Erik had sensed the car coming the moment Nelson accelerated. He shoved Janelle hard, sending her stumbling forward several steps. He could have dodged, but a calculated flicker in his eyes made him hesitate deliberately for a few crucial seconds.
The car slammed into him, throwing his body to the ground.
"Erik?!" Janelle regained her balance just in time to see Erik lying motionless on the pavement.
Seeing Erik hit, Nelson's eyes burned with madness. "Kill you… kill you…" he muttered feverishly under his breath.
Lillie, pale as a sheet beside him, had been with Nelson for five years. He was the golden boy, accustomed to effortlessly getting anything he desired. He'd seemed indifferent to everything except his research institute. Now, he was utterly unhinged. He must be insane! This was a gated community; people could see! Didn't he realize the consequences of being caught deliberately hitting someone?
"Well? Is he dead?" Nelson demanded, consumed by that single question.
Lillie couldn't bring herself to look. The man was definitely down. Dead? She dared not check.
"Nelson, what do we do? You hit someone!"
"What's there to do? Just some worthless life. At most, we pay compensation." The Hills were wealthy beyond measure. Killing someone? Just a matter of money.
Janelle rushed to Erik's side. Seeing him utterly still, panic seized her heart. "Erik! Don't scare me! Open your eyes!" From her angle, she'd clearly seen the impact.
"Erik, wake up!" Janelle crouched beside him, afraid to move him, terrified of worsening his injuries.
"Janelle, I'm fine. Don't worry." Erik's eyes fluttered open. "Help me sit up."
Janelle carefully helped him sit, letting him lean heavily against her. "Where does it hurt? I'm taking you to the hospital right now!" She'd witnessed death before, but the thought of him dying was unbearable.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Erik grabbed her hand, trying to examine her.
"I'm fine! You…" He was the one hit! Yet he was worried about her. No one had thrown themselves in harm's way for her like this since her mother was driven mad. And this man, someone she'd only slept with once, had shielded her without regard for his own life.
Nelson got out of the car, wanting confirmation the man was dead. Seeing Erik conscious filled him with renewed fury. He lunged forward, intending to finish the job.
"Wait here. I'll get you to the hospital." Janelle propped Erik against a lamppost and stood, striding towards Nelson. "Nelson, you're seeking death."
She grabbed Nelson by the hair. With her other hand, she delivered punch after brutal punch to his abdomen.
"Help! Janelle! What are you doing?! Let go of me!" Nelson struggled futilely. "Are you insane?! How dare you hit me! I'll have your mother thrown out of the sanatorium, you hear me?!"
Janelle ignored his threats. Her fists rained down relentlessly, each blow landing with deadly intent. Nelson coughed up blood.
Watching, Erik felt a savage satisfaction. Hmph. This fool thought the little vixen still cared for him? He should look in the mirror. If she doesn't want me, what makes him think she'd want trash like Nelson?
Lillie scrambled out of the passenger seat. Nelson was her fiancé; she couldn't just watch him be beaten. "Janelle! Let him go!" She grabbed Janelle's arm.
Seeing Lillie intervene, Nelson tried to retaliate. Damn Janelle! How could she shift her affections? How could she like someone else?! But before he could land a blow, the man who should have been incapacitated seized his wrist.
"Touch her, and you'll learn what my wrath feels like." Erik drove his fist straight into Nelson's nose.
Blood gushed instantly. Nelson's nose was clearly broken.
"Janelle! He's Nelson! He's a Hill! How dare you both—" Lillie tried to reason.
Janelle shoved her away violently. Lillie lost her balance and fell hard onto the pavement. Her hand landed squarely in a glob of fresh phlegm someone had spat.
"Ugh!" Seeing the slime on her hand, Lillie retched uncontrollably.
Nelson's face was a swollen, bloody mess. He'd also cracked two ribs.
Janelle got into Nelson's car and retrieved the dashcam's memory card. "Nelson, you'd better think hard about how to get him to forgive you. Otherwise, the video of you deliberately trying to run someone down will be the next viral sensation."
Westin and Amber emerged just as Janelle finished speaking, greeted by the sight of Nelson's bloodied face and Lillie retching on the ground.
"Mom…" Lillie whimpered, utterly humiliated. Janelle was a madwoman, a complete lunatic! The way she fought was terrifying.
"Janelle! What have you done?!" Westin couldn't believe his eyes. How dare they attack Nelson!
Janelle's gaze was glacial. "What have I done? Ask Nelson what he did first. Remember my words: if he doesn't get on his knees and apologize, that research institute will be forever beyond his reach." She finished coldly, then turned to help Erik back towards his villa.
"You—!" Westin was apoplectic. Was this utterly brazen woman truly his daughter? Threatening them!
"Dad, get Nelson to the hospital first!" Lillie urged, still nauseous but knowing Nelson couldn't wait.
Nelson was rushed to the hospital once more. Yet again, they dared not call Mrs. Hill. After all, Nelson had practically been living at the hospital since Janelle's return.
Meanwhile, Janelle half-carried Erik back inside. He leaned heavily on her, savoring her concern. She fought for me. She beat Nelson bloody for me. Did that mean… he mattered infinitely more to her than Nelson ever had?
Bryan, changed into casual clothes, froze at the sight of Erik being helped in, blood staining his clothes. "Erik! What happened?! Where are you hurt?!" Bryan panicked.
"I'm fine. That's Nelson's blood." He claimed to be unharmed, but his pallor and posture screamed otherwise.
"Bryan, get the car," Janelle ordered firmly. "We're taking him to the hospital. He was hit by a car." Even without visible wounds, he needed a full check. Internal injuries were a terrifying possibility.