Chapter 254 CHAPTER 0254

Chapter 254 CHAPTER 0254
LAUREN'S POV

“Roman.” I called out again, even though he was just stepping out of the car. My voice sounded slightly shaky, but I didn’t even have time to focus on that because my eyes were locked on the van in front of me.

As I walked closer, something about the person slumped inside the driver seat tugged at my memory. At first, the face was tilted down, pressed against the steering wheel, her hair falling over her cheek. I couldn’t make it out fully. But the closer I got, the more my stomach tightened. Something about the shape of her face… her jaw… even the way her shoulders were angled looked incredibly familiar.

She had knocked out immediately upon impact. Her chest rose and fell slowly, indicating she was breathing, but she wasn’t moving. And then as I stepped right in front of the shattered window, the sunlight hit her face properly, clearing the shadows enough for me to see her features.

I froze instantly.

It was Elizabeth.

My entire body stopped working for a second, my mouth parted slightly on its own as my eyes widened. I felt my heart drop into my stomach so fast it almost made me dizzy.

“Roman!” I yelled louder this time, my voice cracking a bit. I didn’t even care that he had a cut on his head. I needed him next to me immediately, because the shock running through me was too much to handle alone.

He hurried toward me despite the blood on his temple, not even thinking about himself. “What is it?” he asked, but the second he saw who I was staring at inside the van, his expression shifted too, confusion and seriousness mixing together.

“Call the police,” I said, my voice low but firm. I couldn’t look away from her face. Everything in me was screaming with disbelief, anger, and confusion all at once.

The guards from Roman’s estate finally rushed out toward the scene, the sound of their footsteps hitting the pavement in a fast rhythm. They must have heard the crash from inside the estate.

Roman immediately pulled out his phone and dialed the inspector’s number. “Inspector, I found Elizabeth. She’s right outside my estate,” he said, then ended the call without another word. His jaw tightened slightly.

“The police are on their way,” he said, turning to me. “Until they get here, we can hold her down so she doesn’t try to run away again.”

But then he paused. He looked at me again with a deeper seriousness in his eyes, like he didn’t want to move forward without making sure I was okay with seeing her like this. “Are you okay with this?” he asked quietly. “Just to confirm.”

I stood there, still trying to process everything. My mind kept racing and stumbling over itself.

I truly thought she had escaped the country already. When Roman told me that was probably what she would do, it made sense. Anyone who knew the police were looking for them would run far away. If she didn’t leave the country, then at least she should’ve gone into hiding or laid low.

But instead… she rushed back to my place?

And she tried to kill me?

I turned my head slowly toward my car, staring at the dented, crushed side of the trunk where the van had slammed into it. The metal was bent inward like someone had punched the life out of it. My hands curled into fists without me realizing. The image of Aria flashed into my mind — what would’ve happened if I had decided to take her to school today like I usually did? What if she had been sitting right there beside me?

The thought alone made a cold wave rush down my spine.

Elizabeth knew my routine. With the small amount of time she had known me, she already understood that I left for work very early. So she must have waited for me to drive out of Roman’s estate… just so she could ram her van into my car?

Didn’t she care what happened to her? Did she even think this plan through? Because this had to be the most stupid, reckless plan anyone could possibly come up with. She didn’t even bother to hire someone else to drive the van for her. She literally drove it herself and aimed directly for me.

I know I’ve done some stupid things I regret in the past, but none of them were as incredibly reckless and idiotic as this. I bet the only plan she had was hitting my car. That’s it. No escape plan. No backup. Nothing.

“Yes, I’m fine with it,” I finally said, slowly nodding even though my mind was still swirling. I needed her held down. 

Roman gave a small nod to his men, and they immediately rushed toward the van to pull her out. The metal groaned a little as they opened the damaged door, and as they carefully dragged her out, her eyes suddenly shot open wide like she had been pulled out from the deepest sleep.

She instantly started struggling, her arms jerking wildly.

“Let me go! Now!” she shouted, her voice echoing loud enough that people passing by on the street started gathering again. A small crowd was already forming, and I knew they were probably shocked to see me standing next to a woman who looked exactly like me. Just my luck — another thing that would probably go viral if someone recorded it.

It seems like my fate is destined to show up on the news every single month.

“The police are already on their way,” Roman said sharply but calmly. “And there’s no way you can get away this time. My men have surrounded the open area, so just calmly come with us until the police get here.”

“Tell your men to let go of me!” Elizabeth snapped.

Roman didn’t respond. He simply gave a small nod to one of the guards holding her right arm, signaling him to release her.

The moment the man let go, something unexpected happened.

Elizabeth’s entire body collapsed to her right side like her legs weren’t working at all. She dropped instantly and would’ve hit the pavement if the other guard hadn’t still been holding her left arm.

I stared hard, stunned.

Roman looked just as confused, his brows squeezing together. Was this another one of her ridiculous games? Another stunt to get sympathy? Or was she just dizzy from the accident? The impact definitely wasn’t small, so maybe she was disoriented or losing balance.

“No one is going to fall for anything you do now, so stop all this drama,” I said, my tone flat.

“My legs… I can’t feel my legs,” she suddenly said, her voice shaking.

I raised a brow. At first, I didn’t even understand what she was trying to say. Her voice was trembling, but I didn’t know if it was fear or one of her manipulations again.

Roman then nodded to the second guard holding her left arm, and the man let go.

This time, she dropped to the ground completely like her legs simply weren’t there. There was no attempt to stand, no resistance, nothing. She fell with full weight, hitting the ground with a painful thud.

She winced loudly, pain shooting across her face.

I stared at her, genuinely confused at what I was seeing. My mind couldn’t keep up with the moment.

So what… she suddenly couldn’t walk?

Right now… out of nowhere?