I declined his offer. I told him, it was probably because I had shopped and was under the sun for so long yesterday. So, nothing like a little rest could heal me.
Arnold gently ruffled my hair, then scooped me into his arms and laid me back on the bed. He said, "Alright. However, if you still feel bad later, call me and I’ll take you to the hospital. Don’t worry about bothering me.”
He added, "Just cancel the car maintenance online later."
The whole time, I kept a close eye on his expression as I looked for any telltaling signs. However, his concern was the same like before.
His action only made me more confused.
After Arnold left, I headed down to the underground garage. The moment I saw the car parked safely in its spot; I finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
The car was given to me last month. Arnold gifted it to me as a present for our tenth wedding anniversary.
In my past life, after I drove the car out, our whole family was destroyed. However, this time, I would not let that happen If someone was trying to frame me, as long as I did not touch the car, I would be safe … right?
With this thought, I clenched the car key and went back upstairs. After I grabbed a quick bite, I lay on the bed while trying to piece together all the chaos from my previous life.
Before I could gather my thoughts, my phone suddenly rang.
When I looked at the caller ID and saw the number one-one-two, my heart sank.
I forced myself to stay calm and pressed the answer button.
“Are you Carol Cunnings? Your car was involved in a fatal crash that killed three people. You're also suspected of fleeing the scene. Please turn yourself in and cooperate with the investigation.”
The officer’s voice was cold, clipped on the phone and it made the hairs on my neck stand on end.
“W-what? Impossible!" I stammered. “Officer, there must be some mistake. My car’s parked safely in the garage. I haven’t driven anywhere today.”
When the police heard my words, he thought that I wanted to evade responsibility and his tone became even colder when he said again, “The vehicle is registered in your name. As the owner, you're responsible for cooperating. Whether or not you were the one behind the wheel, the officers at the scene will determine that.”
I ended the call and bolted downstairs to the garage. The sight that greeted me made my legs go weak because the car was gone and the place where it should have been was completely empty.
It was clear I had both car keys in my hand. How could the car just vanish?
As I took a deep breath, I pulled out my phone and dialed Ellen Bordeaux, the receptionist at my company.
Then I opened my mouth to ask, “Hey, do you know what time Arnold got to the office today? Has he left at all?”
“Mr. Jefferson got in around ten this morning,” she said. “He’s been in a meeting with the design team ever since. He hasn’t even taken a lunch break. He definitely hasn’t left at all.”
Arnold had left our house around half past nine in the morning and arrived at work by ten o'clock. The police said the crash happened just thirty minutes ago.
Since Ellen was my cousin and we were close, she would not lie to me.
So, if he was not the perpetrator, who could it be?
I did not say anything for a while. Finally, Ellen persuaded me with a lowered voice, “Don’t worry, Carol. I’ve got your back. No little vixen is getting near your man.”
"Calm down. I mean it. According to my observation, your husband is very loyal. He always talks about you. Everyone here’s jealous of what you two have …."
However, these were not the words I wanted to hear,
“I was just curious, that’s all,” I replied and hung up.
Although frustration welled up inside me, I knew I had to stay calm. If I panicked now and became disoriented, I would walk right into whatever trap someone had set for me.
I replayed the officer’s words in my head. He only said my car was involved but he never said he had confirmed I was the driver.
This time around, I hadn’t even left the house. Maybe—just maybe—things could still be different.
I quickly called a taxi and headed straight for the crash site.
However, when I arrived, I saw it was exactly just like it was happened in my previous life.
