Third Person's POV
"Starlet, this is your last chance. Get out of here and stay away from Aldrich. If you don't, the consequences will be more than you can handle," Eileen warned.
"Consequences? You mean like this?" Starlet asked, and before Eileen could react, she suddenly started the car and slammed her foot on the gas. The engine roared as the car shot forward and Eileen's terrified screams filled the air.
"Starlet! You lunatic! What the hell are you doing? Stop the car! Stop it now!" Eileen shrieked in fear.
"What's wrong? Aren't you the one who loves making threats? Loves talking about consequences? Fine, then! Let’s see how you like being dragged down with me. If we die, we die together!"
A crazed grin spread across Starlet’s face as she said that, her bloodshot eyes locked on the road ahead like a demon straight out of hell. The sight alone drained all the color from Eileen’s face.
Scenes of the past flashed through Eileen’s mind. She didn’t want to die. She couldn’t die. She had just returned to the country, and had just begun her plan to become Aldrich's wife—how could she die now?
"Starlet! Stop the car! I said STOP!"
However, Eileen's panicked screams only fell on deaf ears. At that moment, pure fear took over. Without thinking, she lunged for the steering wheel.
The sudden struggle caught Starlet off guard. She knew Eileen had nearly died in a street racing accident years ago—that was exactly why she wanted to teach her a lesson, to make her feel a fraction of the fear she once inflicted on others. It was just supposed to be a warning, a small taste of retribution.
But she hadn’t expected Eileen to fight back.
The car swerved wildly, and Starlet could feel the control slipping away. If this continued, they would both die for real.
Eileen's life didn’t matter to her. But her own? She still had a future. A life to live.
Soon, her eyes caught sight of the guardrail up ahead. Gritting her teeth, she yanked the wheel hard to the side.
Then a deafening crash filled their worlds and everything went dark.
Starlet didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. But a jumble of voices pulled her back to reality, their words filtering through the haze.
"Both patients have sustained severe injuries to their hands. They need immediate surgery, or they risk permanent damage. But most of our surgeons are already in the operating room. Only one is available right now. So, who do you want to be treated first, Mr. Young?"
Her mind cleared instantly upon hearing it.
Her hands couldn't be damaged! She was a comic artist. If she lost her hands, her entire future would be destroyed.
Panic surged through her. She forced herself to speak in a hoarse and weak voice.
"Aldrich… I-I still need to draw. My hands… I can’t afford to lose them."
Just then, the warmth of a hand holding hers suddenly disappeared.
Starlet opened her eyes just in time to catch the flicker of hesitation in Aldrich’s expression.
But then, his hands moved—away from her and onto Eileen’s shoulder.
"Save Eileen first," he said.
The pain hit Starlet all at once. So sharp, so overwhelming that she couldn't tell if it was coming from her injured hands or her shattered heart.
She looked at him, at the man who had once promised her forever. And in that moment, any remaining hope she had crumbled into dust.
'Of course. Something broken is never worth keeping. Not an object. Not a person,' she thought.
As such, Starlet drifted in and out of consciousness.
The anesthesia left her unable to open her eyes, but she could still hear everything around her.
"Aldrich, you really made a mess of things this time. How are you planning to clean it up?"
"Yeah," another voice chimed in. "Starlet’s a comic artist. Her hands mean everything to her. But you chose to save Eileen first. When she finds out the truth… she’s going to hate you for the rest of her life."
