Chapter 2 I'm Here to Make an Arrest

I screamed out all my pent-up resentment, my voice cracking as tears streamed into my mouth, leaving a bitter taste.

I thought Dominic would finally see Paige for who she really was after everything that had happened.

Instead, he snapped, "Paige told me you staged the accident to frame her. At first, I didn't believe it, but now I see it's true. You'd risk lives over jealousy? Carlee, you're so vicious. No wonder my family can't stand you. I'm disgusted. You've disappointed me!"

Once he said his piece, he hung up.

Who in their right mind would stage an accident at the cost of their own life?

I called him again and again, refusing to give up. No answer. Then, I was blocked.

The cruelty of it all left me boiling with anger and heartbreak.

My emotions hit me like a tidal wave, and I coughed up a mouthful of blood that splattered across the phone and the hospital bed. The metallic taste of it filled my nose, and I felt the sting of betrayal run even deeper.

The hospital hallway buzzed with noise as the medical staff hurried to wheel me back to the emergency room.

Just before the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of Dominic standing with his back to me, holding Paige in his arms like a couple madly in love.

She tilted her head up to kiss him.

At that very moment, my hands, my feet—my very heart—turned ice cold.

"Her internal bleeding has started again!"

"We might not be able to save her."

The voices of the medical staff buzzed around me, constant and unrelenting.

The pain was unbearable, excruciating. Maybe death would hurt less than this.

Suddenly, I remembered Dominic's harsh words, Paige's smug grin as she claimed he would always choose her, and the image of them kissing outside the emergency room.

I couldn't let it end like this. I wasn't ready to die.

I had to survive—if only to demand justice for myself!

Over the next two weeks, I bounced in and out of the ICU three times. I actually survived it all. Even the doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle.

However, Dominic didn't even visit me once during the two months I was hospitalized. Not a single call, not a single message.

When I finally got discharged, I went straight home.

Two months away, and everything had changed. The place was littered with women's clothes and shoes that weren't mine.

My jewelry and bags were tossed around the room like junk, clothes piled up like trash.

And there, in my bedroom, was a framed photo of Dominic and Paige together.

Just when I thought I had seen the depths of their shamelessness, they always found a new way to sink lower.

I bit down hard on my lip, so hard that I tasted blood, before finally letting go.

Dominic wasn't home, and I was still blocked on his phone. Calling him was pointless, so I had no choice but to drive to his university lab.

On the way, I called the police and reported the accident from two months ago, asking them to send someone to the lab to arrest Paige for questioning. I told them it wasn't an accident. Paige had grabbed the wheel, causing the crash.

When I arrived at the lab soon afterward, I barely made it to the entrance before the security guard stopped me. "Sorry, Ms. Hood, your access card is no longer valid."

"That's impossible. I'm part of Dominic Davis' research team. The card must be malfunctioning. Just call him, and you'll see."

The guard had seen me countless times before. So, he agreed and called Dominic. After a brief conversation, he handed me the phone.

Dominic's voice came through, cold and detached. "You haven't shown up in two months. Did you think the research data would just wait for you?"

I gripped my phone tightly. "Dominic, don't you think that's heartless? I nearly died! I spent two months in the hospital!"

"That's your own doing. You hurt Paige! You're no longer part of my research team. She'll take your place, and all your research data will be credited to her. That's what you owe her!"

I was a doctoral student at a prestigious university, yet he wanted to replace me with a sophomore. The audacity!

I was ready to unleash a torrent of insults, but he hung up on me before I could.

A moment later, Paige had the nerve to text me, 'I want your man, your research achievements, and even your fortune… Carlee, when you decided to insult me with your discarded laptop and clothes, you should have seen this coming!'

I had barely finished reading when she quickly retracted the message.

She had knelt before me, tears streaming down her face, lamenting her family's preference for sons over daughters and pleading for tuition assistance. That was why I decided to help her.

She had claimed her clothes were tattered and that people were laughing at her, so I bought her new outfits, snipped off the tags, and gave them to her to lighten her burden.

When she said she had no computer, I even gave her my barely-used laptop after just a month.

Now, it seemed that it had all morphed into some deliberate humiliation!

I frowned, ready to delete this nauseating person from my contacts.

Before I could hit the delete button, Dominic sent me a message. 'You actually want to kick Paige out of the research team? Carlee, let me make this clear. With me around, you won't bully her. You can forget about ever joining my research team again. You're not worthy!'

Until just moments ago, I had wanted to give him and Paige a chance to save face, inviting them to discuss things in person. Now, I had a change of heart.

They dared to engage in such shameless behavior, so whatever insults and hardships they faced were entirely their own doing!

Just then, the police arrived, and I stepped inside alongside them.

As soon as Paige spotted me, panic flashed across her face, and she shrank back behind Dominic. "Dominic, C-Carlee is here…" Her voice trembled as if I were the one bullying her.

Dominic lapped up that act like a particularly pathetic dog.

He rushed over, positioning himself protectively in front of her. "What are you doing here? Get out right now, or I'll call security!"

He even tried to shove me aside, but a police officer next to me quickly intervened.

Standing beside the officer, I declared, "I'm here to make an arrest! Paige seized the steering wheel, committing a crime of endangering public safety. You're shielding her and even trying to threaten me, the victim? Are you trying to obstruct the law?"