I Woke Up From a Coma and Found Out My Fiancé Was Protecting My Killer Chapter 01
On my wedding day, a car accident put me into a deep coma.
My fiancé Landon Cole didn’t sleep for a few days straight. His eyes went bloodshot from hunting for the driver who hit me.
He held my hand, his voice raw and broken. “Paige, I’ll find who did this. I swear it.”
A month later, I woke up. A miracle, the doctors said. The first thing I did was go looking for Landon.
I barely made it to the elevator before I heard voices from the stairwell.
My best friend Willa Price was sobbing into her hands. “It’s been a month. She’s not waking up, Landon. Please. Let me go to the police.”
Landon held her tight, the corners of his eyes burning red. “No. I won’t let anyone trace this back to you.”
“Willa, if you hadn’t broken up with me for her sake back then, I never would’ve gotten together with her in the first place.”
Willa shoved him away and screamed through her tears. “I can’t do this to her anymore. Stop making it worse.”
But he didn’t let go. “The doctors said Paige is never waking up. If you’re willing—we can be together. For life.”
I stood outside that door. Unseen. My hand clamped over my mouth. One tear slipped down.
***
The argument in the stairwell didn’t stop. Every word out of their mouths was a knife. Twisted with how much they loved each other.
Willa shook her head in anguish. “I love you, Landon. I love you so much. But she loves you more. What happens to her if we’re together?”
“She’s my best friend. And besides—” She collapsed against his chest, trembling. “Besides… I found out about the wedding. I wasn’t thinking. I hit the gas instead of the brake. I hit her.”
Landon squeezed his eyes shut. “You’ve already sacrificed enough for her. Stop carrying this guilt.”
“I believe that even if Paige woke up and saw us together, she wouldn’t actually blame us.”
Willa looked up, tears streaking her face. She looked so damn breakable. “Really? Would she give us her blessing?”
“Absolutely.” Landon pressed his lips together. “And I won’t let anyone trace this back to you. No one’s taking you away.”
“Landon…”
They wrapped around each other and kissed like no one was watching. Every second of it stabbed through me like a blade.
I still don’t know how I made it back to my hospital room. Every step hurt so much I could barely breathe.
I sat on the bed. I looked at the machines surrounding me. At my hands riddled with needle marks. The tears fell in silence.
I still remembered the day of the crash. Landon sprinted toward me, hauled my blood-soaked body into his arms, and screamed in agony. I remembered his promise while I was in the coma. He said he’d find the driver. He said he’d get me justice.
Only here’s the truth. The driver. The person who betrayed me. It was Willa.
I always thought it was weird how distant they were with each other. I even joked about it. “You’re the two most important people in my life. You don’t have to be such strangers. Swap numbers or something.”
They both refused. In unison. Landon’s gaze was complicated. “We don’t have anything to talk about. Having you in the middle is enough.”
Now I understood. That wasn’t keeping boundaries. That was hiding skeletons. They were afraid I’d find out they’d had each other’s contact info from the very start.
The door swung open and the nurse broke my train of thought. Her eyes went wide and she rushed over to check my vitals.
“You’re awake! We all thought you weren’t going to make it back.” Her voice shook with excitement. “And your fiancé—he hasn’t left your side for a whole month. The whole floor’s been talking about him.”
I murmured, hollow. “Is that so?”
He was terrified I’d wake up.
“Yes,” she said, already turning. “Hold tight. I’ll get the doctor.”
The nurse barely left before Landon walked in. “Willa, don’t worry, I—”
Every expression on his face froze solid the second our eyes met. There was no joy in his gaze. Just shock.
“Paige?” He stood rooted in place. “You… you’re actually awake?”
My mouth twisted. Beneath the blanket, my hands curled into fists so tight my nails bit into my palms. A stab of bitter irony.
“What’s wrong? Disappointed I woke up?”
His face stiffened. He swallowed every wrong expression in an instant and lunged forward, pulling me into his arms. “How could you say that? Do you have any idea I’ve been dreaming of this day?”
My eyes were empty. No sorrow. No joy. I saw Willa hovering at the door, restless. After a split second of panic, she rushed over too and grabbed my hand.
“Paige, you’re finally awake. You scared me to death!”
I slipped out of their touch without making it obvious. My stomach churned.
They kept trading glances. Landon asked, like it was nothing, “Paige, did you happen to see the driver? The one who hit you?”
I was silent for a beat. “No.”
Both of them let out a quiet breath. He cleared his throat. “You’re awake now. Let’s just drop the charges. I’m sure whoever did it has been beating themselves up for a month. No point dragging this out.”
I lowered my eyes, dazed.
Right. I was done holding on. To any of it. Including him.