Raphael inhaled sharply. "Nadine, before the accident… I swear, I managed to swerve left to avoid the truck. But because of that, we hit the road divider. If I hadn’t turned in time, who knows what would've happened."
His words echoed in my ears, and the realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.
The truck never intended to hit Raphael.
If he had swerved right instead of left, the truck would have struck—ensuring my complete destruction.
But because he turned left… the truck deliberately avoided him.
It was never about us both dying. It was about me.
My breath hitched as the weight of the betrayal pressed against my chest.
"Raphael, I can't do this anymore," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. My hand reached for the IV in my arm, ready to rip it out.
His eyes widened in alarm. "No, no, clear your mind first, Nadine. Please." He grabbed my wrist, his touch desperate. "I had no idea at all. You have to believe me."
"Believe you?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Even if you didn't know, this is your family, Raphael. And I will never be safe with you."
His grip tightened. "Don’t do this, okay? If you pull that out, it’ll hurt. You can’t stand pain, right?"
I flinched.
He was right. Even the smallest cut made me cry. My pain tolerance was embarrassingly low.
But no physical pain could compare to what I felt inside.
Raphael exhaled, softening his tone. "I'll call the nurse. Let’s have them remove it properly, and then I’ll take you home, alright? I’ll talk to my parents again. You don’t have to worry about anything."
I said nothing.
Once I was discharged, we sat in the backseat of the car as his driver took us away from the hospital. Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.
And then, Raphael casually asked, breaking the silence, "Would you accompany me to the Moreau Group Anniversary banquet next week?"
I remained silent, my gaze fixed outside the window, seething at how effortlessly he had orchestrated everything—down to inviting me to witness my own ruin without a shred of shame.
Mistaking my silence for lingering resentment over the ‘accident,’ he reached for my hand, his voice laced with sincerity. "I want to introduce you properly. Besides, that night marks my official announcement as the heir.
"I promise, they won’t lay a finger on you again. Not even a touch. This is our moment, Nadine. We’ll show everyone how serious we are, okay?"