CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 179 TRAGEDY

Inside the car, Bella sat quietly in the backseat, her body leaning gently against the door as she stared out the window. The warmth from the sun had faded, replaced by a dull gray haze that clung to the sky like a thick veil. The mood in the car was silent. Still. No music, no chatter—just the soft sound of the tires rolling over road and the occasional flutter of wind through the cracks of the window.

"Huh..." Bella exhaled softly, her voice barely a whisper. She leaned her chin into her palm, her thoughts heavy, eyes following the blur of trees and fields passing outside.

She wasn’t even sure what she was feeling.

Sadness?

Confusion?

She just knew... she felt hollow.

Poor Archer, she thought. Her chest squeezed faintly. His bride ran away like he meant nothing. In front of everyone.

Bella had seen a lot today. But the image of Archer, standing at the altar alone, still and composed while his world cracked quietly beneath his feet that image wouldn’t leave her.

She blinked slowly and looked up.

Then her eyes widened.

Up ahead on the roadside—Reyna and Emilio’s silver car had pulled off to the side. Right behind it, Alexa’s black car was also parked unevenly. The doors were open. All three of them were out of the vehicles, standing just feet apart.

Arguing.

Even from this distance, Bella could see the tension in their postures.

Reyna’s hands were shaking. Emilio was gesturing with one hand, trying to pull his daughter back toward the car, his voice low but sharp. Alexa was pacing like a storm, her white gown still flowing behind her, completely out of place on the dusty road.

Bella frowned and looked away.

She didn’t want to watch a family tear itself apart.

So she leaned her head back and closed her eyes for just a second.

But then—

A roar of tires tore through the silence.

Bella’s eyes flew open.

Alexa’s car had moved again—violently swerving back onto the road. She was speeding. Her car took off like lightning, racing past Bella’s vehicle as if it were nothing but a shadow. Her white veil, still caught in the back door, flapped like a ghost in the wind.

Bella’s breath caught in her throat.

"What...?"

Before she could process it, Emilio and Reyna’s car peeled off too, chasing after their daughter.

Something’s wrong, Bella thought. Her heart started beating faster.

They were now on the narrow, forested road leading down the countryside slope—twisting and steep, lined with tall trees on both sides. It wasn’t meant for high speed. It was dangerous.

Bella sat up straighter, her hands clenching the edge of the seat.

And then—

She saw it.

Alexa, in the lead, jerked her steering wheel suddenly, making an aggressive sharp turn down an even smaller dirt road that curved tightly downhill. The turn was too fast. Too reckless. The tires screeched against the gravel, throwing up dust as the car skidded.

And behind her...

Reyna and Emilio’s car tried to follow.

But there wasn’t enough time.

The back wheels lost control first. Then the front of the car swung wildly, sliding toward the edge. The vehicle hit something—it happened in a flash—a broken patch in the roadside. A dip. An uneven slope. It wasn’t clear.

Bella’s eyes flew open in horror.

The car flipped.

It spun once—twice—before crashing down the hillside, rolling through the underbrush like a toy made of glass. Pieces flew—metal, glass, pieces of the door and a loud crack echoed from somewhere deep in the trees.

Bella’s scream got caught in her throat.

She slapped her hand over her mouth.

The driver in front of her slammed the brakes too, skidding slightly as the dust cloud from the crash drifted through the air like ash.

Bella didn’t wait.

Her door was open before the car even fully stopped.

She stumbled out, her flats hitting the dirt, and for a moment, she just stood there frozen, staring down the sloped road where Reyna and Emilio’s car had disappeared.

All she could see was broken metal in the distance, twisted and crushed between the trees. A piece of the bumper lay halfway down the slope.

Bella’s heart dropped into her stomach.

"Oh my God... Uncle... Aunty..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "No, no, no..."

Her vision blurred instantly. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, but it didn’t help. The scene in front of her still felt unreal.

She didn’t think.

She ran.

"Miss! Hey—wait! Don’t go near that car!" the driver shouted behind her, rushing to unbuckle. "It could explode any second—Miss!"

But Bella didn’t hear him.

She was already halfway down the hill, slipping and stumbling on the loose gravel. Her peach dress snagged on sharp branches, dirt and dust clung to the hem, and her flats gave up halfway through—she ran barefoot now, heart pounding in her ears, pain ignored.

Her eyes locked on the mangled silver car.

It was crushed against a tree, smoke hissing from under the hood, the front half nearly folded in. The windshield had caved in, and one of the doors was torn halfway off its hinges.

Inside—Reyna was slumped over the seat, her head bleeding.

Emilio wasn’t moving.

"No, no, no... please no..." Bella cried out, reaching the wreck and slamming her hands against the dented door. "Uncle!! Aunty!! Please stay with me!"

She pulled the handle. It didn’t budge.

The heat was rising. Smoke billowed upward, black and thick, stinging her eyes.

Bella coughed, trying not to cry. Her hands were shaking.

"I’m not leaving without you," she whispered to the unconscious figures inside.

Using her full strength, she kicked at the door, wedged a large branch beneath it, and yanked again—over and over, until finally—

Crack!

The metal screamed, but the door gave way enough for her to reach in.

She crawled halfway inside, ignoring the glass that scraped her skin, and grabbed Reyna by the shoulders.

With a loud cry, she dragged her out first, falling backwards into the dirt with Reyna in her arms.

Her chest heaved as she gently laid her down, coughing hard.

"Hang on, please, please hang on..."