I Was Hit by a Car, Only to Find the Driver Was His Mistress

The day I was in the car crash,I stood in the emergency room corridor,drenched in blood,and called my boyfriend,Mike Sanchez.

On the other end,his voice came cold.

Zoey Henson,I know today's our anniversary,but I'm really busy.I don't have time.

The woman who'd hit my car took my side.Wow,your boyfriend's really unreliable.You get in a car crash and he won't even come to the hospital.Not like mine.One phone call,and no matter what he's doing,he drops everything and comes running to me.

There was a lump in my throat,but I defended him anyway."He's been preparing for a really important acquisition lately.Work's been crazy."

The woman shook her head,pulled out her phone,and called her boyfriend,her tone spoiled and sweet."Honey,on my way back into the city I accidentally hit someone.I'm still shaking.I'm at the hospital with the victim,waiting for treatment.Come to First General and stay with me,okay?"

Ten minutes later,a man rushed in,frantic.He pulled the woman into his arms,his voice thick with worry."Baby,as long as you're okay.I'll handle everything else."

The moment I heard that man's voice,my heart skipped a beat and my whole body trembled.

The man who'd just told me over the phone that he was too busy was now fussing over another woman.

Seven years together.Eight times I'd asked him when we could finally get married,and every time he'd pull out two folded slips of paper and make me pick one,ruling that if my slip had writing on it we'd marry,and if not we'd wait another six months.

He always said his life plan came in order.Career first,family later.Marriage wasn't something to rush into.

In that moment,I suddenly understood.

It wasn't that he couldn't marry.It wasn't that he didn't have the time.

His first priority had simply changed long ago.Not his career.Not me.

I took out my phone and opened a chat window that had gone quiet a long time ago.

"Mr.Weston,you once told me I could come on board anytime I was willing.Three days from now,I'll report to work in New York.And I'll bring the project results you wanted as my calling card."

In this world,losing love isn't worth grieving over,because I still have a career I'm proud of.

Three days from now,I'll never see any of you again.

In the corridor thick with people,they held each other tight.

It really was a warm,romantic picture.It just would've been better if the leading man weren't my boyfriend of seven years.

My body went rigid.I stepped forward,each step like walking across ice that might crack beneath me.

"Mike,weren't you too busy?No time?"I said softly,cutting in.

He froze,lifting his eyes to meet my shattered expression,and said nothing.

At the same time,a nurse came to my side."Miss Henson,did you reach the person you were calling?Your injuries are serious.We can't operate if no one comes for you."

Head bowed,unwilling to believe it,I dialed his number again,wishing so badly that what stood in front of me was some illusion.

The phone rang for a long time,then went dead.

The woman pulled back from his arms and asked softly,"Who is it that you won't pick up,even after all this ringing?"

He glanced at me,cold,then answered her in a gentle voice.

"Spam call."

A drop of blood fell from my forehead and hit the phone screen with a soft tap.I gripped the phone tight,my heart a tangle of pain.

So in his world,our seven years had only ever been garbage.

The woman stood and came over to me,apologetic.

"I'm so sorry.I was too panicked earlier to apologize properly.Now that my husband's here,I feel better."

"I hadn't driven in so long.Today I just wanted to try out the new car my husband bought me.I never thought I'd crash."

With that,she quickly dug a black card out of her pocket and pressed it into my hand.

"Let's settle this privately.I'll cover all the costs.This is my husband's black card,no limit.Take it!I saw the person you called wouldn't even come.You looked so pitiful,I couldn't bear it."

That black card burned in my palm,as if it would scorch a hole clean through me.

Mike always said everyone at the Research Institute lived modestly and frugally,so he couldn't be extravagant either.

When we went out,I wanted to take a cab and he refused.

For birthday gifts,whatever I asked for,he said no.

Every time I got upset and questioned him,he'd explain coldly,"First,we're not married yet,and if my advisor saw me spending money on you he'd think I wasn't serious about my work.Second,we're at a critical point in our careers.We should be saving,not wasting money on useless things."

But now,the car Mike bought her was a sports car worth millions,and the card he gave her was a no-limit black card.

It felt like my heart had been smashed to pieces.The pain was so deep I couldn't make a sound.What had I gotten out of these seven years?

She rattled on in front of me for a long while,and all I caught was her name.Aileen Swanson.

The name lodged in my throat like a stone.

Back when Mike and I first started dating,a photo once slipped out of the lining of his wallet,with words written on the back:"I'll love Aileen forever."

We fought fiercely that day,and he ripped it to shreds and snapped,"She was my first love.She's been dead a long time.Are you satisfied now?"

The way he'd lost control left a permanent rift in my heart,and that name became forbidden between us.

Later I heard how ugly things had gotten between them back then.He hated her.

Mike walked over to me,snatched the black card away,dug a few small crumpled bills out of his pocket,then turned to her.

"You're always so kind.Handing out that much without worrying anyone might swindle you."

At that,she pouted and cooed,"Oh,that's why I really wouldn't know what to do without you."Then she rose onto her toes and kissed him on the lips.

The sight was too much.How I wanted to tell myself it wasn't real,but that was hard.

Mike smiled,scooped her up,and carried her toward the emergency ward,leaving me standing there.

I stood frozen,my head spinning,when a message popped up on my phone.From Mike.

"I'll explain everything to you.For now,go to another hospital.Don't show up here.If you slip up,she'll get suspicious."

I let out a bitter laugh,turned off the phone,and found the nurse.

"Please arrange the surgery.I can sign for myself."

The nurse looked at me,confused."Weren't you just contacting your boyfriend?He's not coming?"

I shook my head and said,numb,"We broke up.He won't be coming."

In that moment,I suddenly felt that letting go of a seven-year love was actually very simple.

I lay on the cold operating table,my eyes dull,and signed the surgical consent form.

The anesthetic slid into my veins,and in that moment my mind blurred.

If I hadn't gone out on our anniversary to buy Mike flowers,would there have been no crash?Would I never have met her?Would I still be playing dumb,still be in love with him...

When I woke,I was lying in a hospital bed,my head wrapped in bandages.

I opened the message that had just come in.

Miss Henson,the nurse said you just came out of surgery,so I won't come bother you.Just message me about the medical bills and all that later!

I didn't answer.

Aileen and I had added each other after the crash.

In that moment,as if punishing myself,I tapped on her bright profile picture and went into her social feed.

Her posts,so full of love,made my chest ache.

Ugh,the doctor says I might never get my memory back.But my husband says it's okay,he'll take care of me forever!

Beautiful weather today,my love by my side.He proposed to me~

Just found two blank slips of paper in my husband's suit pocket.Can anyone explain what these are?

I laughed at myself.

No one recognized those two slips of paper better than I did.The slips that had decided everything about us.

There'd been a time when Mike loved pulling out those two slips,for things as small as whether he'd go shopping with me on the weekend,and as big as marriage and starting a family.

I used to think my luck was just that bad,always drawing the blank slip that meant no.

Only now did I realize both slips had been blank all along.

No matter what,Mike was never going to agree to marry me.

The hospital room door swung open,and Mike walked toward me,his voice cold.

"I paid the surgery fee and filed insurance for the car damage.It really was Aileen's fault,all of it,but don't blame her.She's been abroad so long she's not used to the traffic here."

I didn't look at him.I gazed calmly out the window.

"Mike,is that all you came to say?Nothing else?"

He pulled out the chair beside me and sat down,his eyes cold,without a trace of warmth in them.

"Aileen was in a car crash abroad two years ago and lost her memory.Both her parents are dead,she has no close friends.I'm the only one who can take care of her."

"Being her husband,taking care of her,it's all fake.Everything I've done is just to help her recover,to get her memory back sooner."

He said it plainly,laying out his betrayal as if it were simply the way things ought to be.

"So you betrayed me for your ex-girlfriend."

I turned back to look at him.Something flickered in him at the sight of my devastated eyes,and he took my hand.

"Zoey,this isn't a betrayal.I still love you.Once she gets her memory back,I'll cut off all contact with her."

I slid my hand free without a word,and spoke with one last thread of hope.

"Fine.Then let's get married publicly tomorrow,and I'll believe there's nothing between you and her."

The words had barely left me when,like a reflex,he dug two slips of paper out of his pocket.My heart seized with pain,the words caught in my throat.

"Zoey,marriage isn't a decision to make lightly.You know my advisor won't let me start a family early and derail my experiments.But if you draw the one with writing,I'll explain it to him,okay?"

With effort,I pushed myself upright,grabbed both slips,and unfolded them.

His expression turned frantic.Before he could speak,I tore them apart with all my strength.

I thought I'd be like some hysterical madwoman,screaming and demanding answers.

But I wasn't.Instead,I only spoke calmly.

"Mike,you and I are just like these two fake slips.The writing was a lie,and so was your love for me."

"So let's break up."

At that,shock flashed in his eyes,then quickly faded into a light laugh.

"Zoey,you wouldn't break up over something this small.You love me so much,how could you bear to leave?"

"Stop it.I've been gone too long.Aileen must be looking for me.I'm leaving.Rest and get better."He glanced at his watch,and as he spoke he tucked the blanket in around me.

I watched his back grow smaller and smaller,and felt nothing in my heart.

But he was wrong.Love can let go too.

I didn't choose to stay at First General for treatment.I checked out,packed my things,and got ready to leave.

Mike didn't come looking for me again.I went home,packed,and contacted an agent to sell the house.

The agent hurried over,looked at me,and asked,puzzled,"Zoey,Mr.Sanchez transferred this house to someone else a long time ago.You didn't know?"

My brow knotted tight,and a wave of panic rose in me.

The agent dug a document out of her folder and handed it to me."See,it was transferred to Miss Swanson two years ago.I thought you knew."

I clenched my fist,my nails biting deep into the flesh,but that pain didn't come close to what I felt inside.

Mike had given her this house too!

"Zoey,this is our first home.I bought it for you here in San Francisco,so that no matter how far you go,you'll always have somewhere to come back to."

Those tender words of his still echoed in my ears,and now they were nothing but a cruel joke.

I took the document from the agent,photographed it,and found the lawyer on my list.

"Lawyer Jonathan Walker,I want to file suit.Mike illegally transferred my property and is covering for the driver who caused the crash."

After sending the message,I bit down hard on my lip,fury burning inside me.

All these years I'd had nothing,Mike,nothing but the house you gave me.But you betrayed me,and then you took it back too.I will never yield.

I caught a cab to the station and went back to my hometown.

This sorrowful San Francisco had no room for me,but at least I still had parents who loved me.

When I dragged my suitcase into the little courtyard of my family's home,my parents saw me and asked,confused.

"Zoey,why are you home?Weren't you doing just fine in San Francisco?"

I gripped the handle of my suitcase hard and told them everything that had happened.

I thought that when I finished,I'd get concern and comfort.But no.Instead,they blamed me.

"Zoey,this is you not knowing any better.Aileen's so pitiful after her crash.It's perfectly normal for Mike to take care of her."

"Your father's right.They were each other's first loves to begin with.If Aileen hadn't gotten hot-headed and gone abroad back then,you'd never have been the one to end up with a good man like Mike!Just turn a blind eye and let it go."

My mother took my arm,pleading me along with her earnest words,but everything they said was like a knife carving my heart into ruins.

My body shook,disbelief in my eyes,my voice choked.

"So you've known about him and Aileen all along?"

My father clasped his hands behind his back and walked into the house.

"Aileen is the child of an old friend of mine.She's kind-hearted,and her life has been pitiable.Zoey,you should know better and learn to give way.After all,you're the one who stole her lover in the first place."

I stared at his back,tears rising in my eyes,and swallowed them down hard.

"Then what about my seven years?He was the one who chased me.He told me he wanted to be with me forever.You pity her,so am I not worth pitying?"

My words came out so wounded,so full of grief,and yet to their ears they were light as a feather.

"You were Aileen's stand-in from the start.That's all I'll say.Think it over for yourself.Zoey,your father and I are getting old and need our peace.Go on back."

My mother saw me out the door and slammed it shut behind me.I stood there,stunned.

A stand-in,a lie...Love,family,all of it giving way to Aileen.And what about me?

Was I supposed to leave myself utterly alone for her sake?

No.I absolutely would not.

I took out my phone and opened a chat window that had gone quiet a long time ago.

"Mr.Weston,you once told me I could come on board anytime I was willing.Three days from now,I'll report to work in New York.And I'll bring the project results you wanted as my calling card."

In this world,losing love isn't worth grieving over,because I still have a career I'm proud of.

Three days from now,I'll never see any of you again.

The reply came quickly."Miss Henson,it would be my honor to have you."

I bought the fastest ticket back to San Francisco.As long as I wrapped up my resignation quickly,I could leave.

The next day,I went back to the company to resign.Aileen was standing down in the lobby.

The moment I saw her,my body froze.

What was she doing here?

I stepped forward,meaning to ignore her and leave her behind,when she suddenly grabbed my sleeve and shouted,"Everyone,come look.This is the shameless little slut!Not only did she seduce my husband,she crashed into my car on purpose to shake me down for money!"

At that,my coworkers gathered around,buzzing.

"I always said she was faking that high-and-mighty act.Never thought she was a bed-climbing homewrecker underneath."

"So disgusting.The boss brags every day about how sharp she is at work.They were probably sleeping together this whole time,ha!"

"If it were me,I'd have run far away.She's got the nerve to come back and get caught by the wife herself!"

In that moment,fury surged up in me,and I wrenched myself free of her grip.

"The homewrecker isn't me.It's you!"

With that,she slapped me hard across the face.

"You've got the nerve to say that?Mike and I are childhood sweethearts,each other's first loves.If I hadn't seen the messages you sent him,groveling like a stray dog,I'd never have known you were this kind of trash."

"You sent all that.Did he ever answer you?No,right?Because you disgusted him.Trash no one wants,even when you throw yourself at them."

Her words twisted grief and rage together inside me.

All that concern and those messages I'd sent when I loved him deeply,he always said he was busy,no time to reply.So this was the disgust he'd felt underneath.

But at least I don't love him anymore,and it won't hurt anymore.

My coworkers'ugly words echoed in my ears.I looked at her,furious,and struck her back across the face with all my strength.

"You're the last person with any right to say these things to me.The truth is in people's hearts.I have proof that he and I were together."

Aileen glared at me in fury,and before I could pull out my phone to clear my name,someone clamped down on my hand,gripping it hard,and shoved me.I lost my balance and stumbled backward.

Mike looked at me coldly and snapped,"It's true that you and I met after my wife went abroad,but I never had anything to do with you.It was all your one-sided fantasy.Now apologize to my wife."

His words crushed my heart,and the anger in my eyes only deepened.

The corners of my eyes went red,my voice low and hoarse."She hit me first.Why should I be the one to apologize?"

At that,Mike stepped closer and murmured in my ear.

"Zoey,she's pregnant,she can't be upset.Just apologize to her,lower your head,and we'll find a chance to clear things up later."

I lifted my head and looked at him,my gaze cold,and it was both laughable and pitiful.

Because she carried your child,I was supposed to yield.On what grounds.

"Not a chance."I said it without wavering.

I paid no attention to the fury and shock in his eyes.

He was certain I wouldn't refuse.But he was wrong.Someone who doesn't love you won't compromise.

I didn't want to be part of this farce any longer.I only wanted to finish resigning and leave,but the next second a woman burst out of the chaotic crowd,driving a knife toward me and Aileen like she'd gone mad.

In the next instant,Mike shoved me aside without hesitation and pulled her tight into his arms,shielding her.

The blade sank into my chest,blood spraying,and I collapsed heavily to the ground,staring at him in disbelief.

He started to come toward me,but the next second Aileen cried out in terror,"Mike,my stomach hurts so much,take me to the hospital,hurry..."

Mike drew his foot back,didn't look at me again,and carried her away.In that moment,I spoke,faint and weak.

"Mike,save me..."

He said coldly,"It's just a little scratch.Stop making a scene.Aileen's pregnant.I have to get her to the hospital."

But she wasn't hurt at all,and I was wounded so badly!

Mike,you have no heart.I hate you.

My consciousness slowly blurred,and the voice of that madwoman reached my ears.

"I'm just taking money to do a job for Miss Swanson.If you die,don't be a shameless little slut in your next life."

In that moment,hatred spread through me.So it had all been her.

Aileen,if I live,I will never let you go!

The world slowly sank into darkness,and not a single person stepped forward.Instead they jeered.

"She deserves to die.A filthy homewrecker should die!"

"Pah!And here I thought he'd come help her.Turns out they're a loving married couple,and she was just a pathetic groveling dog!"

Pain pierced through my whole body.I couldn't accept this.I didn't want to die here...

I wanted to live and drag them all into ruin!

In the last moment before my consciousness slipped away,through my blurring vision,a pair of eyes turned toward me.

They froze,and then he came rushing toward me,frantic,with everything he had...