Chapter 105
Lewis organized his thoughts,
"Today is the first day we've met. I don't know you yet, and you probably don't know me either."
Before he could finish, Emily interrupted,
"It's okay, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. We have a long future ahead of us."
Lewis continued,
"But the wedding date our families set isn't far off. If we get married so hastily, I don't think you'd be okay with that, would you?"
He figured someone like Emily, a pampered young lady, wouldn't be the type to settle. She probably wouldn't easily agree to marry him. To his surprise, the next second, Emily blurted out,
"I'd be fine with it."
Lewis felt his heart skip a beat. He smiled helplessly,
"What I mean is, if you don't agree to this marriage, just say so. I won't blame you."
He thought he was being pretty obvious.
Emily completely missed his point and asked, confused,
"Why wouldn't I agree?"
What a joke—he was actually worried she wouldn't agree. She was thrilled inside, wishing she could start planning the wedding right now.
Lewis's next words got stuck in his throat. He turned to look out the window, where William's car was beside them.
Sarah walked right over and got into the passenger seat, while Ava sat directly behind the driver's seat—she'd seen something on social media saying that was the safest spot in the car.
After buckling her seatbelt, Sarah opened the glove box like she owned the place and took out a comb to fix her hair. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was her car.
You could tell she'd already claimed that seat as her own.
William opened the navigation and glanced at it,
"I'm heading back to the office in a bit. Where do you two want to get off?"
Sarah turned to look at him,
"William, aren't you going to have lunch with me?"
"I've got things to do."
"Then I'll come with you to the office and help you organize files."
William rolled down his window and rested one arm there, clearly annoyed.
"Two choices—either get out now and take the car next to us back, or get off in the city later. Your call."
Sarah paused,
"William, are you afraid I'll bother you? I'll just sit there quietly, okay? I promise I won't disturb you. Your secretary isn't here today, so I can help you with tea and water."
William had held back long enough,
"Sarah, don't you have anything else to do?"
This non-stop, 24-hour harassment was pushing him to the edge.
Sarah was best at reading the room. She adjusted her posture and sat up straight,
"Then I'll get off in the city."
Ava's stomach was bothering her. She leaned against the window the whole time without saying anything, the sunlight making her drowsy.
The car drove smoothly out of the green area toward the city.
William looked grim, and Sarah didn't dare provoke him further. The three of them drove in silence.
After about half an hour, the weather turned cloudy, and by the time they reached the edge of the city, it started raining.
Raindrops pattered against the windows, car horns honked occasionally, and fog formed inside the car, blurring the windows.
William followed the navigation to an intersection and went straight as the light indicated.
Ava wiped a clear spot on the window with her hand, watching the large raindrops falling fast and heavy outside, finding it oddly satisfying.
Just as she raised her hand to wipe the entire window clean, she heard a bang and the sharp sound of brakes.
Before she could react, Ava was thrown forward into the driver's seat, then yanked back by the seatbelt, hitting her head hard.
After the car stopped, Ava settled back into her seat, her forehead throbbing. That impact had left her dazed.
Her head hurt, but that was secondary—the seatbelt had pressed hard against her stomach.
Once she realized they'd been hit by a car turning the corner, she couldn't stop shaking. She had trauma from car accidents—her mother had died in one.
It was also a rainy day, and she'd gone to the scene. Her mother was in the driver's seat, blood streaming from her head, all over her clothes and the car.
The ambulance took her away. After emergency treatment, her mother was in a coma for three days and nights. When she woke up, she only said a few words before passing away.
Compared to her, Sarah in the passenger seat seemed more seriously injured. After screaming once, she couldn't move her neck and slumped weakly in her seat, crying feebly,
"William, I... I feel terrible, my heart..."
She was in shock, her face frighteningly pale, her voice sounding like she might die any second.
As Sarah spoke, her eyes darted around, checking if William was looking at her, then checking if Ava in the back seat was dead. Her mind was racing.
William took a moment to recover and glanced at the back seat. Ava didn't seem badly hurt. Then he looked at the passenger seat—she looked extremely weak. He asked urgently,
"Sarah, how are you?"
"William, my heart... my heart hurts..."
Sarah clutched her chest with one hand, her expression full of pain.
"Don't be scared, I'm calling an ambulance right now."
William immediately dialed 911, reported the injuries and location, and then waited a long time.
Sarah kept saying she felt terrible,
"William, William, help me..."
Her voice got weaker and weaker, making it seem like she was about to die any second.
William was frantic. The problem was the traffic jam ahead—private cars and buses were squeezing through every gap, and the traffic lights had lost all meaning. The road was completely blocked.
About fifteen minutes passed, and the ambulance was nowhere in sight.
Ava huddled in her seat, enduring the dull pain in her abdomen, breaking out in a cold sweat. She was terrified—a car accident had taken her mother, and now it couldn't take her baby, too.
She kept praying that the baby would be okay. If something happened to the child, her reason for living would be gone, too.
All her relatives were dead. If the baby were gone, there would be no one left in this world she cared about. She didn't want to live alone with no one to care if she died.
William got out to check. Ahead was a long line of traffic—who knew how many hours this road would be blocked? The rain kept pouring relentlessly.
He checked the map—there was a regular hospital about two kilometers away. The facilities weren't great, but they should know emergency care. He put away his phone, having made up his mind.
"Sarah, hang in there. I'm going to carry you to the hospital now."
He was going to abandon the car. He kept checking Sarah's breathing, completely wrapped up in extreme anxiety.
William walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. His hands hesitated for a moment before he asked Ava in the back seat,
"Ava, get out and help hold the umbrella."
Ava's mind was foggy and numb, thinking only of her deceased mother, grandmother, and their unborn child. When she heard William's words, her heart jolted. She pinched her palm hard—the pain told her this wasn't a hallucination.
After a car accident, she hadn't gotten a single word of concern from him. Instead, he was asking her to hold an umbrella for Sarah.
Right now, she wished lightning would strike from the sky and kill him.
"William, I don't feel well..."
Her voice was trembling.