It hit me like a dagger. Jason—my navigator—had lied. He had gambled with my life to let Paula win.
The last thing I saw before slipping back into darkness was his smiling face.
***
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. The sterile smell stung my nose and my head throbbed. Beside me, Jason sat slouched in a chair, his face lighting up when he noticed I was awake.
“Hailey!” he exclaimed, almost in relief. “I didn’t think… I didn’t think the car would actually go off the track. I just wanted Paula to win. That’s all.”
His voice was soft, guilt-ridden.
Then, as if it would make up for everything, he reached out and touched my face tenderly. “Why didn’t you tell me you went abroad for surgery?”
He held up a medical record in his hand. Brain cancer. Three years ago, I had left to undergo surgery and fight for my life. I never told him—I had said I was studying abroad. I thought I was sparing him, but now it all seemed laughable.
I stared at him coldly. “So what if I did?”
He faltered, unable to respond.
“Hailey,” he finally said, his voice unusually gentle. “I’ll make it up to you. I swear I won’t fail you again.”
In the following days, Jason visited the hospital often. He brought food—meals I was either allergic to or didn’t care for—and tried clumsily to care for me.
Then one day, he took a deep breath and said, “Hailey, I think… I need to put our engagement on hold.”
I froze, my expression blank as he continued.
“All these years, I’ve seen Paula as your shadow. I’ve hurt her so much and now she’s broken. All she wants is a home—a little peace. I need to fix what I’ve done.”
He squeezed my hand tightly, as if the gesture would somehow reassure me.
“But don’t worry,” he said earnestly. “I promised not to fail you. Once Paula is healed, I’ll divorce her and come back to you.”
I stared at him, feeling utterly numb. Marry her? Heal her? Then divorce her? The absurdity was beyond words.
But what did it matter? I nodded halfheartedly and that was all he needed. He left, looking satisfied—as if everything had fallen into place.
He never came back after that.
But Paula didn’t stop. She flooded social media with photos—wedding invitations, engagement shots and even pictures of her kissing Jason.