The Road Remembers Everything

A flicker of disgust crossed his face.

He didn't recognize me.

I hadn't cared about my appearance in years. Ten years had passed. I was no longer the professor people admired—the woman with light in her eyes.

Now I wore a worn-out leather jacket that hadn't been washed in days. Years of cold wind had left my face rough and lined.

Standing next to his tailored suit and polished shoes, I probably looked like dirt.

"So you're the only person who's ever made it through Deadman's Pass unharmed?"

A faint, mocking smile touched his lips.

"Do you know what five million dollars can buy? A hundred lives like yours."

I took another drag from my cigarette.

I didn't answer.

The passenger door opened.

Cassidy stepped out. Her eyes swept over me.

Her expression stayed calm, but the superiority in her voice was impossible to miss.

"My husband may sound harsh, but he's right. You work all year and make what? Twenty, thirty thousand? Five million won't just change your life. It'll put you in a completely different league. Are you really going to keep being stubborn?"

I smiled. "My answer hasn't changed."

"Why?"

"I don't have a reason."

Jayden's patience vanished. His gaze turned cold. "I don't believe that. Everyone has a reason. If you're refusing, it's because my offer isn't high enough."

Cassidy's expression darkened. "Don't get greedy. Greedy people end up with nothing. People like you, trapped in poverty, don't you want status? Success? I can give you all of it. Money. Influence. Power.

"Not just for you. For your husband too. Any position in Aster City—name it. Your children can attend the best schools. Study overseas. I'll pay for their wedding, their future, everything."

I let out a quiet laugh. "Wedding? Children?"

I remembered something Maya once told me.

When she was little, she watched a cartoon where grown-up kids got married and left their parents behind.

She'd cried and buried herself in my arms.

"Mom, I'm never getting married. Then when you and Dad get old, I can stay with you forever."

Someone from the crew answered before I could.

"Her husband cheated on her. Her daughter's dead."

Jayden raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. The look he gave me said everything finally made sense.

"Your husband made the right choice. A woman cold enough to let someone die? Any random woman off the street would be more responsible than you.

"And your daughter died too."

He tilted his head.

"Let me guess. Was it your fault?"

My fists clenched.

I stared at him.

He didn't look away.

Instead, his voice grew even sharper. "When your daughter was dying, were you like this too? Cold. Stubborn. Unable to make a decision? Did your hesitation get her killed?"

"Shut up."

The words scraped out through gritted teeth.

The hatred surging through me was almost impossible to contain.

Cassidy immediately stepped in front of him. "Sorry. My husband is emotional."

Her tone was detached. "But you're a parent too. You should understand how desperate we are."

She checked her watch. "The blizzard arrives in thirty minutes. After that, the rescue becomes even more dangerous. Your life will be at risk too.

"Making us beg once or twice might be smart. Keep pushing, and it becomes stupidity.

"I want you on that road. Now."

When I didn't respond, Jayden suddenly pointed at Wanda. "You can keep refusing. But can you really abandon the people you've spent years with?

"If you offend me, her son will never get a kidney."

His gaze swept across the entire crew.

Cold.

Mocking.

Threatening.

"And unless you can guarantee none of them will ever get sick, no hospital in Aster will treat them.

"And no company will hire them."