A/N: Hello again? How are you today? I hope today is good for you. I'm happy that you still reading this story despite its long hiatus. Thank you for the support, really appreciate it. So here it is the new chapter. Enjoy reading 😊

Twisted Fate

Chapter 42

Jessica perched herself at the edge of the car seat, on her toes in a very literal sense while she craned her neck and let her eyes sweep all around the avenue, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Taeng’s car. It may be useless. Seoul is a big city. Taeng could be anywhere and she didn’t know where to start.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, fingers clamping around the soft leather cover so rigidly that the sensation of raised points digging her skin unnoticed amidst her mounting anxiety. It wasn't about bringing him back home, for that was a line she dared not cross. It was about ensuring his safety, assuring herself that he was okay, not in any kind of danger.

She arrived home feeling empty. No sight of Taeng. Not at the park, not at his mother’s grave, not at the office, not at Sunny or Seohyun’s place, not at the orphanage, nor the hotel he used to stay at. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving her with a gnawing emptiness.

She curled in on herself, clutching her middle as if trying to hold onto what fragments remained. But the pain, the grief was gnawing, overwhelming her until she succumbed. She wailed and curled up all tighter as the anguish consumed her, clutched at her sharply and dragged her under.

In that dark abyss, she had thought it was fine to stay down there. With nothing to feel. Not even the heartache nor the guilt. Completely blank, pitch dark. It was almost peaceful.

But perhaps the world had not given up on her just yet.

For it forcefully yanked her back into reality, into a world that still demanded her presence.

Now, that her phone was ringing.

Her eyes, never fully closed, opened with a flicker of awareness. Sleep had eluded her, no matter how desperately she craved its respite. She stared at the incessantly buzzing phone, reluctant to answer. She was numb, a broken husk that still spilled tears but didn’t do it consciously.

The phone buzzed again.

She inhaled shakily, gathering her fragmented self and finally mustered the strength to answer the call.

It took no more than ten seconds for her to jump out from her bed and rush to her car at a speed that she didn’t even know she possessed.

***

Yul slammed on the brakes with such force that his car screeched to a halt. The blaring sound of the horn echoing through the basement lot.

His chest heaved as he gasped for breath. His eyes frantically searched for the person who had darted in front of his car. When he couldn’t see anyone, beads of sweat formed on his temples, mingling with his growing anxiety. He was certain he had glimpsed someone rushing towards him from the periphery.

"Oh, no, no, no," he muttered in a trembling voice.

He rushed out from his car and a relief flooded over him as he discovered the person squatting in front of his vehicle, obscured from view from the driver's seat hence why he couldn’t see her before. There was only barely an inch separating her body from his car, but thankfully she appeared unharmed.

However, the fleeting relief dissolved when he focused his gaze on the woman and realized her familiarity. It was a familiarity that cut deep, one that allowed him to recognize her even as her hands clung tightly to her head and her tear-stained face was buried within her trembling legs.

It became abundantly clear that she was far from okay as she broke into uncontrollable sobs, her anguish echoing through the silent space. Yul, now fully crouched in front of her, searched her eyes, desperate to understand the cause of her distress.

"Hey, hey, Sica. What's wrong?" he asked softly, his heart aching for her. "You're safe now. I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, sniffled, and hastily wiped her tear-stained cheeks. "I'm sorry," she managed to utter, her voice trembling with remorse.

Yul stood there, dumbfounded, as he watched his ex-girlfriend bow before him before dashing inside the building. His yell for her name was left ignored together with him standing alone with a whirlwind of unanswered questions swirling within his mind.

***

His head throbbed from the impact with the airbag. His ears were ringing in disorientation as he struggled to regain focus. He groaned, unfastening the seat belt and managed to pull himself out of the wreckage. Gratitude washed over him as he realized his limbs were still intact, but his car wasn’t totally okay though, it was crushed on the front due to the impact of the collision.

His attention was abruptly drawn to the scene unfolding in the opposite direction.

The memory of the accident flashed in his mind, confirming the presence of another vehicle coming towards the intersection. It served as a wake-up call for him to move his body. Reacting swiftly, he turned the steering wheel just in time to avoid a dangerous collision.

It took him by surprise when he looked in the other direction.

He recalled the accident and there was indeed another car coming from the intersection. It was like a wake-up call for him to move his body. He turned the steer just in time to avoid the dangerous collision.

However, the other car had a totally different fate than his.

He stumbled over towards the other car. He noticed shattered glass strewn about and black tendrils of smoke curling from the vehicle. The acrid smell made his head spin, and he instinctively wrinkled his nose. Panic gripped his heart when he heard a faint whimper amidst the chaos.

He rushed to the passenger side and was totally shocked when he recognized the injured occupant.

“Tiffany?!”

The redheaded woman turned her head painfully, revealing cuts along her face and arms, with blood trickling down her cheek.

“Are you okay? Can you move?”

"Taeng," she croaked, her voice strained and weak. She struggled to sit up, her muscles protesting with every movement, but she pressed on. Weakly, she unbuckled her seat belt, casting it aside. Before he could assist her in exiting the car, she froze. She slowly turned her gaze to the driver's side. "Oppa?!"

His eyes followed her line of sight, and a wave of nausea washed over him at the sight before him. The man lay motionless, blood staining the surroundings. How had he not noticed it earlier?

“Oppa? Oppa? Can you hear me? Please, wake up.” The first shuffle she attempted to get closer to her fiancée caused even more stinging pain ricocheted throughout her figure, resulting in her wincing in pain. Tiffany gritted her teeth and persisted, merely waited the overwhelming sensation out before making another movement.

“Tiffany, stay calm. You shouldn't exert yourself too much,” he urged. He grasped her shoulder through the twisted frame of the door, stopping her in her tracks.

“No, I have to save him,” she murmured shakily to herself, feebly shrugging off the hand that held her back.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, he made a quick decision, recognizing the urgency of the situation. He opted to prioritize the most crucial action—calling for an ambulance and the police.

+++

Taeng's eyes fluttered open at the sound of sobbing beside him. He pushed aside his own groggy thoughts and focused on the distraught woman by his side. The weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders.

When they were in the emergency room, Taeng learned that the woman was suffering from a mild concussion and several minor wounds, but nothing that was a danger to her life. She was fortunate, given the severity of the accident, as the doctor remarked.

However, her fiancé had fared far worse. The collision had occurred on the driver's side, resulting in more serious injuries. No one had yet shared any details about her fiancé's condition with Tiffany and she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Taeng observed how she remained lost in thought, her gaze fixated on her hands for an extended period, as though unwilling to accept the reality before her, as though pretending everything was alright.

It took her hours before she mustered the courage