Cold air rushed in through the broken window, stinging my face as metal creaked and glass ticked in the grass. The car lay on its side like a trapped animal. Seatbelts bit my shoulders. Every breath scraped my ribs. Then the world jolted again—the rear door was wrenched open from above, and a hard hand caught my coat.
“Emma." Evans' voice dropped in like a blade. “What were you thinking?"
He dragged me out through the tilted frame. My feet hit mud; my knees buckled. I tasted iron and dust. Heat flooded my lower belly, sharp and hot, then colder as it slid down my thighs. I looked down. Blood soaked the torn hem of the hospital gown under my coat and ran in threads over my knees.
“Evans—" I tried to say his name and folded instead, palms on my abdomen like I could hold everything in by f
