Chapter 4 No One Left to
Lose
Linda drove off in a fury.
Trailing behind her was the sound of my mother’s shrill, hysterical voice still ringing through the phone.
As their car passed, I caught a glimpse of Henry’s smug face.
He thought he’d won.
Once again, I was alone. Cast out. Pitiful.
But I didn’t care.
Parents? Wife? Daughter? They could have them all.
If he wanted them, he could take the whole set.
That’s what I told myself. But maybe it’s
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just something about harsh weather- bad memories have a way of creeping in when the cold bites deep.
I stomped through the snow, each step crunching underfoot as I fought back the sting behind my eyes.
I walked until my feet went numb. Until my thoughts froze over too, and the pain faded with the cold.
Eventually, I found shelter from the snow and managed to flag down a car.
But just as it came to a stop, the tires lost traction and slid straight into me.
The impact wasn’t that bad—but it knocked me face–first into the snow. After being drenched for so long, my body gave in to the chill. I blacked out.
When I woke up, I felt like I’d been run over by a truck.
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My head throbbed, my limbs ached, and my body burned like it was on fire. My throat felt scorched.
I forced my eyes open and saw a bright- eyed girl sitting beside my hospital bed.
My voice came out hoarse. “Where… am I?”
She looked startled, then overjoyed. “You’re awake! That’s great!
“You’re in the hospital. You had a high fever–and you’ve been unconscious for two days.”
She leaned in close, her breath warm against my face. It tickled.
It had been a long time since I’d been this close to a woman. I instinctively frowned and pulled back.
She quickly straightened up, ears turning red, and began to explain.
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Her name was Susie. Her father was sick and needed money, so whenever she wasn’t working, she drove for a ride- hailing service to help make ends meet.
She said she had been driving carefully, but the icy road made her car skid out of control.
Luckily, I wasn’t badly hurt—just a sprained wrist.
But the doctor said I was severely anemic, had low blood sugar, and my fever hadn’t broken in days. They were worried about pneumonia, so she stayed with me to keep watch.
I looked at her. She had soft waves in her hair, light makeup, and clear, untainted eyes.
The coat she wore wasn’t from any
recognizable brand, but the
craftsmanship was high–quality. A little
too high for her story.
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Chapter 4 No One Left to Lose
She was lying–but I didn’t call her out.
Instead, I was just grateful she stayed.
“Thank you,” I said. “But you don’t have to stay here. You could’ve just called the insurance company.”
She was honest. “That was my original plan.
“But the police and doctors couldn’t reach any of your family. So I came along.”
Makes sense.
No doubt they were all too busy fussing over that father–son duo to worry about me.
Just then, my phone rang.
Susie handed it to me. The screen read “Wife.”
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She looked surprised—probably thinking it odd that a married man could be unconscious in a hospital for two days and not be missed.
I wanted to tell her not to answer, but she was too quick. She hit “accept” and even put it on speaker.
Linda’s voice rang out. “Chase, where have you been the last two days?”
I rolled my eyes. Not in the mood for this idiot.
Her tone quickly turned cold. “I don’t care where you are. Come home now and apologize to Henry and Andy.
“Do you even know what you’ve done? The doctor said Andy has psychological trauma from that incident years ago. When he gets upset, he passes out.
“You hurt Henry. You hurt his son. Don’t you feel guilty?”
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I winced, scowling.
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Before I could respond, Linda kept going:
“Your parents are here too. They said if you kneel and apologize to Henry, they’ll forgive you.
“Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? A chance to reconcile with your family? This is it. You’ll regret it if you don’t
come.”
I let out a bitter laugh, ready to speak-
But Susie beat me to it.
“He can’t come,” she said sweetly. “He’s already dead. His body’s in the morgue. If you hurry, you might still get the ashes.”
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