Losing Her

I had left home so hurriedly today that I'd forgotten my inhaler. Furious that Caleb and his buddies were laughing at me and holding me hostage, I called Alexander for help.

Alexander was a doctor working in the ER. He was normally too tied up to answer his phone, but he had promised me that he would never reject my calls.

Out of consideration for his busy schedule, I never called him. I would usually text him to give him a heads-up, and I'd only call if he was free to answer. This time, I called him without texting him first.

The beeping on the other line went on for so long that the call ended on its own. Undeterred, I called him again and again.

I had lost count of the calls I'd made when Felix suddenly cried, "Caleb! Someone crashed into Sasha's car from behind. She's now in the hospital. Call her and ask if she's okay!"

I froze. Sasha got into a car accident?

However, Caleb dismissed Felix's concern with a nonchalant flick of his hand. He pulled up his Instagram and showed it to Felix. "Alexander's taken care of it. She's fine save for a few scratches here and there."

I couldn't help glancing at the picture on Caleb's phone.

Sasha had taken a picture of Alexander's masked side profile while he applied antiseptic to her wounds. He looked at ease, his gaze gentle as if nothing was awry.

She even captioned the post with, "I'm fine, thanks for your concern, everyone. I'm blessed to have you take care of me whenever I'm hurt."

No wonder none of my calls were getting through; Alexander was taking care of Sasha. I should have known.

Felix noticed I was still calling Alexander and mocked, "He's busy at the moment. Read the room and give them some space, why don't you?"

At that moment, my lungs caved in to the suffocating smoke. I opened my mouth and panted hard, helpless as I tried and failed to draw in more air. I felt like a fish out of water.

I lost grip of my phone just as the call went through. As if seizing my chance at salvation, I knelt on the ground and pressed a hand to my chest. A layer of cold sweat had broken out over my skin as I tried to get my words out.

But that was when Sasha's high-pitched voice came from the other line. "That hurts, Alex! Can't you be more gentle with me?"

I heard Alexander chide indulgently, "So you do feel pain like everyone else. Better drive carefully the next time if you don't want to get into another accident."

He had only just said this when I managed, with superhuman effort, to speak. "A-Alexander… Save me… I'm dying… I can't hold on… any longer."

Alexander fell silent on the other line. I heard the sound of a surgeon's tool clanging against the metal dish, followed by his impatient reprimand, "Isabelle, you're an adult, for heaven's sake. Could you be any more childish? Death isn't something to joke about!

"Sasha's injured, and I'm tending to her wounds right now. I'm a doctor by profession, and this is part of my job. Are you seriously getting jealous over this?

"Let me make this clear one last time—nothing is going on between me and Sasha. You can either take my word for it or continue doubting me. It's up to you!"