DEREK'S POV
The call completely ruined my mood. I don't even know why I still tolerate her. I hate that Scarlett was right about her—and she keeps finding new ways to prove it. She's lucky I'd do anything for Scar.
But right now, I can't even focus on that. Scarlett went to the hospital today, and I haven't been able to reach her since I landed. My chest feels tight. What if she got bad news? What if she's not okay?
I reach for my phone and see a missed call from her. Relief and panic hit me all at once. I call back immediately, and she picks.
"Babe," I breathe, but all I hear is silence—soft breathing on the other end. "I was going crazy. I called as soon as I landed, but you didn't pick up. Where were you? Did you leave the hospital already?"
No response. Just breathing. My stomach twists.
"Scar?" My voice shakes. "Scarlett, please say something. You're scaring me."
"Derek…" Her voice trembles, weak and broken. My heart sinks.
"What's wrong? Did Dr. Kelly say something? Talk to me, please."
"Derek, I… I…"
Then I hear her sobbing—and that sound destroys me.
"Where are you?" I grab my keys from the cabinet. "I'm coming right now."
I think she said something that sounded like lace before the line went dead. Maybe she meant place. My place.
I don't call back. I just run.
"Mr. Lawson!" Leonard, my new PA, calls as soon as I burst out of my office.
"Not now, Leo," I snap, trying to steady my voice.
"O-okay, sir," he stammers, but still follows.
"Where's James?" I demand. James, my chauffeur, is never late.
"Not sure, sir. I haven't seen him since he dropped us at the company."
Damn it.
I head to the parking lot—no sign of James. No choice but to drive myself. I slide into the driver's seat and start the engine, my pulse hammering.
I have to get to her. I can't stop imagining what she might have been told at the hospital.
---
Halfway home, my phone lights up. Ethan. I ignore it twice, but he calls again. I answer on the third ring.
"Ethan."
"Mr. Lawson, where are you?" His voice carries the same fatherly tone he's always used with me.
"Why?"
"Miss Hayes called me. She couldn't reach you—she sounded really worried."
"When?" My grip on the wheel tightens.
"It's been a while."
"Before 4 p.m.?"
"Yes."
"We already spoke," I say, exhaling. "I'm on my way to her now."
The traffic light turns red. I slow to a stop, watching the seconds tick down. The road ahead is quiet.
"Okay," Ethan replies.
The light turns green. I press down on the accelerator—
—and then I hear it.
A blaring horn.
Too close. Too loud.
I turn my head, and a truck's headlights explode into my eyes—bright, blinding. I try to swerve back, but it's too late. The world flashes white.
SCARLETT'S POV
My hands gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing keeping me alive. The city lights stretched into long, blurred lines as I pressed the accelerator harder than I should.
Derek… he had just landed. I was supposed to tell him the biggest news of our lives, and now he was fighting for his. All I had left was the gnawing worry twisting in my chest.
"Please be okay," I whispered, my voice lost in the roar of the engine.
I swerved into the hospital parking lot, brakes screeching against the asphalt. My legs moved before my mind did. I ran toward the emergency entrance, my heels clicking frantically against the tile.
The sliding doors opened too slowly for my racing heart. I burst into the lobby, scanning every face.
A nurse looked up from the front desk. "Miss—?" she started, but I cut her off.
"Derek Lawson! Where is he?!" My voice cracked. Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them down. I needed answers, not pity.
The nurse hesitated, glancing at the phone on her desk. "He's in surgery," she said finally. "Please, ma'am, take a seat. I'll call the doctor."
Surgery. The word hit me like a punch to the gut. My knees almost gave way.
"What—what happened?" I whispered, sinking into the nearest chair. I gripped the armrests like they could hold me together.
My phone rang — Lila.
"Lila…" I managed, my voice barely a whisper before it cracked into sobs.
"Scar, calm down, okay? Just breathe."
"I can't," I choked out. "Derek… Derek…"
"Where are you? How is he?" she asked quickly.
"I'm at the hospital. I don't even know how he is! They said he's in surgery—my Derek is in surgery. He hardly even gets sick, and now he's…" My voice broke again, my fingers twisting the fabric of my dress over my heart. "My heart hurts, Lila."
"He'll be fine," she tried to reassure me, but her words slid right past me, empty and weightless.
"It's my fault," I whispered.
"No, it isn't. You did nothing wrong."
"I was the one who got him worried. If I'd just told him I was pregnant instead of pretending to be sick… he wouldn't have rushed out like that. He was worried about me. This is my fault."
"Scarlett," she said gently, "even if you told him, the same thing could've happened. Blame the truck driver, not yourself."
I froze. "Truck driver? What truck driver?" what was she talking about.
"The one who hit him, of course."
My breath caught. "How do you know that?"
"Haven't you been online? It's everywhere — news outlets, blogs. Even live videos from people outside the hospital. His fans are already there. Please be careful."
Only then did I notice the muffled noise coming from outside — voices, cameras, the hum of a growing crowd.
"How did it get online so fast?" I asked weakly.
"Witnesses, probably."
"Lila, I have to go."
"Don't do anything stupid, Scarlett. I'm coming right now," she said before the line went dead.
I stared at my phone, heart pounding. If the bloggers were here, then everyone knew. And if everyone knew, then his fans would be here.
And if his fans were here… I was just another stranger in the eyes of the Nurses. No one knew who I was — not yet. To them, I'd look like one of the crazy fans who slipped past security. They wouldn't tell me anything.
I swallowed hard, staring at the closed doors leading deeper into the hospital.
What do I do now?
"Scarlett." The last person I expected.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, standing up to face her.
"What else? The man I love the most is here, where else would I be?" She smirked. She probably didn't understand the severity of the situation. How could she still be so… evil?
"I don't think I want to deal with you right now. Leave." I tried to sound composed, but my voice cracked.
"I can be here if I want. You don't own the hospital."
"I are here for Derek Lawson. Where can we find him?" a voice said sharply to the nurse at the desk. I immediately recognized the face—Laura Lawson.
"You can't see him now, ma'am. The surgery is still ongoing."
"Why the hell can't I see my brother? Do you know who I am?"
"Laura," Chloe said, stepping forward. The person immediately looked at her.
"Chloe," she said, moving toward her. They hugged briefly. "It must be hard on you as well."
"Yes, very," Chloe replied, exhaling. Laura must have assumed Derek was dating Chloe; since they were all in the same industry, she probably liked Chloe.
"Who is she?" Laura asked Chloe, eyes flicking toward me.
"No one," Chloe said easily.
"I am her sister and I am Derek's fiancée," I said firmly, refusing to step back. Chloe scoffed under her breath.
"What?" Laura's eyes widened.
"Don't believe her, Laura. She really is my sister, but she has… a bit of mental issues," Chloe said, smirking. I scoffed with the little strength left in me. "She likes Derek a lot, and he talks to her constantly."
"How can you stoop this low?" I asked, my voice tense. I hesitated, but I needed to assert myself. "Miss Lawson, you can ask Ethan. He knows me very well." Laura's expression shifted, confused.
"Ethan doesn't like me, but he likes her because of her condition, so he might lie to make her feel good," Chloe added smugly.
"It's enough. I only know Chloe, and Chloe is my brother's fiancée," Laura concluded, her tone final. I refused to back down. "I wonder what you would say in front of Derek," I muttered under my breath.
Chloe's face darkened, as if she wanted to respond, but we were interrupted.
"Miss Lawson." The doctor appeared, unfamiliar to all of us. His voice was calm, professional, but his eyes held a seriousness that made my stomach drop.
"How is he?" Laura asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.
He hesitated, measuring his words. "He sustained a serious head injury." My heart jolted violently in my chest.
"The surgery went as well as we could hope for, considering the severity of the injury. He's stable… for now. But he's in critical condition. We need to monitor him closely. Recovery… it's uncertain."
I sank back into the nearest chair, tears spilling freely this time. My fingers entwined in my own hands, and I whispered into the sterile air, "Please, Derek… don't leave me. Please…"
"What do you mean?" Laura asked, genuinely confused.
"The severe injury he had disrupted his brain's reticular activating system."
"Okay?" she muttered, unsure what that meant.
"He slipped into a coma, and it is uncertain when he would wake up—or if he would at all." he said, walking past us like he had just announced something trivial.
Coma.
The word hammered through me, every syllable cutting like glass. My breath caught in my throat, my chest tightening. Time seemed to stand still. Chloe's smirk faltered. Laura's face went pale. And I… I was left with one impossible truth: Derek was gone from me, for now, and only hope could keep me breathing.