The Ninety-Ninth Spring Goodbye

For a month, I tried getting a hold of Vivian.

After all, my documents were with her.

But she was busy preparing Nolan's birthday and had no time to deal with me at all.

It was not until the day before the birthday that she finally came back in a rush.

Vivian had forgotten what had happened a month earlier.

"Tomorrow is Nolan's birthday. He likes a lively crowd, so he wants you to come racing with us."

I paused, remembering that Nolan had been a race-car driver before he retired.

Asking me to race with them was obviously meant to put me in my place.

"I'm not going."

I refused calmly.

Vivian seemed to have expected this. She took my documents out of her bag and waved them in front of me.

"Haven't you been looking for these? Behave, and I'll give them back.

"Otherwise..."

My gaze darkened. I knew Vivian always meant what she said.

I had no choice but to agree.

Nolan's racing event was mostly filled with rich second-generation heirs from their circle.

When they saw me, they looked at me like I was an animal in a zoo.

They laughed and mocked me.

"Vivian, why is your ex-husband still so clingy? He even chased you here."

Before Vivian could speak, Nolan put his arm around her and grinned.

"I invited Julian. The more, the merrier. Besides, he knows how to drive, so I thought we could all race."

Every bit of their quiet ridicule reached my ears.

"A disbarred divorce lawyer. Racing him is lowering our status."

"I didn't think eight divorces could become real life."

I sighed inwardly. Thinking of my passport and ID, I finally closed my eyes for a second.

"How do you want to race? Just say it."

Nolan's mouth curved upward as he bent into the driver's seat.

"Simple. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins.

"But if anything happens, if someone dies, then too bad."

Nolan said the last part very softly.

My heart jumped. I instinctively tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

At first, the race went smoothly.

Then halfway through a turn, Nolan's wheels suddenly skidded.

My brakes failed, and I slammed straight into him. The entire car flipped onto its side.

Screams and cries for help rose all around.

My legs were trapped in the driver's seat. Shards of glass had pierced my thighs.

I did not know whether an artery had been cut.

Blood would not stop flowing.

The racetrack had its own medical team.

They quickly sent both Nolan and me to the hospital.

The doctors finally managed to stop my bleeding. Then Vivian walked toward me with red eyes.

She slapped me hard and grabbed my collar, screaming until her voice tore.

"Julian! You did it on purpose, didn't you? Do you know Nolan is still in surgery? If anything happens to him, I will never forgive you!"

But clearly, he had been the one who crashed into me.

My vision was still blurry.

I only saw several doctors suddenly coming out of the operating room.

"The injured patient has lost a large amount of blood and needs a transfusion, but the blood supply is limited..."

"Take his! Use his blood! Please, you have to save my husband..."

Vivian gripped my hand hard.

Her strength was so great that my wounds began to split open again.

The doctor in charge of me immediately stopped her.

"He can't. He has a clotting disorder. He nearly had an artery cut just now, and we barely stopped the bleeding.

"If you insist on drawing his blood, something could happen to him."

Vivian could not hear any of it. She only kept shouting.

"Draw it if I tell you to draw it! If he dies, what does that have to do with me? I only want Nolan alive."

I lifted my head and looked at Vivian's back.

"Julian, I only want you alive."

For a moment, Vivian's old voice seemed to echo by my ear.

Because of my clotting disorder, Vivian used to treat me like fragile glass.

Once, when we went hiking and encountered a mudslide, she had said that same thing to me.

As long as I lived.

With bloodshot eyes, Vivian ignored all attempts to stop her and had my blood taken by force.

Bag after bag of blood was sent into the operating room.

Vivian threw my passport and documents beside my hand.

I forced myself not to pass out.

Ignoring the nurse's attempts to keep me there, I took the passport and left the hospital.

This time, Vivian and I were completely even.