Chapter 45
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you get the short end of the stick on this,” Haynes assured.
Rachel managed a small smile through her tears. She knew Haynes wasn’t the kind to make promises lightly. If he promised something, he never failed to deliver.
A few minutes later, Benson stood outside another hospital room. He’d learned the driver of the car that collided with Rachel’s was staying there. Naturally, Haynes wouldn’t handle this sort of thing in person.
Benson knocked on the door and stepped inside.
Meanwhile, Haynes lingered in the hallway and called Stella again. Just like yesterday, he heard silence. An inexplicable frustration bubbled within him.
He was about to try calling again when Benson emerged, looking perplexed.
“What’s with the quick exit? Did they refuse to admit fault?” Haynes asked, pausing his actions.
Benson glanced at him, hesitant to speak. After a moment, he finally said, “Mr. O’Brien, you… you might want to see this for yourself.”
Benson was an outstanding assistant, capable of handling such matters with ease. It must be something significant if he suggested Haynes take a look himself.
Haynes looked at him curiously and pushed open the door. His gaze froze when he saw the woman sitting on the hospital bed. “Stella, what are you doing here?”
Stella had heard from Benson why Haynes was there. And his arrival didn’t surprise her in the least.
Leaning against the bed, Stella looked pale with a few scabbed wounds on her forehead. She regarded him coldly. “Mr. O’Brien, you should already know why I’m here. The reason for your visit is probably clearer to you than to me.”
Haynes’ eyes narrowed to slits, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re the one who hit Rachel?”
Stella shrugged, her tone casual to the point of indifference. “Yeah.”
The pieces snapped into place for Haynes. His piercing gaze flickered, the certainty in his eyes wavering like a candle caught in a draft.
“When you called me yesterday…” His voice tightened, each word clipped. “You were in the car?”
Stella’s voice was calm, giving nothing away. “When you rescued Ms. Pearce, my foot got trapped. I called you to help me out, too.”
But he had hung up. He would have seen Stella if he had glanced in her direction. But he hadn’t. His attention had been entirely on Rachel, ignoring everyone else.
Was she disappointed? She’d long since given up expecting anything from him, so no. She was not disappointed. But the feeling of being left behind in a life-or- death situation was awful. It was something she never wanted to experience again.
“I’m sorry,” Haynes said quietly. “I didn’t know you were there.”
Stella chuckled. “Right, you didn’t know I was there, too. You thought my call was about something trivial, so you hung up without hesitation. Because…”
She met his gaze, stating firmly, “In your world, I just don’t matter that much.”
At that moment, any explanation he could offer would sound like an excuse. Haynes stayed silent without a word to offer.
Stella closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, they were clear and devoid of emotion. “Mr. O’Brien, if you came to see me, say what you need.”
It was then that Haynes remembered the purpose of his visit. “Did you crash into Rachel?”