Chapter 5
1946words
Zane would go this far for Lily? Kayla had always performed well and had been with Cosmo Group for years, but he wanted to fire her just like that?
The only reason he would do this was that Kayla was the closest to me at work. Zane truly was a businessman, willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.
"What's wrong, Cassidy?" Kayla leaned over, concerned.
I immediately shut my laptop, said it was nothing, and left the office in a hurry. Even if I felt hurt, I didn't want Kayla to risk her future for me.
It was just buying coffee anyway. Besides, there was only another day left until my interview.
After a quick search, I learned that the nearest cafe was about a mile away. A round trip in half an hour would be tough.
When I finally got the coffee, I started hurrying back. But in my rush, checking the time as I ran, I failed to notice the speeding car.
A bang sounded, and the coffee cup in my hand hit the ground, spilling everywhere. I was thrown into the air before hitting the ground and rolling across it.
"Miss!"
"Oh my god!"
Everything became a blur. People rushed over as pain ripped through me.
It didn't take long for an ambulance to arrive. Listening to the frantic voices of the nurses, I had this feeling that I might not make it in that moment.
Was I going to die like this? For… a cup of coffee?
I shut my eyes in despair, and Zane's frivolous, indifferent face appeared in my mind.
Why… Why was it that even at the end of my life, I was still thinking of that face?
Right then, my phone that had fallen nearby buzzed. The screen lit up with a message from him.
"It's been 30 minutes. I have already fired her. You can't blame me for being heartless. You only have yourself to blame for being stubborn."
Yet, I couldn't read the message. My last thought was that if I could go back in time, I would never love Zane again.
I had a really long dream that day. I dreamt that on my birthday, Zane pulled out a ring from his pocket, got down on one knee, and… asked me to marry him.
I said yes, but the next moment, instead of receiving flowers and champagne, I had a speeding car coming straight at me.
My eyelashes fluttered, and I opened my eyes.
"She's awake! She's finally awake!" a doctor exclaimed right beside me.
As I slowly came to, the pain in my body hit me all at once, and I cried out in agony.
The nurses immediately gave me a shot for the pain. Their faces were grim as one of them said, "Miss, the impact didn't damage your internal organs… but the baby didn't survive…"
My whole body went stiff as my ears rang. Baby?
Upon noticing my reaction, she asked, "Did you not know you were pregnant? You were two months along, the most unstable period for a fetus."
Whatever they said next, I didn't hear it at all. My mind was a mess, and it felt like there was a boulder crushing my chest.
Right then, my phone started buzzing with messages in the work group chat. "What happened to Kayla? She's been crying since leaving Mr. Bender's office."
"She probably got fired. She's already packing her things. Poor thing. I heard she still has a seriously ill mother who needs help with hospital bills."
"Jeez, even though she worked so hard, she got fired? I told her not to get too close to that person. Ms. Hubbard's calling the shots now. Of course everyone has to suck up to her."
I scrolled through the chat silently. When I got to the last message, I completely broke down. I called Kayla again and again, but none of my calls went through.
In the end, I called Zane and screamed into the phone, "Zane Bender, are you insane? I already did what I was told, so why did you do that to her? Why?"
Zane seemed stunned by my yelling, then said irritably, "I told you that she'd be fired if I didn't see the coffee in 30 minutes. It's already been a whole day. Is there a problem with what I did?"
I checked my phone for the time. It was true that a whole day had passed since my surgery and being out cold.
And during that time, Zane didn't reach out or ask about what had happened to me once. He just fired Kayla straight away.
In that moment, my heart died, the same way my unborn child did in the accident.
Exhaling slowly, I explained in an icy tone, "Zane, it's not that I didn't want to go back. I got into a car accident on the way."
"A car accident?" He snorted. "You've got quite the imagination. Aren't you just making up some poor excuse to fool me now that you're regretting it? You simply didn't think I'd actually go through with it."
Hearing that, I had no desire to argue. I hung up and posted a photo of myself on my social media.
It wasn't to gain sympathy. I just couldn't let Kayla be treated so unfairly because of me.
So much had happened in these past few days—betrayal, loss, even a near-death experience. Every one of them left me completely exhausted.
And my next path forward had been blocked by this accident. The Vertex Group interview was tomorrow, yet my legs were in casts. I couldn't even move.
Everything that happened sucked so bad that it felt hopeless. Nevertheless, I couldn't give up any chance to turn things around.
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the hospital room. "Where's Cassidy Hartman? Which room is she in?"
As soon as the door opened, Zane and I locked eyes. His gaze fell on my legs, encased in casts, and for the first time in a long while, I saw concern in his eyes.
He pounded on the door in frustration, his voice much gentler now. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I was unconscious," I said softly.
Sitting down beside me, he reached to touch my cheek. However, I instinctively turned away. As his hand hung in the air, he frowned slightly, but he eventually lowered it.
"I…"
He paused, struggling to continue. "I'll get Kayla to come back."
I gave a small nod and said nothing else.
Sighing, Zane held my hand, which was still covered with tubes and needles. "Don't worry. The doctors already told me about your injuries. I've lined up the best doctors and surgeons for your recovery.
"Your legs will be fine in no time, and the surgery for your scars has already been scheduled. There won't be any lasting marks."
After listening to what he had to say, I let out a small laugh. "Besides all of that, is there anything else you want to say?"
He froze for a moment, then abruptly sprang to his feet in panic. "Did you get hurt somewhere else? Where? Let me see."
I shook my head immediately, stopping his nervous hand and murmuring, "It's fine."
It seemed he had no idea that I'd miscarried in the accident.
Still, that was probably for the best. If he took pity on me and continued to bother me, he would just be wasting more of my precious time.
Zane stayed at my bedside all afternoon. Lily had called several times, but he merely glanced at me before turning her invites down.
I guessed he felt guilty since he had promised countless times before that as long as he was around, I would never be hurt.
He kept stopping himself when he tried to speak. I knew he wanted to apologize, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, in his eyes, I would always be beneath him.
Zane was a proud man, and I didn't hope for an apology anyway since I had no expectations left for him.
When he went to the bathroom, I sent an email to Vertex Group, explaining my sudden accident and hoping they could postpone the interview and give me another chance.
Kayla had told me Desmond always stuck to the rules, so I didn't hold out much hope.
I was surprised that the reply came quickly, and sure enough, they refused my request.
However, they offered a workaround. I could submit my portfolio, and if it impressed them, I might get hired as an exception. I covered my mouth in excitement just as Zane came back.
"What's got you so happy?" he asked, leaning over out of curiosity.
I immediately hid my phone under the blanket. He froze in place, knitting his brow. "You're hiding things from me again?"
He scowled slightly, lifted my chin, and slowly closed the space between us. "Cassidy, don't you think we've become too distant lately?"
I stayed calm as I stared at him. He would never kiss me since he hated my lips. But then, he abruptly did. The kiss deepened, his tongue skillfully prying my lips open.
I started growing weak from the kiss. Feeling uneasy, I shoved him hard, which seemed to annoy him.
He pinned me to the hospital bed, and it wasn't until I cried out in pain that he finally seemed to snap out of it and let me go.
He touched my cheek, his tone heavy with an emotion I couldn't place. "Do you have any idea that you scared me?"
That night, Zane stayed by my side. He leaned against the window, while I pretended to sleep so that I wouldn't have to talk to him.
After some time, I heard the sliding door move. Zane had gone out to the balcony and was talking to someone on the phone.
"Zane, you didn't actually fall for Cassidy, did you? You left such an important meeting the moment you heard she was hurt."
Zane chuckled. "You're overthinking it. I just didn't want anyone dying. Handling something like that would be a real headache."
The other person went silent for a moment. "Fair enough. If you actually loved her, you wouldn't have gotten yourself a new woman. By the way, how's your new plaything in bed?"
Zane exhaled cigarette smoke slowly, as if savoring it. "She's pretty good, way wilder than Cassidy, but it gets boring after a while. Once Cassidy's better, I'll sleep with her a few more times. She's much more refreshing."
…
In that moment, all the warmth he had shown me during the day felt like one big joke. I suppressed my feelings of disgust and anger, trying to keep myself from making a peep.
Zane spent about 30 minutes on the call before coming back in. He then kissed me on the forehead and left.
The moment he stepped out, I pulled out my phone and uploaded my portfolio, wanting nothing but to end this relationship once and for all.
I got a reply within ten minutes. When I saw I'd been hired, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Zane, we wouldn't be seeing each other again, and we definitely would never be sleeping together again.
The next morning, I asked to be discharged early from the hospital. Acting on the invite from Vertex Group, I booked the earliest flight and departed from Acmoria.
I deleted all my ex-coworkers' contacts and blocked Zane. Though my injuries weren't fully healed, my new life had already begun.
