Chapter14 Out of nowhere , a hazy , broken image flashed through Alexander Stone's mind- Blinding headlights . Splintering pain . A frantic , tear - choked voice calling his name . And a pair of trembling hands pressing firmly against his wound , warm yet desperate . That voice ... that touch ... it didn't sound like Bella Hart's usual syrupy tone , did it ? ' ' The thought struck him so abruptly he froze , stunned by his own doubt . Why would such a notion even surface now ? Bella , sharp as ever to catch the flicker of hesitation in his eyes , seized on it like a weapon . Her wails rose , shrill and pitiful . " What ? What are you trying to say ?! That saving you was a mistake ? That you've been looking for an excuse to throw me away all this time ? Alexander Stone , you heartless bastard ! " Her shrieks drilled into his head , pounding until that small seed of doubt was buried . With a curt gesture , he signaled the bodyguards to remove her before she wrecked the place . But once planted , suspicion never dies ; it digs deep , spreading roots out of sight . From that night forward , Alexander found himself circling back - again and again - to the crash that had changed everything . The more he tried to recall , the less sense Bella's version of events made . She always insisted she had " given everything " to save him , that she had " stayed by his side until the ambulance arrived . " Yet whenever he asked for details , her answers dissolved into sobs and vague excuses . " I was too terrified to remember clearly , " she'd say , or , " Why can't you just trust me ? " Her evasions only sharpened the sense of something off . The dissonance gnawed at him until denial was no longer possible . Late one night , he summoned his most loyal man , Ethan Cole , and gave the order in a voice as cold as steel . " Reinvestigate the West Ridge Parkway accident from seven years ago . Quietly . I want the raw incident reports , ambulance dispatch records , the hospital ' s intake notes - and find witnesses , anyone . Pay whatever it takes . And not a word to Bella . " Ethan obeyed without question . Chapter14 1 66.67 % Download The days that followed stretched unbearably long . Alexander began prodding Bella with casual questions . " Bella , do you remember what color coat I was wearing that night ? " " What did you use to stop the bleeding ? I don ' t recall it being a handkerchief ... " Every time , her answers faltered . Details blurred , contradicted one another . And when pressed , she broke into tears , screaming accusations . You don ' t believe me anymore! You don't love me ! Have you forgotten who saved your life ? ' ' ' Her defensiveness , her hysterical attempts to guilt him into silence , only made the storm of doubt inside him grow darker . Then came the call . " Mr. Stone , " Ethan's voice carried through the encrypted line , edged with caution . " We tracked down a sanitation worker assigned to that stretch of road that night . He was frightened and hid at a distance , but he saw some of what happened . According to him ... the first person to reach you , the one who gave emergency aid , wasn't Miss Hart . " Alexander's grip on the phone tightened . His voice dropped , harsh and urgent . " Say it . Tell me everything . " " The worker described a young woman . Gentle - looking , pale with fear but steady . She was the one pressing down on your wound , stopping the bleeding , doing everything she could to keep you alive . Professional , almost . Miss Hart ... " Ethan hesitated . " ... Miss Hart only arrived later . Much later than she's ever claimed . " A deafening roar filled Alexander's skull . The buried memory burst free , vivid now - those trembling hands , that voice fighting through tears yet forced calm . Not Bella . It hadn't been Bella at all . Chapter14