Chapter 2
“Victoria…” Askhan’s breathing got heavier. “You know damn well what my answer is.”
“Perfect.” Victoria closed her eyes. “Tll get my visa and fly out to you. We can get married there.”
She hung up and immediately grabbed her documents to head out
But the second she
e got in the car, her phone buzzed with a text from Kerian:[]
“Vic, get to the speedway outside town. Now. It’s important.”
Victoria stared at the message for a full minute.
She should’ve just ignored it, but after sitting there in silence, she finally told her driver to turn around.[]
Two reasons: she wanted to know what stupid thing he was about to do for Sophia this time, and she wanted to tell him to his face that she was getting married too.
The speedway was blazing with lights, engines roaring so loud it hurt
Victoria had barely gotten out of the car when she saw a crowd of people surrounding Kerian
“Dude, you’re seriously gonna risk your life racing just because Sophia likes some necklace? One of his friends was grabbing his arm.
“This is the death track, man. Three guys died here last year!”
Victoria froze.
She could see Sophia in a white dress, crying her eyes out while pugging on Kerian’s sleeve. “Kerian, I was just kidding around. Please don’t do this.”
Kerian looked down at her with that sickeningly tender expression.
He wiped away her tears, his voice all soft and devoted
If you want it, I’d do anything. Dangerous or not
Those words hit Victoria like a
knife t
to the chest
Victoria’s mind flashed back to two years ago–Kerian’s racing accident, her camping out in the hospital for three straight days.
When he’d finally woken up, she’d been a complete wreck: “Kerian, if you ever do this stuff again, I’m done with you!”
He’d panicked and ripped out his IV, frantically trying to wipe her tears: “Hey, hey, don’t cry, Vic. I promise, okay? No more extre sports. Ever.”
That promise was still echoing in her ears, and now here he was, gearing up for a death race–for another girl
“Hey Vic, you came. Kerian finally spotted her and jogged over.
Victoria didn’t move. “What do you want?”
Kerian adjusted his racing gloves, his eyes still glued to Sophia.
“This race requires a female co–driver. Sophia’s too scared, and I don’t want her getting hurt, so I called you.”
The words hit Victoria like a sledgehammer. Her mouth moved but nothing came out 0
He was worried about Sophia getting hurt. What about her?
Before she could even snap out of her shock, Kerian grabbed her wrist.
His touch used to make her feel safe–now it burned like a hot iron against her skin.
“Wait, Kerian, I–1
He didn’t let her finish, yanking her toward the race car.
“Vic, just hang in there for twenty minutes. We win this thing and we’re out of here.”
She was practically shoved into the passenger seat, the safety harness cutting into her chest.
Kerian fired up the engine with practiced ease, his profile sharp under the track lights. []
This man she’d loved for over a decade suddenly felt like a complete stranger
The car shot forward like a bullet
Kenian was driving like crazy, taking every turn so tight they were practically scraping the barriers
Victoria gripped the door handle, her stomach churning, but it was nothing compared to the agony tearing through her chest.
He really didn’t give a damn about his life.]
All for some stupid necklace Sophia had casually mentioned.
On the final lap, they were trailing slightly.
Kenan cursed under his breath and floored it.
The engine screamed, the speedometer going absolutely nuts.
“Kerian! What the hell! Slow down!” Victoria was shrieking.
He ignored her completely, eyes locked on the finish line.
The second they crossed it, the car spun out of control, slamming into the barrier and rolling for what felt like forever.
The world turned upside down.
Victoria felt something warm trickling down her forehead, blood blurring her vision, while the sounds of twisted metal and distant screaming filled her ears.
The door was kicked open
Kerian crawled out, covered in blood, but he didn’t even glance at her–just ran straight toward the sidelines.
Victoria painfully turned her head and saw through the shattered windshield as Kerian pulled a sobbing Sophia into his arms, his voice impossibly gentle.
“Hey, it’s okay, don’t cry. I’m fine. Look, I got
cot you that necklace.”
He gently put the sapphire necklace around Sophia’s neck, treating it like it was the most precious thing in the world.[]
Blood dripped into Victoria’s eyes, turning everything red
She suddenly flashed back to when they were fifteen–Kerian had jacked his dad’s Porsche to take her racing.
unk driver had swerved right into
right into them
Some drunk
Without hesitation, he’d thrown himself over her, taking the impact and ending up with a bloody, broken face.
Back then, covered in blood, he’d whispered against her neck.
Vic, I’d only risk my life for you. No one else. Ever
Turns out “ever” doesn’t last very long after all.
