The driver slammed his foot on the brake and twisted the steering wheel sharply, but it was already too late.
The girl had suddenly darted out from around the corner, and because he'd been trying to beat a yellow light, his foot had pressed too hard on the gas pedal.
The car was now hurtling forward at nearly 100 kilometers per hour, and there was no way to stop or swerve in time.
He watched in horror as the car bore down on her.
Then, out of nowhere, a figure shot out like a bolt of lightning from behind the girl.
The speed was unbelievableâalmost superhuman.
In the blink of an eye, the figure reached the girl.
But... it still seemed too late.
The driver's hood had already obscured half the girl's body, meaning she was dangerously close to the car.
No matter how fast the rescuer was, there was no way to change the outcome. Worse, the driver feared, they might both get hit.
In sheer panic, the driver closed his eyes.
And then, just a fraction of a second laterâ
"BANG!"
The car collided with something heavy.
The impact was intense, the kind of force you could feel just from the sound.
The driver broke out in a cold sweat, too terrified to even open his eyes.
Meanwhile, Bella Kennedy felt a tremendous force from behind, her entire body suddenly weightless as she was thrown through the air.
Before she could understand what was happening, she landed on the ground with a painful thud.
For a moment, she sat there dazed, staring at the car that had just barely missed her. Her mind was blank.
She sat on the ground, stunned, for several seconds before the noise of the car crash ahead snapped her back to reality.
Panicking, she patted herself down, checking for injuries.
There weren't any, except for some soreness in her backside.
But if she wasn't hurt, then who...?
She recalled the moment right before the impactâa push from behind.
Someone had shoved her out of the way.
Her heart raced as she scrambled to her feet and hurried around the car to see what had happened.
Not far away, a man lay motionless on the ground.
A very familiar man.
It looked like... that scumbag James.
Bella's heart sank. She stumbled forward, her legs unsteady, as she made her way toward him.
The crash site was chaotic, with people running toward the injured man.
The first person to reach James wasn't Bella but Asa, who had seen the whole thing.
She had watched James push her young mistress out of the way, only to be struck by the speeding car and sent flying several meters.
Asa was utterly shocked. She dropped to her knees beside James, shaking uncontrollably as she cried out,
"Mr. King! You can't die on us!"
Her words sent a chill through everyone nearby.
Someone had been killed.
Something serious had just happened.
Hearing Asa's panicked cries, Bella Kennedy's heart skipped a beat.
She quickened her pace, rushing over to see James lying still on the ground.
When she saw him lying there, motionless, her scalp tingled, and her entire body went cold.
How could someone who had been fine just moments ago now look so lifeless?
Bella knelt down beside him, her hands trembling as she leaned in to check his breathing.
Three seconds passed.
There was no warmth, no sign of breath.
Her gaze became unfocused, her blurry eyes fixed on his face.
His eyes were closed, as if he would never open them again.
His thin lips, usually curled into a mischievous smirk, were now silent and still.
For a moment, Bella seemed frozen in place, her mind replaying the moment he pushed her out of the way.
In his eyes, there had been nothing but worry and care for herâno thought for his own safety.
Tears rolled down her cheeks again, but this time, there was no sting in her nose, only a wrenching regret tearing at her heart.
If it weren't for her impulsive recklessness, this man wouldn't have needed to risk his life.
This was her fault...
Bella started to cry, her voice choked with emotion.
"You scumbag... You can't die! Please, I'm begging you... Wake up! I'll do whatever you want!"
She reached out, trying to pull James up, but Asa quickly stopped her.
"Miss, you can't move him right now! We have to wait for the ambulance!" Asa exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Asa knew enough about car accidents to understand that moving the injured could make things worse.
"Mr. King, just hang on! The ambulance will be here soon!"
Bella felt utterly helpless.
Kneeling beside him, she sobbed uncontrollably, calling out to him,
"Please come back... I'll never call you a scumbag again. You can flirt with whoever you want, and I won't fight you or yell at you anymore..."
The onlookers, overhearing the two girls crying over James, began to gossip among themselves.
"Who is this guy? He doesn't even look that handsome. Why are two girls crying over him?"
"Must've been a player. Probably got what he deserved."
"Hey, don't say that. Show some respect for the dead. What if his spirit comes back to haunt you?"
"Come on, it's not like I hit him. Why would he come after me?"
"Wait, isn't it weird? He got hit so hard, but there's no blood."
"Actually, I think I saw him sneak one eye open just now..."
"Don't mess with me like that!"
Meanwhile, the driver, who had stayed in the car until now, finally opened his eyes.
When he saw the man lying on the ground surrounded by two sobbing women and a growing crowd of onlookers, his face turned ghostly pale.
His hands shook as he stepped out of the car and approached, his legs wobbling with each step.
He knew all too well the consequences of running a yellow light.
If the accident was deemed his fault, he'd face jail timeâand the insurance might not even cover the damages.
The thought of losing everything nearly brought him to tears.
Standing before the motionless James, the driver stammered,
"H-How is he...?"
Bella recognized him instantly as the driver and shot to her feet in a rage.
"You murderer! I'll make you pay for this with your life!" she screamed, kicking him hard.
"Ahh!" The driver yelped in pain as he stumbled backward, clutching his head.
"I didn't do it on purpose! I didn't expect you to run out like that!"
Bella ignored his excuses and continued kicking him mercilessly, tears streaming down her face.
"If anything happens to him, I'll make sure you rot in jail for the rest of your life!"
The driver cowered on the ground, covering his head as Bella's kicks rained down on him.
"Both of you ran out into the street without looking! What was I supposed to do?!" he wailed.
"Then why were you speeding? Were you in such a rush to die? I'll make sure you get what you want!" Bella yelled, her kicks growing even heavier.
The hard soles of her shoes thudded against his body, leaving the driver howling in pain.
James, who had been planning to stay down a little longer to teach her a lesson, was startled by the escalating situation.
Hearing the driver's cries, he worried she might actually injure him.
Reluctantly, James opened his eyes.
Under Asa's astonished gaze, he sat up and called out in a firm voice,
"Let that man go!"
The crowd erupted in surprise.
"Whoa, he's alive?!"
"How is that possible? I heard the impactâit sounded like he was hit by a freight train!"
"That guy must have a body made of steel!"
"Does anyone have a video? This needs to go online!"
"Figures. Only the good die young, while scoundrels seem to live forever."
Bella froze at the sound of James's voice.
Slowly, she turned her head and saw him sitting up, looking at her with a resigned expression.
Her eyes filled with tears once again as she ran to him and threw her arms around him, her voice trembling.
"You're alive?!"