"The hit was too strong, it caused some fractures to his spine"
"Oh my God". The elegant-looking lady gasped with shock and my hand flew to my chest filled with holy terror.
Today was torment and calamity-stricken.
From losing the woman he loved to being heartbroken to being in pure agony on the streets of New York to almost dying, Vince was now bedridden and it was all my fault.
My behavior was formidable, and I deserved the reproach that was about to come my way.
"How are you related to him?" the doctor asked.
"I'm his mother! Tatiana Sterling" she sobbed, a little too careful to let out actual tears.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea…" the doctor apologized quickly, but she cut him off.
"Do you think he'll be able to walk again?" Tatiana asked, and the doctor sighed before he began.
"It's possible, with therapy, some series of reconstructive surgeries and prayers, but in this case, it's rare. Mrs Sterling, I'll have to tell you to have hope and believe."
My shoulders sagged along with ever living nerve inside of me.
He lost his legs.
I only came back to reality when the doctor walked past me.
"Who wants a vegetable as a son?!" Tatiana's voice was highly pitched, clearly angry rather than sad.
"Taty…." The woman beside her looked around with concern.
"My Vince is practically useless now!" Mrs Sterling continued.
"Stop saying that, and you're ruining your mascara", her friend said, and Tatiana paused.
"Am I crying ugly?" She asked.
"Yes"
She quickly snapped her fingers. "Lauren, Give me a tissue."
The other woman, who I now knew as Lauren, gave Tatiana a piece.
"How did it even happen?!" Mrs Sterling asked in a shrill voice and the screech of the tires reverberated in my ears like it had happened.
The scene from five hours ago flashed through my mind and a fresh wave of tears poured down my cheek.
I sniffed my tears, forgetting to be quiet. This time Tatiana noticed and turned to me.
"Who is that?" She didn't bother lowering her voice.
"One of the Van Cleve daughters", Lauren replied.
"I don't know that one"
"She's not Carrie's"
"Oh, the bastard one" I could hear the disgust laced in her tone.
"Jesus! Taty, she can hear you. Come I'll tell you how the accident happened", Lauren chided her friend and held her by the arm gently.
"Oh my Vince!" Tatiana broke into a fresh bout of empty sobs as Lauren led her away.
The doors to Vince's hospital room opened at that same time and I instantly rose to my feet.
"Is he awake?" My eyes darted between my siblings, Kaitlyn and Kingsley.
Kord had been too distraught and angry to talk to me, so he wasn't with them.
"Yes" Kingsley grumbled a reply and walked past me.
"Can I see him?" I asked hesitantly, but he turned on his heels and made for me, furious as hell.
"Haven't you done enough…?"
"No, Kingsley" Kaitlyn drawled, her arms darted out to stop Kingsley from attacking me. "Don't be rude, let her in, she wants to see him, and I'm sure that Vince is more than happy to see her" Kaitlyn chuckled.
Kingsley stepped back and took off his visiting gown.
"Here's a visiting gown and a mask", Kaitlyn offered. "Off you go", she said in a sing-song voice and nudged me towards the door.
"Thank you", I forced a smile and walked away.
"Mhmmm" Kaitlyn nodded with a sick smile. "You'll see."
I hurriedly put on the mask and pushed the doors open. Vince was hooked to many tubes, unmoving and his eyes were open and staring at the ceiling.
"Vince?" I called out to him but I got no reply.
"I was worried… How are you?" My legs carried me towards his bed.
No reply
"Thank God you're alive. We're all happy you're alive" I said when I got to him.
No reply
"You don't have to worry though, we'll all take care of you and in no time, you'll be healthy and…"
"You ruined my life". He cut me off, voice low and threatening but still refusing to meet my eyes.
His focus was still on the ceiling.
"I'm sorry…"
"The only reason I'm not having you arrested is because you're the sister to my best friend. Now I hate you as much as they despise you" he said, and turned to look at me slowly.
I gasped and stepped back. His eyes looked almost bloodshot, and they shot daggers at me.
"I didn't mean to… I'll do anything to fix this", I stuttered. "I'll beg Tatiana every day, I'll take care of the bills, anything."
"Begging my mum won't bring my legs back!! I'm crippled, and it's all because of you!!!" he yelled and I flinched.
"It was a mistake…."
"And I have the perfect punishment for you" he said, and I instantly got cold.
The hair on my neck rose, and I felt cold sweats on my face.
"You will be my nurse, my maid, my assistant, and you will be at my beck and call every single second of the day."
What?
"Since you love ruining lives so much, you will get married to me and become the wife of a cripple for the rest of your life", he said, and my time stopped.
What was he doing?!
"I will trap you the same way you have trapped me. I will steal your happiness. Your dreams will die like mine have, and you will never be happy like I never will," he said, and my eyes stung with fresh tears.
"Vince…."
"We get married tomorrow. Invite your family," he said, and turned away.
"Vince please…."
He ignored my pleas. "Close the door as you leave."
"I'm sorry…."
"Get out!!!" Vince yelled.
"I…"
"Leave before I call the cops". A new voice spoke in the room.
When I turned to the owner of the voice, Tatiana was giving me a murderous glare. Her look was full of hatred. I knew she now knew of my involvement with her son's accident.
"I never ever want to see you near my son or even dare to say his name ever again, and I never want to lay my eyes on you, or else…." She was walking closer to me with every word she spoke.
"Throw her out mother", Vince finished for his mother.
"Bastards should stay in their place, licking our feet and sticking their ugly faces on the ground where they all belong" she spat in my face.
My heart sank into my stomach.
That was degrading enough to get me out of the room.
With one last look at Vince, I managed to let out a weak apology: "I'm sorry, I never meant for this to happen."
I stepped past Tatiana and rushed outside with hot hurried tears rolling down my cheeks.
"How was it?" Kingsley laughed as he saw me hurry towards them, tearing the visiting gown off my body and trying to hold in my tears.
"I see you met Mama Sterling", Kaitlyn joined him in laughing. "She finally saw the evil person you are."
I fled past them in hasty steps and wheezed for the restroom.
Once the door was shut, I broke down in heavy sobs.
I heard a knock on the restroom door "Evangeline".
"Kord?" I felt a wave of relief at his presence, but my tears didn't stop rushing.
"Hey baby" he cooed softly.
"I didn't push him onto the road, everyone's saying it like I did. He was heartbroken after he saw Michelle kissing another man!" I ranted while making sorry and useless attempts to stop my tears. "I didn't ruin his engagement on purpose. It was an honest mistake! Mrs Sterling hates me now."
"Tatiana Sterling hates everyone baby, she is just too much of a rich rude snob to care about how others feel," Kord said.
She called me a …." I broke down in sobs, trying to clear my clogged nose.
"Sorry baby, don't cry, I get it. Is that what happened with Michelle? She cheated?" Kord finally asked, and I nodded like he could see me.
"Yes, Vince was heartbroken and walked into the road without looking", I explained, and heard his loud exhalation from outside.
"I believe you, don't cry baby. It's a good thing he didn't put that ring on her finger", he mused.
I cried and wiped my tears furiously, forgetting to tell him how Michelle had planned to publicly humiliate Vince by rejecting his proposal in public.
"Vince wants his revenge", I said after I started talking again, my shoulders heaved with tremors of sorrow.
"I know..."
"He says… what? You know? How… What do you know, Kord?" Now I felt my heart pounding fearfully loud, my rib cage rattling.
"I know you're getting married" he sighed, and I froze.
I was stunned into a state of shock.
"Is he serious about that? Marrying me for revenge?" My voice was barely audible but Kord heard me.
"It's better than going to jail, baby. Tatiana wants to make you sorry for causing her son so much pain, and you know they have the power to bend the law and have you locked up for a millennium", he said, and I felt dizzy. "She wants you to suffer with Vince."
"I can't believe this", I choked on a sob, starting to cry afresh.
"Believe it darling, because Carrie is more than willing to sell you off. I saw her and Tatiana discussing. More like she was giving mum orders, her head was bowed. The Sterlings are power Eva, don't fight it" Kord tried to convince me, but I was already shaking my head.
"He doesn't love me" I cried.
"Guess the amount of love in jail", Kord said, and that was all the convincing I needed to know I was in deep shit.
I didn't want to go to jail.
*****
"I now pronounce you husband and wife"
The priest looked between me and Vince, who laid on his bed, still unmoving, only breathing and staring at the ceiling.
His eyes raked me in the ugly white satin dress my step-mum Carrie had picked for me last night.
And lastly, he looked at my family cramped up in the hospital room.
Kingsley and Kaitlyn exchanged mocking looks and whispers all day. One time they even dared to laugh, but I knew they were holding it in due to Vince's presence.
Carrie had eyes on the pink diamond ring which was supposed to be Michelle's all day.
Now on my finger, she had her eyes on the beauty, following every movement my hand made.
I was surprised Vince and Tatiana didn't take it from me, but they probably didn't care because the Sterlings could buy the ring a hundred times more if they wanted.
To them, it was worthless, but to me, the ring marked the beginning of my world crumbling to ashes.
Kord was the only one looking at me with deep sadness, offering me a tight small smile when our eyes met.
Tatiana was nowhere to be seen.
"I take it there's no kissing happening" said the priest.
"Just bless the Union father", Kord said, and the priest cleared his throat before proceeding.
Only when he was out of the door did I collapse into a chair and cry.
"Are those tears of joy?" I heard Kaitlyn ask.
"Who cares? Let her pay for her crimes. She no longer belongs to this family."