Norah Fisher stared at her phone, her mind a tangled mess, before ending the call. It rang again almost immediately. She was about to hit decline when she noticed the name on the screen: her best friend, Elia Dean. But wait—wasn't Elia supposed to be on vacation?
Confused, Norah answered.
"Norah, I was in a car accident. I'm at the hospital now."
"What? Hold on—I'm on my way," Norah said, already breathless. She threw on clothes, didn't bother with her hair or makeup, and rushed out of her apartment.
"You're up?"
Jamie Olson's voice stopped her in her tracks as she stepped out. Did he crash at her place last night?
"Breakfast's ready. Care to join me?" Jamie offered, pulling her back to the present. But with Elia lying in a hospital bed, Norah didn't have a second to waste.
"Thanks, but I have to get to the hospital," she replied, darting out the door.
Jamie watched her leave, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes as he murmured, "To the hospital?" Her sudden exit left him deep in thought.
Norah got to the hospital as fast as she could.
"Norah!" Elia called out, her voice still carrying a teasing edge even from a hospital bed.
Norah rushed over, scanning Elia for any sign of serious injury. "Are you okay? Nothing major, right?"
"Just a few scrapes, nothing serious," Elia assured her with a bright smile.
Relief washed over Norah, and she sighed. "Weren't you supposed to be on vacation with Matthew? What happened? Did you two get into a fight?"
Elia and her boyfriend, Matthew Spencer, were known for their bickering, unlike Norah and Lionel, who rarely quarreled. Norah used to think her relationship with Lionel was perfect, but now everything had changed.
"Oh, please. I rushed back because of you!" Elia replied, feigning irritation. "You didn't even tell me about your engagement, let alone the complete mess it blew up into."
The engagement had been a spontaneous decision, and Norah hadn't wanted to ruin Elia's vacation with the news—or the drama that followed.
"Where's Matthew? I haven't seen him around," Norah asked, changing the subject.
"He went to visit Lionel," Elia replied, steering the conversation back with a teasing tone. "Come on, spill. I asked Matthew, but he clammed up."
"It's over between Lionel and me," Norah said plainly.
Elia blinked, momentarily surprised, then nodded in understanding. "If that's your decision, I'm with you. Honestly, Lionel was never good enough for you."
Elia had never liked Lionel, especially after Vivienne Powell came back into the picture. Vivienne's behavior had infuriated her on Norah's behalf.
"Maybe I should break up with Matthew too and embrace the single life with you," Elia declared with mock drama, just as Matthew walked in.
"Elia, quit messing around," Matthew scolded, clearly rattled by her words.
"What?" Elia snapped.
"Don't use breakups as a threat every time," Matthew warned.
As they launched into another playful argument, Norah quietly slipped out of the room.
"Norah. You're here."
Norah found herself face-to-face with Vivienne Powell just as she stepped out. Of course, Elia's room was right next to Lionel's.
Vivienne approached with a practiced smile. "Norah, I'm so glad you came. Lionel's been asking about you nonstop. He'll be thrilled to know you're here."
"I'm not here for him," Norah replied coolly, already moving to leave. "I have other things to do."
Vivienne reached out to stop her. "Norah, are you still upset with me? What do I need to do to make it right? Just say the word."
Norah let out a quiet scoff. Vivienne's empty promises were transparent. By the end of the day, Vivienne would spin the story to make herself the victim.
"Vivienne, you've played your part perfectly. I did what you wanted—I ended things with Lionel. Can you just leave me alone now?" Norah shook off Vivienne's hand.
Vivienne let out a dramatic gasp and crumpled to the floor, drawing every eye nearby.
Lionel, looking banged-up and bruised, emerged from the next room with the help of Marshall Ross.
Matthew and Elia followed, drawn by the commotion. Lionel's expression hardened the second he saw Vivienne on the floor.
"It's not Norah's fault. I tripped," Vivienne insisted weakly, making Norah look even worse.
"Norah, that's heartless! Vivienne is pregnant, for crying out loud! If anything happens to her, the Ross family won't let this slide," Marshall spat, hauling Vivienne to her feet.
"Please don't blame Norah," Vivienne said, her voice dripping with fake innocence.
Elia could barely contain herself, ready to lunge forward, but Matthew held her back.
Lionel's face was stony, completely devoid of warmth. "Norah, apologize to Vivienne."
A small, bitter smile flickered across Norah's lips. Of course. When it came down to her or Vivienne, Lionel would always choose Vivienne.
"Lionel, are you blind? Norah would never do something like that," Elia interjected, her anger finally boiling over.
"Lionel, it really wasn't Norah," Vivienne chimed in again, playing the innocent martyr.
The manipulation was masterful. Every fake defense only made Norah look guiltier.
"Norah, I'm telling you to apologize to her," Lionel repeated.
Norah nodded. "Fine. I'll apologize."
She stepped closer to Vivienne, and Lionel's expression eased slightly.
"I'll apologize for anything I've done. But first, let me do something actually worth apologizing for."
With that, Norah cracked her hand across Vivienne's face, hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground.
Blood dripped from the corner of Vivienne's mouth as she lay there, stunned.
Norah turned to Lionel, her gaze cold and steady. "See? If I really wanted to hurt her, it wouldn't have been some weak little shove."
Elia felt a surge of satisfaction and had to stop herself from clapping.
Vivienne was seething on the inside, but she'd never expected Norah to actually hit her.
Lionel's face darkened.
"Norah, are you out of your mind?" Marshall roared, stalking toward her.
