Chapter 1 She Needs Me by Her Side

"Carlee Hood, who do you think Dominic would save if we both crashed? My bet's on me!"

The moment five steel bars speared through my body, Paige Ryan, sitting in the passenger seat, calmly pulled her hands back from the steering wheel she had just yanked. She sneered, "Make sure you hang on a little longer, alright? Dying too fast would be such a bore."

The rain had been relentless lately, leaving the roads flooded and treacherous.

Up ahead, a flash flood came crashing down from the mountain, throwing everything into chaos. I was so focused on navigating the road that I barely noticed her.

I never imagined that the student I had been sponsoring, someone I thought I was helping, would harbor such malice toward me.

I glared at her, my anger rising.

Yet, she didn't even spare me a glance. She was too busy on her phone, calling my husband, telling him to hurry up and rescue her.

My husband Dominic Davis' car wasn't far behind ours.

The moment he got the call, he rushed over, braving the downpour like a whirlwind.

We had been together for ten years, married for seven. He practically lived in his lab. However, whenever he had free time, it was Paige he would spend it with.

I had once suspected he was cheating, and we had fought over it countless times. The disappointment and bitterness gnawed at me, wearing me down.

Still, the moment he saw me injured, it didn't matter how he tried to hide it, the sheer panic and worry on his face were unmistakable.

"Carlee, don't be scared! I'm here!"

His voice, mixed with the pounding rain, filtered through the shattered window, sending a chill down my spine.

The smell of gasoline inside the car was getting stronger, and I had no idea when it might explode. Moreover, with the flash flood raging down the mountain, who knew if it would sweep through the road at the base?

I wanted to tell him to leave me behind and run.

Just as I was about to speak, Paige wailed, "Dominic, my head hurts so much! I'm so scared!"

"Carlee, it looks like Paige is in worse shape. Hang in there, okay? I'll save her first and come back for you. Don't worry!" Dominic tried to reassure me.

Then, he rushed to the passenger seat without even a glance in my direction, scooping Paige into his arms and running off.

I had lost count of how many times he had chosen her over me.

I was the one who was his wife!

I wanted to call his name, but blood clogged my throat the moment I opened my mouth. Pain tore through my chest and stomach like a knife, and a wave of despair drowned me.

Everything blurred into a red haze, and I couldn't see or move.

I thought this was the end. But then, a team of firefighters fought to pull me out and rushed me to the hospital.

After I woke up, I ended up back in the emergency room two more times.

The firefighters and hospital called Dominic over and over again. Alas, he refused to come, saying he had to stay with the injured Paige.

In the end, it was the firefighters who covered my medical expenses.

I had internal bleeding in multiple organs, caught an infection from the rain, and the hospital scrambled to call in several specialists for an emergency consultation.

Before I was wheeled into the ICU, I managed to call Dominic. "I just got out of the emergency room, but they're sending me to the ICU. You need to come to the hospital, pay my medical bills, and reimburse the firefighters who paid for me."

At this point, I was barely clinging to life. Frankly, it took every ounce of strength I had left to make that call. Each word I forced out sent fresh waves of pain through my body, sweat dripping from my forehead.

Yet, he simply said, "If you're well enough to call me, it can't be that bad. There's no need for me to come. Paige's unwell and having nightmares. She needs me by her side."

He had to be with her when she was doing experiments, when she was in a bad mood, when it was her birthday…

And now, even when I was on the verge of death, he still had to be with her!

I was done with his favoritism.

"Dominic Davis, I've got five steel rods through my body—I nearly died! Paige doesn't even have a scratch on her. You saw it with your own eyes! Do you really not know whose injuries are worse? Do you even realize the crash happened because she yanked the wheel from me?"