Chapter 476 The Pain Will Not Disappear
Fiona slammed on the brakes, and the seatbelt dug painfully into my chest.
"Roadwork ahead."
Fiona turned to me with a smile, but her eyes were as cold as ice.
My phone buzzed again. Fiona moved quickly, snatching it from my bag. When she saw "Skylar's Dad" on the caller ID, her smile vanished.
Fiona's fingers traced over the words "Skylar's Dad" on my phone, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What a sweet note, a happy little family."
Fiona suddenly reached over and cranked up the air conditioning. The scent of rose air freshener became overpowering, filling the car.
"Do you like this smell?"
Fiona absentmindedly twirled the glass ball of the car freshener, the light reflecting off it like tiny shards of blood in her eyes.
"Ever since we lost the baby, I can only fall asleep with this scent. I sit by the empty crib until dawn, clinging to this smell."
I watched Fiona's crimson nails as she caressed the base of the freshener, cold sweat trickling down my neck and mixing with the sickly sweet rose scent.
"A baby, almost due, gone just like that."
Fiona yanked off her scarf.
"The doctor said I'll never be able to get pregnant again."
The faint hum of the air freshener filled the silence, her voice suddenly rising, making my temples throb.
I instinctively shrank back, my lower back hitting the cold car door. The cloying rose scent mixed with the faint bitterness of medicine, turning the car into a suffocating chamber.
Images of Anne sinking beneath the waves and Skylar watering flowers flashed before my eyes, mingling with the rose scent.
"Actually..." My voice was shredded by the hum of the freshener.
"I understand your pain, it never goes away, but maybe..."
The sudden jolt of the car braking threw me forward, the seatbelt cutting into my chest. The glass ball of the freshener shattered, rose oil spilling onto the leather seats, forming dark red streams.
"Shut up!" Fiona's grip on the steering wheel tightened, veins bulging, the rose scent becoming nauseating.
"Say another word and I'll throw your daughter in the trunk!"
The car's sound system suddenly blared with a baby's cry. Fiona screamed, covering her ears, the car swerving wildly. I grabbed the wheel, trying to keep the car from veering out of control.
The fabric of my dress chafed my thighs, the secrets written on my skin seeping into my flesh. Through the rose-scented haze, I saw my twisted face in the rearview mirror, and Fiona's crazed expression, like a horrifying reflection.
Fiona suddenly yanked up my dress, her eyes locking onto the writing on my inner thigh. I froze, the evidence I had risked everything to write now soaked with cold sweat.
Fiona's nails dug into my collarbone, the pressure so intense it felt like my bones would shatter.
Her breath came in hot bursts, scented with roses, her eyes fixed on the writing on my thigh, pupils contracting violently. The rose oil from the freshener spread underfoot, mixing with the blood seeping from my wounds, glistening eerily in the car's warm light.
"So that's what you were doing on the rocks, writing this."
My throat tightened, I tried to swallow but tasted only blood.
"Fiona, calm down."
Fiona let out a cold laugh and suddenly released me. I fell back into the seat, my lower back slamming into the door. She returned to the driver's seat, starting the car with swift, decisive movements. Fiona floored the gas pedal, the tires screeching against the pavement.
"Too bad, who can these save?" I gripped the handle to steady myself.
"What do you want?"
"What do I want?"
Fiona jerked the wheel, the car skimming the curb in a sharp turn.
"You should have asked that a long time ago, Diana."
The car shot forward, weaving through traffic. Fiona ripped out the broken air freshener, replacing it with a new one. The thick rose scent filled the car again, sickeningly sweet. She steered with one hand, adjusting the air conditioning with the other, her fingers tapping out a disjointed rhythm on the wheel.
"You think you're a hero?"
I stared at Fiona's white-knuckled grip.
"I just don't want more people to get hurt."
"Hurt?" Fiona laughed, her voice trembling.
"People get hurt every day in this world, can you save them all?"
"You'll pay for your recklessness."
I clenched my bleeding palm.
"Threatening people with innocent children, how are you any different from them?"
Fiona didn't answer, just parked in front of the hospital. The cold light of the car door opening reflected off the gun she was toying with.
"Remember, your daughter's school bus will pick her up tomorrow."
Fiona leaned in, the cool scent of mint mixing with the smell of gunpowder.
"If I find out you said anything, the bus driver will become the perfect kidnapper."
I stared at the dark circles under her sunglasses, compelled to ask.
"Living with so much hate every day, aren't you tired?"
Fiona paused, then shoved the door open.
"Get out. Remember, from now on, every choice you make affects your daughter's life."
I clutched my dress and ran into the hospital, the smell of disinfectant stinging my nose. As I pushed open the door to the room, Edward was half-sitting up in bed, the IV line swaying with his frantic movements. His fingers were white from gripping the blanket, his eyes filled with worry.
"Diana, where were you? I woke up and you were gone, the nurse said you'd been out for a long time..."
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