Chapter 18
Surprised, the girl watched as her fingers danced across the piano keys, flawlessly playing the
“Dad, I did it!” she exclaimed in delight.
song.
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The man hummed in acknowledgment, nodding with a gentle smile. His gaze shifted to the woman leaning against the grand piano. Resting her chin on her hand, she watched the father and daughter with a soft smile.
The woman’s beauty was striking. She wore a bright red dress, and her long curly hair cascaded over her shoulders. She was breathtakingly gorgeous.
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The man patted his daughter’s shoulder before walking over to the woman. With one hand tucked behind his back, he bowed at a perfect 45–degree angle and extended his right hand. “Miss, may I have this dance?”
“Of course.” The woman smiled and placed her hand in his.
Wearing a crisp dress shirt, the man slipped his arm around her waist, and together they began to dance to the music in the background.
Her red dress fluttered with each step, as though time itself had paused to admire them.
At the piano, the girl continued to play with all her heart, striking each key with earnest determination.
A gust of wind swept through, parting the curtains. The girl glanced outside and noticed a boy in a white polo shirt watching her from the balcony of a nearby villa.
His hair fell slightly over his forehead, his eyes calm yet piercing. Time blurred, and the boy’s youthful features gradually transformed into Howard’s sharp, mature face.
Inside the hospital room, Megan stirred awake to the steady beeping of the heart monitor. The sterile white ceiling spun in her vision, leaving her dizzy.
Her stomach lurched as the pungent scent of disinfectant filled her nose. Her head throbbed painfully.
Even though she lay on a bed, it felt as though she were adrift on a surfboard, tossed about by the sea. Fragments of her dream lingered–her parents dancing, Howard’s dark eyes–and they tangled in her mind.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if they were from the physical pain or from the memories.
“Are you trying to hide the fact that you hit Meg with your car?”
“Watch your mouth, Selena!”
Megan frowned at the sound of voices outside her room. Selena and Howard. Were they arguing? What happened?
Forcing herself upright, Megan battled the dizziness. She glanced at the sign at her bedside–concussion.
Gingerly, she touched the bandage on her forehead. Memories of the collision surfaced, and instinctively, her hand drifted to her abdomen. A faint ache lingered there.
Was her child… still there? She wasn’t sure.
“Are you going to hit me because of her?”
The voices outside grew louder, angrier. Selena was shouting now–it sounded like she was being bullied.
Megan pushed herself to her feet, slipping into hospital slippers. Using the wall for support, she made her way out of the room.
At the emergency exit, she saw three figures–Howard, Selena, and Alyssa.
Howard was still in the clothes he had worn that morning. Alyssa, however, had changed into a beige Chanel suit. Selena stood between them in her doctor’s coat. Megan couldn’t make sense of the scene before her.
Fearing Selena was being ganged up on, Megan called out, “What are you doing?”
“Meg!” Selena rushed to her side to steady her.
Howard stayed beside Alyssa, frowning as his eyes flicked to the bandage on Megan’s forehead.
“What happened?” Megan asked.
Before Selena could answer, Howard spoke, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Looks like you’re just fine.”
Megan just looked a little pale. She only had a bandage on her forehead, presumably covering up a scratch. Anger surged in Howard’s heart.
Was everything just an act orchestrated by Megan and Selena? Did she pretend to be involved in a car accident so he would abandon Alyssa to come here?
He recalled Alyssa vomiting blood in guilt after Selena’s call and felt his fury spike. No wonder Selena tried to stop him from seeing Megan. He shouldn’t have trusted her!
His concern for Megan suddenly felt like a cruel joke. Jaw tight, Howard turned away, hits expression hard.
Megan blinked in confusion. She had just woken from a concussion and still felt sick to her stomach.
Selena snapped, “What do you mean, she looks fine? Haven’t you seen the wound on her head? Didn’t you hear what I said?”
Chapter 18
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Alyssa pointed out rudely. “Are you referring to that small bandage on her forehead?”
“Alyssa!” Selena was pissed.
Alyssa, unflinching, raised her chin. “Howard nearly risked his life driving here because of your endless calls, all for this? Do you know how many cars were on the highway? With your tone, I thought Megan was dying.
“I may not have long to live, Megan and Selena, but I won’t stand by and let you two gang up on Howard like this!”
Her voice rang with conviction. Trembling slightly, she still positioned herself in front of Howard like a brave woman defending her man.
Howard remained silent, his eyes locked on Megan, filled with seething resentment.
“Enough! Alyssa, I’ve had it with you!” Selena finally lost control and lunged at her, hands outstretched, ready to rip her tongue out.
Alyssa didn’t back away. She braced herself to meet Selena head–on.
Howard rushed forward to stop them. Confused but desperate to keep Selena from hurting herself, Megan tried to pull her back as well.
The emergency exit was a chaotic scene, with Selena and Alyssa at the center of a wild brawl.
Selena was absolutely furious. Meanwhile, Alyssa, despite appearing just as aggressive, kept glancing over at Megan as they fought tooth and nail.
“How dare you try to strangle me, Alyssa!”
Alyssa cried out in pain after Selena slapped her. “Selena, how dare you slap me!”
Megan and Howard desperately tried to break up the fight, but their limbs became so entangled with Selena and Alyssa that it was impossible to tell them
apart.
Their scuffle spilled from the emergency exit toward the stairwell. Shouts and screams echoed off the walls.
Suddenly, Alyssa’s gaze hardened. She slammed her head into Selena’s and deliberately shoved Howard’s arm forward to make it look accidental.
Still trying to restrain Selena, Megan suddenly felt a shove at her waist. Though she had been standing behind the others, she was now pushed to the side, dangerously close to the stairs.
She was still pregnant. If she fell down the stairs… No, she couldn’t allow that to happen!
Everything happened in an instant. Engaging her core, Megan reached out to the railing to steady herself.
