Chapter 5
Noelle instinctively shielded Ian when the go-karts collided, but the impact still made them crash against the wall. Blood flowed from her forehead, and there was a deep scratch by Ian’s eye. He burst into tears from the pain.
Micah only had a few scratches, but he started howling at the top of his lungs. “Mommy! Mr. Yarrow! They rammed into me!”
When Hector and Lindsey hurried over, they found Micah wailing loudly. Meanwhile, Ian was bleeding profusely. Noelle held him tightly as she trembled all over.
“Noelle Jensen!” Hector’s gaze turned ice-cold. “Have you lost your mind? How could you bully a child?”
Lindsey held Micah, looking like her heart was breaking. Her eyes reddened, and she cried, “How could you do this to Micah? He’s only five!”
Noelle clamped a hand over Ian’s wound as tears streamed down her face, mingling with the blood trickling from her forehead. “He was the one who rammed into us! He tried to hurt us!”
“A five-year-old tried to hurt you?” Hector barked out an exasperated laugh. “Do you even believe that?”
Ian’s face was pale from the pain. His blood oozed through the gaps between Noelle’s fingers. She had no time to argue with them; she carried him out of the go-kart and turned to leave. “Get out of my way. I need to take Ian to the hospital!”
Hector grabbed her wrist and summoned his bodyguards. “Stop her.”
“Hector Yarrow!” Noelle screamed. “Ian’s bleeding!”
“Apologize.” He looked at her imperiously, his tone commanding. “You frightened Micah.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” She glared at him. “He was the one who—”
“You’re not going anywhere if you don’t apologize.” He cut her off, his gaze icy. “Or do you want Ian to apologize on your behalf?”
Noelle jolted. Ian was already dazed from the pain. He clutched her collar weakly as he mumbled, “Mommy, it hurts…”
Tears streamed down her face. She gritted her teeth and forced out shakily, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Can I take my child to the hospital now?”
Lindsey shrank back, frightened by her attitude. Hector frowned. “Is that the proper way to apologize?”
Ian’s blood had already soaked into Noelle’s sleeve. Her knees buckled, and she fell onto them. “I’m sorry! Is this enough?”
The sound of her knees coming into contact with the ground made Hector widen his eyes. “I didn’t tell you to…”
Noelle had already scrambled to her feet and run off with Ian.
…
At the hospital, a doctor tended to Ian’s wound. He needed sutures but couldn’t be given anesthesia because he was too young.
He trembled from the pain, and he clutched Noelle’s fingers tightly. His voice was hoarse from all his crying. “Mommy, it hurts so much…”
Noelle’s heart twisted painfully. She could only kiss him and repeated, “It’ll stop hurting soon. I’m here, okay?”
She only dragged herself to get Ian’s medication after he fell asleep. As she walked past the VIP ward next door, she heard Lindsey putting on a performance for Hector.
“Micah isn’t badly injured—you should go watch over Ian,” she said guiltily. “Noelle must be mad after we forced her to kneel earlier. What if she demands a divorce?
“I was young and insolent, and I’ve already done you wrong by marrying someone and having Micah just to get back at you. I’m sure Noelle feels horrible now that you’re caring for Micah and me like this…”
Hector said calmly, “She would’ve gotten a divorce ages ago if it was something she wanted. I lied to her about being bankrupt for five years, but she still stuck around. There’s no way she’ll leave now.”
He paused and snorted. “She and Ian love me to the core. There’s no way they’ll leave me.”
