From Desk to Altar: The CEO's Irresistible Bargain

Charlotte just couldn't bear to be near Liam for another second. She snapped at the driver to stop the car because she needed to get out, right then and there.

"Charlotte," Liam said, sounding completely worn out, "You're all over the place. Let's just head to the spa resort and relax. We can talk it out when you're feeling better, cool?" He was trying to be as soft and understanding as he could, which for Liam, meant a lot.

But it wasn't even close to enough.

His few kind words didn't erase the memories of being ditched and double-crossed time and time again.

Charlotte was dead set on leaving the car.

While they were arguing, the driver suddenly let out a horrifying shout from upfront.

"Mr. Parker!"

A flash, a deafening noise, and the next thing she knew, they had slammed right into an oncoming truck!

The impact sent the car tumbling through the air before it smashed into the ground, all crumpled up.

"Charlotte!" Liam's voice was frantic now. Charlotte tried to shake off the dizziness.

Her hand came away from her head covered in blood.

She looked at her hand, feeling completely out of it. What had just happened?

Right. A crash.

With a massive truck, of all things.

Her eyes slowly moved to the truck, its smashed front, the burning tank, and the driver who was lying there.

And then it hit her...

She recognized the guy lying there, motionless.

He was the same one she had dealt with in the Beaumonts' garden.

This wreck, had Chloe written all over it.

Charlotte was shaking with anger and a hint of mockery.

"Liam." She finally turned to look at Liam beside her.

The car was a wreck, the inside squished so tight you could hardly breathe.

Liam looked like a mess, trapped between the door and the seat.

But Charlotte didn't see any obvious wounds on him.

She couldn't help but taunt him, "You said Chloe couldn't touch me. Well, look at this mess, Mr. Parker. What do you think now?"

If she wasn't in Liam's car, with all its fancy safety features, she would've been a goner for sure, either crushed or flung out to die on the spot.

Liam had gone white as a sheet. Charlotte figured the crash had scared the daylights out of him.

"How can you be so sure..."

"How can I be sure it's Chloe behind this? That truck driver on the ground - he's one of Chloe's shady guys. Funny thing, he just cut a deal with me yesterday, took our cash, and handed over dirt on Chloe. You're no fool, Mr. Parker. You know what him being here means."

Chloe stumbled on the details of that deal and was looking to hit two targets with one shot - take him out and Charlotte too.

Boom! A big rig's fuel tank just blew up, and the blast made Charlotte's ride roll over again.

They weren't lucky this time. Charlotte's leg got stuck, and she hit her head so hard she saw stars.

Once the world stopped spinning, all she saw was this blinding red.

She felt something warm dripping down and looked up to see Liam, looking all kinds of hurt.

"You..." Charlotte was totally lost.

She couldn't figure out why Liam, who'd ditched her so coldly before, was now taking a hit for her when they were in the thick of it. Blood was dropping on her face, and it took her a few seconds to snap out of it and try to stop the bleeding from Liam's shoulder. "Liam," she said, her voice all shaky, "Liam, talk to me, you okay?"

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"Liam!"

"Hey... cough... you good?" Liam finally opened his eyes after she kept calling him. He was super pale, losing a lot of blood.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Hush now, I'll get you out," he said.

Charlotte tried to break free, but the car was a wreck. The frame was all twisted, the seatbelt was stuck, and there was a fire right above it.

If the seatbelt gave way or the buckle slipped, the frame would snap back and the fire could reach the gas tank.

Right then, Charlotte's heart dropped.

She looked for a way out, but they were out in the sticks, and Liam hadn't brought anyone along. They were on their own.

Charlotte had called for help, but she knew it wouldn't come right away.

She glanced at the truck again and her heart raced.

It looked like it was going to blow up again.

If that happened, the blast and the sparks would definitely hit them, and their car's tank would be next.

"Charlotte." Liam's weak voice pulled her back.

"I'm here, what is it?" she said, snapping back to the moment.

Liam's blood was still flowing, his face ghostly white, barely audible.

"Does it hurt?"

Charlotte stopped short, looking down at her leg.

No pain, just stuck.

In that split second, Charlotte's mind raced.

She thought about all the times she and Liam had been through, how he had always had her back, and every compromise he'd made for her.

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She remembered how Liam always let down his guard with her and showed her his happiest smiles.

She thought of Annie fighting for her life in the lake, of Maria burning but saying she wasn't in pain.

She knew she needed to get out, to live, to get back at those who hurt Annie and Maria.

But there was Liam, right in front of her, bleeding out, a piece of metal sticking out of his shoulder.

She was totally fine, not a scratch on her.

Liam, who had been quiet, suddenly forced his eyes open again, struggling to speak. "Charlotte, you hurt?"

"No," she choked out, tears streaming down unchecked.

She tried to steady her breathing and spat out, "Liam, I hate you."

"Knowing you have been the biggest regret of my life, the worst decision ever."

Liam looked stunned, barely managing to open his eyes and mumble an apology to Charlotte.

She ignored him, her eyes fixed on the truck instead.

It was gonna blow any second.

"The buckle's all tangled up. We gotta cut one to avoid the frame snapping back, looks like only one of us is making it out of this."

Facing death, Charlotte weirdly felt calm.

"Liam, I hate you."

"But I can't stand to watch you die."

If Liam was gone, she'd have nobody left, nobody to grieve with over the three people she loved the most.

Tears tasted salty as they slipped into her mouth, Charlotte grabbed a shard of twisted metal, sliced through Liam's seatbelt with everything she had, and shoved him out as hard as she could.

No time for goodbyes, no time to look into Liam's eyes, no time to check if he was safe.

The fuel tank blew, the car was ripped apart by the blast, flung up into the air, crashed against the road barrier, and then tumbled down the cliff into the ocean.

Charlotte's life ended in water, in fire, and in the love she felt for Liam.