Chapter 3 "Drive me to the airport. Now. That's an ORDER." Sebastian looked ready to explode. Linda grabbed his sleeve and shook her head softly. After a tense silence, Sebastian-the man who thought he was hot shit-bent down and opened the passenger door for her. Linda slid in gracefully. 'Sorry, Miss Chase," she said sweetly. "Sebastian just woke up from his ordeal. As the woman who saved his life, I'm just SO worried about him." She paused, fake sympathy dripping from every word. "You're a wealthy heiress. Surely you don't mind, right?" Sebastian didn't even glance my way. He leaned over, buckled her seatbelt, then climbed into the driver's seat. 'Get in if you're coming." His tone was cold as ice. Linda's smile widened. I slid into the back seat, laughing internally. They thought they were putting me in my place. What they didn't know? I was going to the airport to pick up my NEW husband. Gideon Sinclair. ust thinking about him made my chest tighten. In my past life, when I swore to stay single for Sebastian, Gideon never married either. He spent sixty years by my side-no title, no recognition, just... there. Always there. Now, in this life, Dad was handing him to me on a silver platter. felt nervous. Excited. And then- The car jolted violently. Sebastian screamed and yanked the wheel hard LEFT-right into the path of an out-of-control truck. The impact was brutal. Metal crunched. Glass shattered. Pain exploded through my body. And the first thing out of Sebastian's mouth? "LINDA! Are you okay?!" Linda was on the RIGHT side-the SAFE side. She was FINE. I tried to reach for my phone, but it was gone-thrown somewhere in the wreck. I looked down. My thigh was pinned between twisted metal. Blood poured from a gash in my femoral artery. My vision started to blur. I pressed my hand over the wound, trying to slow the bleeding. 1441 Chagiter 3 When the paramedics arrived, Sebastian stuck his head out the window and yelled, "The person in the back is FINE! Help the passenger first!" My hand frore mid air He KNEW I was dying And he didn't care. Linda started wailing. "It hurts! Please, help ME first!" Sebastian, tears streaming down his face, cradled her through the broken window. "It's okay, baby. They're coming." The paramedics ignored him. They came straight to me, smashed the rear window, and pulled me out. Sebastian shouted at them furiously. One of the medics shot him a disgusted look. "You're talking, which means you're stable. SHE'S bleeding out. We're not letting someone die while you whine about a bruise." Even strangers could see what they were. How blind was I in my past life? I woke up in the hospital. Carter and Miles were whispering by my bed. "If the old man finds out Sebastian crashed the car with Lola inside, we're screwed." "Relax. When she wakes up, we'll make her tell him SHE was driving. Then we can squeeze some cash out of this mess-enough to send Linda abroad." Every part of me hurt. But my heart hurt worse. Then Sebastian burst in. "Is she still out? Good. Get the anesthesia. We need to harvest skin from her face for Linda." Carter and Miles went pale. "Wait, WHAT happened to Linda?!" "She's in the ER. She was crying about her skin being ruined. She NEEDS a graft." "Fine. I'll forge Lola's signature," Miles said, pulling out a consent form. "Carter, you hold her down. Sebastian, give her this." He held up a cup of drugged milk. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I forced my eyes open and lunged for the call button. Sebastian was faster. He slammed his hand over mine, face twisted with rage. "Lola, Linda's face is EVERYTHING to her. You're going to help her." Miles scribbled my name on the form. Carter grabbed the cup and shoved it toward my mouth. 14:41 Chapter 3 "Why'd you have to wake up NOW?!" "Just be a good little donor and GO BACK TO SLEEP!" I tried to fight, but I was covered in casts. I couldn't move. They pried my mouth open and forced the sedative down my throat, clamping a hand over my lips so I couldn't scream. My head grew heavy. My vision blurred. And then- BANG. The door exploded open.