Chapter 3

Yvonne POV

Instead of checking into a hotel, I took a cab straight to the team's headquarters.

My helmet, racing suit, and a few pairs of racing shoes were still stored in the pit garage. I pushed open the door, flipped on the lights, and began packing.

Just as I zipped my helmet into the bag, footsteps sounded behind me.

Chloe stood at the doorway, the clear imprint of five fingers still visible on her face, her eyes dark and malicious.

"Yvonne, you actually dared to hit me?"

Without turning around, I continued shoving gear into my duffel.

"I hit you. What else are you going to do about it?"

Chloe lunged forward and grabbed me by the hair.

Wincing in pain, I reached back and seized her collar, and we tumbled into a brawl.

We fought our way from the pit garage out into the corridor, knocking over a tool cabinet and scattering socket wrenches across the floor.

We rolled toward the stairs leading to the second-floor viewing terrace, toppling a table. Glasses shattered, and paperwork went flying everywhere.

Like a madwoman, Chloe threw herself at me again. I ducked to the side, and together we slammed hard against the guardrail at the edge of the terrace.

The railing had fallen into disrepair over the years, its bolts rusted loose. Under our combined weight, it snapped down the middle with a deafening crash.

Together, we plummeted from the second floor.

Below us lay the asphalt of the pit garage, hard as iron.

Drawn by the commotion, Caleb Sterling bolted out of his office just in time to see us falling through the air.

Almost by pure instinct, he lunged forward, throwing his arms wide—

And caught Chloe Sterling.

Pulling her tightly against his chest, he took two steps back to absorb the impact, immediately looking down to check if she was hurt.

I slammed violently onto the asphalt ten feet away, tumbling halfway across the ground before the back of my head struck the surface.

The cut on my forehead from before burst open from the impact. Blood quickly seeped out, pooling into a small dark stain against the black asphalt.

Still cradling Chloe in his arms, Caleb's gaze swept over me where I lay on the ground, pausing for less than a second.

"Call an ambulance," he told the mechanics running over.

My vision blurred at the edges. The last thing I saw was him carrying Chloe toward the medical room, never sparing me another glance.

By the time I woke up in the hospital, night had already fallen.

Five stitches in the back of my head, three on my forehead, and every inch of my body ached as if I’d been run over by a semi-truck.

I opened my eyes to find Chloe sitting on the chair beside my bed, her arm bandaged, her lips curved into a triumphant smile.

"You're awake?"

I stared at her, saying nothing.

"Have you been wondering all this time who cut the brake lines during that test race?"

Chloe leaned in closer, dropping her voice, her smile widening with malice.

"It was me. I cut them myself and tossed the cutters right beside your toolbox. Don't you know Caleb by now? Once he makes up his mind about something, he never listens to any explanations."

She leaned back against the chair, casually filing her nails.

"I lay in a bed for three whole years, across a hundred and twenty races. He stayed by my side for every single one of them, and he hated you for every single one of them." She settled back into her seat. "Yvonne Vance, you'll never beat me."

Lying on that hospital bed, my entire body began to tremble.

Three years of wrongful blame and relentless torment had all been orchestrated by this woman.

Beneath the blanket, my hand clenched, brushing against the handbag sitting on the nightstand.

I reached inside and wrapped my fingers around the mini tire pressure gauge—its metal casing featuring a pressure dial on one end and a sharp metal probe on the other.

I sat bolt upright in bed.

Still filing her nails, Chloe was caught completely off guard.

I seized her arm and drove the sharp metal probe viciously into her flesh.

"Ah—!"

Chloe let out a piercing shriek. Blood gushed from her arm, staining her white hospital gown crimson.

I didn't let go. I locked eyes with Chloe, my gaze burning with pure, unadulterated hatred.

"This one is for me."