Chapter 219

“I don’t understand either,” I said. “I saw you driving the blue car.” I know I did.

“Daisy, I never had a blue car,” William insisted. “The only car I’ve ever owned is my black Mustang.”

I was so sure it was William who saved me. It’s what started my crush on him. Yet, there was no reason for him to deny it was him.

“William, was it you who found me lying on the side of the road?” I asked.

“No, it wasn’t me,” he replied. “I wish I knew who it was. I would like to thank them for helping you.”

I put the candy back in my pocket. Everything I believed about that day was falling apart. William was modest, but why would he deny doing such a good deed?

“I know I saw you getting into a blue car more than once, and one time, I saw you drive it away from the school.” I know what I saw. I couldn’t be convinced otherwise.

“Daisy, I never had a blue car,” William insisted. “I don’t remember ever driving one either. My mom and dad have white and silver cars, so it can’t have been theirs that you saw me driving.”

Then he froze for a moment with his eyes closed. “But I know who did have one back then, and he picked me up at school with it a couple of times. He even let me drive it once.”

“Who?” I asked. Maybe the owner of that car was my rescuer. I had to know who he was and why the Goddess would send me a vision of that day if the guy who saved me wasn’t William.

“Victor,” William replied. “You must have seen me getting into Victor’s blue Mercedes.”

Now, I was more confused. “What Mercedes? Victor had a red Ferrari before he bought the Lamborghini,” I said. “I rode in it.”

“That’s true, but he had a royal blue Mercedes before the Ferrari,” William explained. “He gets bored with his cars and moves on to a new one after a year or so.”

“No. It couldn’t have been Victor,” I said. “He would have mentioned it to me by now.”

A pained expression came over William’s face. “He mentioned it to me …a while ago.”

“He did? What did he say?” I asked. My mind was swirling with shock and disbelief.

“He told me he was on his way to meet a girl at a little bar just outside the city when he spotted someone lying alongside the road. He pulled over to see if he could help.”

“That’s when he saw it was a skinny young girl. She looked helpless and vulnerable to him. He said there was something about her that felt familiar to him, and he instantly felt protective of her. So, he picked her up and rushed her to the hospital.”

“Did he leave the girl a bag of expensive candy?” I asked. I doubted two young girls who passed out on the side of the road had been saved by a young man in a blue car, but I had to be sure.

“Yes. Victor said the nurses told him the girl fainted from not having anything to eat for over a day. And he told me he went back to the hospital the next day to check on her, but she was gone, and the hospital wouldn’t tell him anything else about her.”

William blinked a few times and shook his head. “I can’t believe that girl was you.”

“I still don’t understand why he didn't say anything to me?” I wondered out loud. It was unbelievable that Victor could be the one who saved me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“Why does it matter now?” William asked. “Why does it matter who the guy was when it happened a couple of years ago?”

“It matters,” I said. I didn’t want to explain it to him, but I had no choice. “Do you remember the day you proposed, and Alex said I had to choose between you and Victor?”

“Yes,” he said. “It was at the dinner party to celebrate your return to the mansion.”

“Right. And do you remember how I couldn’t choose?” The anxiety and indecision of that day came back to me. It was a terrible feeling.

“Yeah,” he said. “You left the room to think and didn't want to talk when I called you. But you agreed to go to the prom with me the next day.”

“I had such a difficult time choosing between you and Victor because I couldn’t bear to hurt either of you,” I told William. “You’ve both been good friends to me, and I care about you both.”

“I guess I understand that,” William said. “Victor is a good guy. He’s done a lot of good things for me since I’ve known him.”

“You are a good guy too,” I told him. “You are one of the best I’ve ever known. My father might be dead by now if it wasn’t for you. Instead, he’s doing much better. I’ll always be grateful to you for your help.”

He smiled at the compliment. “All I did was write some letters, but I’m glad I could help. I have a lot of respect for Alex. Now, tell me the rest of your story.”

“Well, when I couldn’t decide between you, I asked the Goddess to send me a sign to tell me who I should choose.”

I waited to see if he thought that idea was crazy. Some people in our society don't believe in the power of the Goddess as much anymore or in signs.

But William wasn’t one of them. His expression told me that he very much believed.

“Did she send you a sign?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “A few seconds after I asked her for one, I vividly relived the day I told you about when I passed out along the road and was saved by the man in the blue car.”

“You never saw his face?” William asked.

“No, I saw strong arms and a broad chest as he carried me to his car,” I said. “And I remember seeing the front of the car and a license plate that started with PVK04.”

“Are you sure about the license plate number?” William asked. For some reason, it shook him.

“I was woozy, but I’m pretty sure. The letters and numbers are still stuck in my mind,” I explained. “Anyhow, I lost consciousness again after he placed me in his car. I woke up in the hospital several hours later.”

“That’s when the nurses gave me the candy and said it was from the handsome guy who brought me to the hospital.”

“PVK04,” William repeated. Then he stood and turned away from me. “Then we weren’t meant to be together,” he mumbled. “I’ve been selfish and stupid.”

“What are you saying?” I asked. He looked upset, and I began to feel guilty.

“Why don’t you ask Victor about the candy?” William suggested. “He would be able to confirm if it was him or not that took you to the hospital that day.”

“I can’t ask him. He hasn't answered my calls since I told him I said yes to your wonderful promposal. It was the most thoughtful prom invitation I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, it was really thoughtful of me,” he grumbled under his breath.

Was he mad at me? Maybe he thought I had changed my mind about him being my escort.

“I … I didn’t say that I didn’t want to go to the prom with you,” I said. “I just wanted to solve a mystery that’s been bothering me.”

“I know, and I’m not mad at you,” he said. “But I have to go. Let me walk you back to the mansion now.

Panic rippled through me. I was sure I’d lost William’s friendship, but I wasn’t sure why. Everything was happening so fast.

“William, even if it was Victor who saved me, it doesn’t change anything between us,” I said.

William shook his head. “Don’t worry. Everything is fine. Get a good night's sleep, Daisy, and be ready for the prom tomorrow.” He tried to smile. “I promise your date will be here by six to pick you up.”