He held out a warm bottled drink.
"Here, sweetheart, have something hot. Wouldn't want you getting sick."
"Hard to get around in your condition. How come you don't have family or friends with you?"
As he drew his hand back, he deliberately let it brush across my chest.
Watching the look in his eyes, I kept my head down and called Godfrey over and over.
Every time I dialed, he cut the call.
Twelve calls in all.
So I typed out a text begging for help and sent it to him instead.
On the other end, Godfrey was pure impatience.
"Cornelia, how childish are you going to be? Do you really need to make up a lie like this to mess with me? Just go to sleep."
The driver saw what I was doing and snatched the phone from my hand.
"Once you're in my car, don't even think about running."
The road ahead was turning more and more deserted.
Out of options, I shoved the door open and threw myself from the moving car.
The pain hit so hard I blacked out at once.
When I woke again, my whole body hurt so much I could barely breathe.
The doctor looked at me with real regret.
"Your legs were only just showing signs of recovery, and now they've taken another serious injury. The scans aren't good at all."
My voice shook.
"Are my legs never going to heal?"
He couldn't say for sure either.
"Let's focus on treatment for now."
The hope that had just flickered to life was snuffed out again, and I crumbled completely.
I held myself together until the officers finished taking my statement and left. Only then did I hide under the blanket and cry.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
Then came an argument, both voices kept low.
I looked through the gap in the door.
May's eyes were red, her voice thick with tears.
"Godfrey, this is all my fault. Nelly nearly got hurt for good."
"The doctor said after an accident like this, her legs may never let her stand again."
Godfrey looked at her, his eyes full of ache for her.
"Stop putting everything on yourself. This isn't your fault. She just had bad luck, there's nothing you could do."
May leaned into his arms and cried.
I was the one who'd been hurt.
Yet somehow it was May getting comforted.
Godfrey soothed her for a long while before they finally pushed the door open and came in.
I didn't want to face them, so I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.
"Nelly, I know you're already awake."
Godfrey took a fancy gift box out of his pocket.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault for not believing you. That's why you ended up jumping from the car."
"You've always said you wanted this bracelet, haven't you?"
"I meant it as a surprise. Now I guess it's an apology gift instead."
I slowly opened my eyes.
May took the box from Godfrey's hand, lifted the lid, drew out the bracelet, and fastened it on my wrist.
"Nelly, Godfrey lined up all night to get you this bracelet."
Looking at the bracelet on my wrist, something in me softened for a moment.
The next second, the color drained from my face.
On the custom tag at the end of the bracelet were three letters: "YQ."
May Cox.
Fighting the pain in my arm, I ripped the bracelet off and flung it at Godfrey.
"Take your bracelet and get out!"
Godfrey's face went dark all at once.
"Cornelia, what the hell has gotten into you now?"
I held my anger down.
"Who exactly did you buy this bracelet for? You know perfectly well whose name is engraved on it!"
May picked the bracelet up off the floor, a flicker of glee in her eyes.
Then she put on that innocent act to explain it away for Godfrey.
"Nelly, there's got to be some misunderstanding here. Godfrey was probably just careless and didn't look closely."
"Men are like that, being careless is normal. Don't hold it against him."
That shop's custom order process requires three separate confirmations.
There was no way it was a misunderstanding.
Watching the corner of May's mouth twitch up despite herself, I let out a cold laugh.
