Chapter 2 – A Desperate Escape from Flames
No wonder Duncan had been so ruthless when he attacked me over Bianca in our past life.
At this life-or-death moment, I couldn’t afford to dwell on it.
The temperature inside the car was rising rapidly, nearing the point of explosion.
I took a few deep breaths, my gaze falling on the swell of my abdomen.
With every ounce of strength, I tried to crawl out through the shattered window.
My palms were sliced open by the glass, shards embedding deep into the wounds.
I managed to drag myself another few inches out of the wreckage.
Exhaustion overtook me, and I collapsed onto the pavement, gasping for air.
The heat inside the car was searing my skin, and within minutes, thick smoke had engulfed the vehicle.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered, some shouting for help, asking if there were any doctors nearby.
Soon, hurried footsteps approached.
To my shock, it was Stone Turner, Duncan’s department head, who appeared before me. Stone quickly assessed the situation and organized bystanders to pull me from the wreckage.
The moment I was dragged to safety, the car exploded behind me, engulfed in flames.
Stone, with practiced efficiency, examined my injuries.
A circle of concerned strangers hovered around me, their voices overlapping with questions.
“How could a pregnant woman be driving alone? What kind of family would allow that?”
“Is she okay? I called emergency services, but the line was busy forever. When I finally got through, they accused me of prank-calling before I could even explain! What kind of hospital hires people like that?”
“Sweetheart, you shouldn’t be out alone this far along! You look ready to pop. What’s your husband’s number? Let me call him for you.”
They had been too afraid to approach earlier, fearing the explosion, but their concern now made my throat tighten.
Biting back the agony tearing through my body, I weakly shook my head.
Even strangers on the street showed me more kindness than the man I’d been married to for seven years—the man who had chosen his first love over me and our unborn child.
The seven-year itch was real.
It felt like everything since my rebirth had been fate’s cruel way of exposing my own blindness and foolishness.
No one noticed how Stone’s expression darkened with every word spoken around him.
After finishing his examination, he immediately dialed emergency services.
The moment the call connected, his voice was steel.
“Get an ambulance to the intersection now! Are you seriously unaware there’s been an accident here? If I hadn’t been passing by, the victim would be dead! How many calls does it take to get a response? Who gave you the authority to act like this?”
“Do you understand the responsibility of emergency medicine? If you can’t do your jobs, step aside now!”
Five minutes later, I was loaded into an ambulance.
Just then, my phone rang.
Stone helped me answer, holding it to my ear.
Duncan’s furious voice crackled through the line, and I shuddered at the sound.
“You called my department? What the hell is wrong with you? I told you I was busy today! Do you have to bother me right now? You’re about to give birth—act like it!”
“I’m already swamped at work. Can’t you handle anything without me? Do you think you’ll die without me? Every woman gets pregnant—none of them act as crazy as you!”
“If I hadn’t come today, Bianca would’ve bled out from cutting her wrists! Can’t you grow up? I’ll come home when I’m done. Stop harassing me!”
His tirade was punctuated by Bianca’s muffled sobs in the background.
Without waiting for my response—without even asking if I was okay—Duncan hung up.
