I immediately plugged the tube back in and slammed the emergency button, waiting frantically for the doctors.

"Oh my, what happened to her? Is she dead?"

"It wasn't me! I didn't know..."

Lila covered her mouth in mock horror, but her eyes were crinkling with a hidden smile.

My tightly clenched fist relaxed, and I swung, my palm connecting with her face in a loud slap.

The next second, a powerful force yanked me back. Landon's voice thundered above me.

"Aria, I sent Lila to apologize! How could you hit her?"

I turned my head and pointed at the flat line on the monitor.

"Landon, open your eyes and look! Does this look like an apology to you?"

Landon’s gaze fell on the screen, and his pupils dilated in shock.

Before he could say anything, a team of doctors rushed into the room.

After a flurry of activity, they lowered their heads, their faces grim as they delivered the news.

"The patient's breathing, heartbeat, and pulse all ceased at 10:50 AM. We have confirmed time of death..."

The words echoed in my ears like a death sentence.

My face went pale, and I collapsed to the floor, too numb to even cry.

"Aria, don't be like this..."

"Lila went too far this time, I'll definitely..."

Landon knelt beside me, holding me tight and whispering reassurances in my ear.

I didn't struggle. I didn't cry. I just said one word, my voice eerily calm.

"Get out."

"All of you, get out."

Landon said many more things—about the funeral, the marriage license, the wedding—but I didn't hear a single word. The world spun around me, and then everything went black.

When I woke up, Landon was gone.

My parents were sitting by my bed, looking as if they had aged decades overnight.

They couldn't understand how Josie, who had come here to celebrate my wedding, was suddenly gone.

But they didn't dare show too much grief in front of me. They forced smiles and asked if I was feeling okay.

We had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it, but the sorrow still clung to every word and gesture.

"Let's go home."

"Mom and Dad will take you home..."

Landon texted me every day, saying he was busy, but never explaining with what.

I didn't reply to a single message.

The day I was discharged, I waited at the hospital for my parents to collect Josie's ashes and take me home.

But as evening fell, a call from the police department shattered my world completely.

"Ms. Collins? Your parents were in a car accident. Their injuries were severe... they were gone at the scene."

"Could you come to the downtown hospital to identify the bodies?"

In that moment, my limbs went rigid, then numb.

I don't even know how I made it to the morgue.

When it came time to sign the papers, my hand was shaking so violently I couldn't hold the pen.

"Ms. Collins, my condolences."

The investigation concluded that the taxi my parents were in had skidded while making a turn, throwing them from the vehicle and into the path of a large truck.

The video was a blur of gore I couldn't bring myself to watch.

The officer was the same one who had investigated Josie's fall. He looked at me, hesitating, as if he wanted to say something more.

As I turned to leave, he finally spoke up.

"I know it's not my place, but I feel I should warn you. Don't fight the Hayes family. You can't win..."

My steps faltered. I heard the sound of the last nerve inside me snapping.

I frantically called Landon, over and over, but none of my calls went through.

When I arrived at his company, the secretary at the front desk stopped me, her expression awkward.

"Aria... Mr. Hayes has a... a guest in his office."

I ignored her, walking straight past and slipping through a side door.

Landon's office door was slightly ajar. Through the crack, I saw Lila, topless, leaning against Landon's chest.

"Brother, I really know I was wrong this time."

"But it wasn't on purpose. Her parents insisted on coming to find me, to make a scene. I just lost my temper for a second and had someone... bump their car."

"How was I supposed to know the truck would hit them so hard?"

The cigarette in Landon's hand burned down to the filter. He sighed and stood up, pulling on his pants.

"Lila, this is the last time."

"If you cause any more trouble after this, I really can't protect you."

Landon leaned over and pressed the intercom button. "Book an appointment for me and Aria to get our marriage license."

A moment later, he stood by the window and made another call on a private line.

"Wraith, I've sent the details to your email. You need to keep Aria's mouth shut on this."

I knew that call was for Wraith, the fixer who handled our gray-area problems back before Landon secured his position.

He hadn't used that line in a long time.

I never imagined the next time he did, it would be to silence me.

The cold doorknob felt like a sword piercing my palm.

My phone rang from my pocket. Landon, still holding his own phone, glanced toward the door.

His dark eyes narrowed as he started walking toward me.