Chapter 5: The Accident
894 Words
The drive to the hospital was silent.
Ava sat beside Ethan in the back of the car, watching the city lights blur past the windows.
The tension inside the vehicle felt suffocating.
Ethan hadn't spoken a word since receiving the phone call.
His jaw remained clenched.
His eyes stayed fixed ahead.
For the first time since Ava met him, he looked worried.
Not annoyed.
Not cold.
Not calculating.
Worried.
And somehow that frightened her more than anything else.
"How bad is it?" she finally asked.
Several seconds passed before he answered.
"I don't know."
Ava nodded quietly.
That response told her everything.
If Ethan didn't know, the situation was serious.
Very serious.
The car pulled into the emergency entrance of a private hospital.
Security guards immediately rushed forward.
Doctors waited near the entrance.
The moment Ethan stepped out, everyone moved.
As if his arrival changed the atmosphere itself.
Ava followed behind him.
Inside, a doctor approached.
"Mr. Knight."
"What happened?"
The doctor hesitated.
"Your sister suffered multiple injuries."
Ethan's expression darkened.
"Will she survive?"
"Yes."
The relief was brief.
Because the doctor continued.
"However, we're concerned about how the accident occurred."
The hallway grew quiet.
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
The doctor lowered his voice.
"The brake system appears to have been tampered with."
Ava felt her stomach drop.
Tampered.
Not failed.
Tampered.
Someone had done this deliberately.
Ethan's eyes became ice.
"Are you certain?"
"The police are investigating."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Ethan turned and walked toward the intensive care unit.
Ava followed.
Through the glass window, she saw a young woman lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
Machines beeped softly around her.
Bandages covered part of her forehead.
One arm rested in a sling.
She looked fragile.
Far too fragile for someone related to Ethan Knight.
"Her name is Olivia," Ethan said quietly.
Ava looked at him.
It was the first time she had heard him speak with genuine emotion.
"She's your only sibling?"
"Yes."
His gaze never left the room.
"We lost our father seven years ago."
Ava understood immediately.
Olivia wasn't just family.
She was all the family Ethan truly had left.
And someone had tried to take her away.
---
The next morning, news of the accident exploded across the city.
Every news channel covered it.
Every social media platform discussed it.
Knight Enterprises' stock began fluctuating.
Rumors spread everywhere.
Ava sat in the hospital waiting area scrolling through headlines.
Then one article caught her attention.
"Was the Accident Meant for Ethan Knight?"
Her pulse quickened.
The possibility hadn't occurred to her.
Until now.
Someone wanting to hurt Ethan made sense.
The man controlled billions.
Power created enemies.
Dangerous enemies.
Ava looked up.
Across the room, Ethan was speaking to two detectives.
The conversation appeared tense.
One detective handed him a file.
Whatever was inside clearly wasn't good news.
After the detectives left, Ava approached him.
"What happened?"
Ethan remained silent.
Then—
"The security footage is missing."
"What?"
"The cameras covering the parking garage stopped recording."
Ava frowned.
"That's suspicious."
"It was intentional."
A chill traveled down her spine.
Someone had planned this.
Carefully.
Professionally.
Which meant the threat wasn't over.
---
Three days later, Olivia finally woke up.
Ava happened to be inside the room when it happened.
The young woman's eyes slowly opened.
Confusion appeared first.
Then pain.
Then recognition.
"Ethan?"
Ethan immediately stood.
"Easy."
Olivia stared at her brother.
For a moment, tears filled her eyes.
"I thought I was dead."
The words shattered something inside the room.
Ethan reached for her hand.
Ava pretended not to notice.
Because seeing the billionaire act like a protective older brother felt strangely private.
Olivia eventually noticed Ava.
Her gaze narrowed.
"Who are you?"
Before Ava could answer, Ethan did.
"My wife."
Olivia blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"My what?"
For the first time in days, Ethan almost smiled.
"You heard me."
Olivia stared at Ava.
Then Ethan.
Then Ava again.
"You got married while I was unconscious?"
"It happened before the accident."
Olivia looked offended.
"That's somehow worse."
Ava couldn't help laughing.
To her surprise, Olivia laughed too.
And just like that, the tension disappeared.
---
That evening, Ava returned to the mansion alone.
She was exhausted.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Everything.
The house felt emptier without Ethan.
That realization annoyed her.
She barely knew the man.
Why should she notice his absence?
Shaking the thought away, she headed toward her room.
Then froze.
A package sat outside her door.
No name.
No delivery label.
Nothing.
Slowly, Ava bent down and picked it up.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Something wasn't right.
Carefully, she opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
Her blood turned cold.
It was a picture of Daniel.
Taken recently.
Very recently.
Someone had photographed her brother without his knowledge.
Ava's hands began shaking.
Then she noticed the message written on the back.
Three simple words.
"Leave Ethan Knight."
The photograph slipped from her fingers.
Fear exploded through her chest.
This wasn't about business.
This wasn't about money.
Someone knew who she was.
Someone knew about Daniel.
And someone was willing to use him against her.
For the first time since marrying Ethan, Ava realized something terrifying.
She wasn't caught in a complicated contract anymore.
She was caught in a war.
And whoever was behind it had just made things personal.
- Writer
