Dylan pulled up in the car and shoved Flora into the shotgun seat.
She hugged herself tight, her body pressed against the window, her eyes lifeless and missing the fire they once had.
Dylan’s knuckles went white clutching the steering wheel. This had to be the most humiliating day to him, ever. He had never been so embarrassed, and the woman next to him still hadn’t snapped out of it.
“Who’s Justin?” asked Dylan.
The rain seeped into the car seat, and Flora wiped her face with her hand. She nudged the car door open, ready to bounce.
Suddenly, her arm was yanked back, and Dylan locked the car, pulling Flora to face him. “Don’t dodge the question!”
“Quit asking.” Flora wriggled free, her face icy.
As she looked away, Dylan’s chest swelled with anger.
He eased his grip, drumming his fingers on the wheel. “This isn’t the first time, Flora. You did the same thing at Desire. I’ve cut you a lot of slack.”
After a long hesitation, Flora finally asked, “You ever been in love?”
Dylan’s brow furrowed, his piercing eyes meeting Flora’s anguished gaze. The word was foreign to him.
“‘Cause I have,” Flora blurted out, not waiting for Dylan’s reply.
She knew what it was like to love and never forget. Justin had been gone for ages, but aside from the last two times, she’d never confused anyone else for him.
“Love?” Dylan sneered, brushing it off. “Where’s this guy you love?”
Flora’s throat tightened, unable to speak. It was a truth she couldn’t bear to face.
“A dead man!” Dylan’s voice was biting. Flora’d dissed him twice for a dead dude!
“I need to get out of this car,” said Flora as she got antsy. Her trembling hands pushed the car door a few times, and when it didn’t give, she swung her head around. “Let me go!”
“Tonight, you’re mine,” Dylan declared.
“You’re nuts,” Flora didn’t even bother to resist, her face streaked with grime. “You could have any chick with a snap of your fingers. Why you so hung up on me?”
“Listen up!” Dylan leaned in, his commanding tone demanding attention. “Drop that guy ASAP, or else, even if he’s alive, I’ll make sure he’s not.”
His menacing glare made Flora shiver. “What do you want to let me go?”
“Easy,” Dylan shifted gears, grabbed the wheel, and smirked icily. “Kick the bucket, and it’s all over.”
Flora slumped in her seat, looking completely drained, her face calm and quiet. She knew from experience that fighting Dylan head-on was a losing battle.
“Where are we headed?” Her voice softened when she spoke again.
Dylan glanced at her injured hands. If they weren’t treated soon, they might get infected. It’d be a hassle to find his family doctor, so they should hit up a nearby hospital.
Seeing he didn’t answer, Flora stopped talking and focused on the view outside the window.
The woman Dylan saw now was a far cry from the Flora he knew before. “Is that guy really that deep in her heart?” Dylan wondered. His dark eyes clouded over, and he hit the gas, speeding the car down the road.
Pulling into the parking lot, Dylan yanked Flora out of the car. She seemed out of it, stumbling as he dragged her along.
The unmistakable scent of disinfectant in the hospital gradually snapped her back to reality. Dylan held her hand and barged into the first-floor clinic.
“What kind of hospital is this?” Flora suddenly clutched Dylan’s sleeve, anxiety creeping into her voice. “I don’t want to see a doctor.”
Already ticked off, her reaction only angered him more. He tightened his grip, practically hauling her inside.
“What’s the big idea? Can’t you see there’s a line?” The doctor adjusted his glasses and signaled the nurse to stop them.
Dylan just wrapped his arm around Flora’s waist and shoved her into a chair. “Cut the chitchat. Fix her up, now.”
The nurse who wanted to step in saw his menacing look and turned to the doctor for backup.
“Roll up… roll up her sleeve.” The doctor didn’t want any trouble. The nurse tried to help, but Flora grabbed her hand firmly. “What hospital is this?”
“Saint Grace,” the nurse replied, seeing Flora’s insistent questioning.
“Saint Grace…” Flora murmured the name, worry creeping in. As the nurse lifted her sleeve and tried to treat her wound, Flora suddenly stood up, shoving the nurse’s hand away. The force sent files on the table flying.
Spinning around, Flora twisted her ankle and reached for the wall to steady herself. She bolted for the door but was snatched by Dylan’s long arm, his voice seething with anger. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Let me go!” Flora struggled in vain, her arms flailing in protest. “I don’t want to stay here, let me go…”
The medical staff exchanged puzzled looks, not daring to confront Dylan. They quietly gathered the fallen files.
The sharp smell, the blinding white, the mournful faces of all shapes and colors—that was it…
Flora’s expression was twisted, her soft long hair now tangled and disheveled. She struggled against Dylan’s grip on her wrist. “No… I don’t want to be here.”
Dylan strode over to the doctor’s desk and casually flung Flora towards it. Caught off guard, she stumbled forward, her abdomen colliding with the sharp edge of the desk. The pain caused her to crumple to the floor immediately.
“No one will care if you die here!” Dylan roared. Flora’s antics had pushed him past his limits.
His patience was wearing thin.
As Dylan turned to leave, he felt his hand being grabbed just as he reached the door. He stopped in his tracks and looked back to see Flora crouching on the ground, clutching her abdomen. Her face glistened, though it was unclear whether it was sweat or tears. “Don’t go…”
Dylan’s heart inexplicably softened.
Flora’s slender fingers tightly gripping Dylan’s little finger, with the deepest sorrow in her eyes.
Afraid that he would abandon her in this nightmarish place, she looked up at him, her face displaying a vulnerability he had never seen before.
There must be a story behind that, Dylan was almost sure. He turned back around and wrapped his other hand around her fist, saying, “We’ll go to another hospital.”
He helped Flora to her feet. She was in so much pain that she couldn’t straighten her back, and her body instinctively leaned toward Dylan.
In this moment, his embrace could shield her from everything, allowing her to escape those relentless memories.
“Okay, another hospital.” Following his words, Flora repeated them earnestly and urgently.
The man’s eyes narrowed subtly. It seemed that she was indeed bothered by this particular hospital.
He scooped her up by the waist, and Flora clutched his collar, afraid that Dylan might change his mind.
It wasn’t until the cold wind outside swept into her brain that she loosened her grip, exhaustedly leaning against his chest.
Dylan had only walked a few steps when he lowered his head and realized she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
The car vanished into the night, and this time, Dylan didn’t choose the nearest hospital. Instead, he went home and called his family doctor.
“It’s just a superficial wound, nothing serious,” said Dr. Keith Biolay as he carefully treated the abrasions on Flora’s arm. Dylan lifted her shirt to reveal a large bruise on her abdomen. “I told you before, you can’t do that to women. Such twisted games can harm them permanently.”
Dylan sat on the edge of the bed, watching Flora sleep soundly and saying, “This is a bruise from the accident. What the hell are you thinking?”
