This Time, She Walked Away First

The slap sent Lena crashing to the ground.

Her face throbbed instantly, blood pooling at the corner of her mouth. A sharp ringing drowned out everything—no voices, no gasps, just a hollow silence.

Her fingers brushed the burning imprint on her cheek, and tears spilled before she could stop them.

Andrew had never hit her before.

But before the shock could settle, he was already gone, storming out the front door.

Lena sucked in a shaky breath and scrambled to her feet, chasing after him.

She wasn't running for him. She was running because she knew what might happen next.

Boom!

Thunder cracked, shaking the ground as rain poured down in thick, blinding sheets.

Through the storm, Andrew stood firm, arms locked around Nicole's trembling frame.

Nicole thrashed, her voice breaking. "Today was supposed to be perfect, and she ruined it. How do you expect me to stay after that?

"She still won't let go of you. I don't want to fight over a man with some younger girl. Maybe I should just—give you back to her."

Andrew only held her tighter. "No, Nicole. I could never love her. You know how long I've loved you. If you push me away now... do you want to rip my heart out?"

His voice dropped, his head lowering toward hers.

And then—

Headlights.

Blinding. Rushing straight for them.

Lena skidded to a stop, breath catching—

And then everything went red.

***

The emergency room pulsed with red light.

Doctors rushed back and forth, scrambling to stabilize Andrew, wires and monitors beeping in a frantic rhythm.

But he didn't care.

"Save Nicole first," he rasped.

"Mr. Rohan, you're the one—"

"Forget me... Save her." His voice shook, barely above a whisper.

Left with no choice, they wheeled Nicole into surgery.

Minutes later, a doctor burst out, panic-stricken. "She's hemorrhaging! Does anyone have Type A blood?"

Andrew shoved past the nurses, ripping off his IV. "I do. Take mine!"

"But sir, your condition—"

"Shut up and do it! Now!"

Bag after bag filled the tray. His face went ghostly white.

Andrew didn't collapse until the doctors confirmed Nicole was safe. The second the words left their mouths, his body gave out, and they wheeled him into emergency care.

Lena couldn't watch anymore. She turned and walked away.

He loved Nicole—more than his own life.

If she had realized that in her past life, would things have ended differently? Would she have been spared all that pain?

She had changed so much this time, yet Nicole still ended up in that car accident. And it all traced back to those letters and drawings.

But how? She had destroyed them.

The only person who could have kept them, only to expose them at the worst possible moment... was Nicole.

But why? She already had Andrew.

Lena didn't understand. And she wasn't sure she wanted to.

***

For three days, Lena drifted in a daze.

Then Andrew was discharged.

And the first thing he did? Have his bodyguards throw her into the cold storage room.

The second she hit the frozen floor, the chill sank deep into her bones.

Surrounded by nothing but icy white, she let out a bitter laugh.

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt this kind of cold. Ever since she'd fallen into that frozen lake as a kid, her body had never fully recovered—always weak, always sensitive to the cold. That's why the mansion was kept warm year-round.

And now, Andrew was using it against her.

A punishment—for not giving up on him. For hurting Nicole.

Lena curled into herself, trying to hold onto whatever warmth she had left. It was useless. Her body shook, muffled whimpers escaping her lips.

Outside, a maid hesitated before whispering, "Ms. Clermont, why don't you just apologize? If you keep this up... your body won't be able to take it."

Lena's eyes burned red.

In her past life, she had been wrong. She'd deserved it.

But this time? She hadn't done anything. What was she supposed to apologize for?

And even if she did, Andrew wouldn't care. His heart was Nicole's. It always had been.

The freezing air clawed at her from all sides. Frost formed on her lashes.

Her heartbeat slowed. Her thoughts blurred.

Then everything went dark.