Walking to the table, she set down the tray, then gently pushed him back down onto the bed. “Lie down–now. Do you even realize how much blood you lost? You nearly died.”
His eyes flickered with something unreadable. “Was it you… who saved me and brought me here?”
Kathleen’s hand paused ever so slightly as she arranged the utensils. When she turned back to him, her eyes were already red. “Don’t even get me started. Why didn’t you tell your driver to be more careful? I was scared out of my mind.”
He thought, ‘So… the person I’d seen wasn’t Maxine?‘
He eased himself back down, following the pressure of Kathleen’s steady hands, eyes tracking her as she bustled around the room.
Their builds were similar. But the voice… the voice that had called his name–it had sounded far more like Maxine.
Kathleen, still fussing, went on, “I was terrified. Thank God someone nearby called an ambulance.”
As she spoke, she picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in water, and gently dabbed it on his cracked lips. “You took a hit to the abdomen in the crash. The doctors had to operate. You can’t eat or drink for now–this will help a little.”
Sebastian gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, but after a long pause, he spoke again. “Where’s Maxine?”
Kathleen stilled. Setting the cup aside, she said quietly, “She said she had a case to work on. Left a few days ago. I haven’t been able to reach her.”
“She doesn’t know I was in the crash?” His voice was low, strained.
“She does,” Kathleen’s tone was calm–too calm. But every word landed like a blow to Sebastian’s chest. “I already contacted her. But she said…
Chapter 140
She said what?” Sebastian asked, voice sharpening
Kathleen looked away, hesitant, clearly torn. Finally, under the weight of his silence, she whispered, “She said… it’s just a minor accident. Kathog serious. Nothing that matters more than her work.“.
