Chapter 601

Chapter 601:

Her vehicle sat dead in the middle of a flooded intersection. She turned the ignition key for the third time. The engine produced a dull, heavy clicking sound, followed by absolute silence. She had tried to navigate around the worst of the flooding, but had driven directly into a deep, submerged pocket. The sudden jolt and rush of water had flooded the intake. The engine was completely dead.

She exhaled slowly. The air inside the cabin was dropping rapidly, cold seeping through the glass on all sides.

She looked at the empty back seat. A profound sense of relief washed over her. At least Effie was warm and safe in a hospital bed, far from this miserable storm.

Isolde picked up her phone from the center console. She needed to call the AAA roadside assistance hotline. She stared at the screen. The signal bars were gone—the storm had knocked out the local cell towers.

The windshield wipers stopped moving. The front glass was instantly swallowed by a blur of gray water. The interior lights flickered and died.

The temperature inside the car plummeted.

Isolde pulled her damp trench coat tighter around her shoulders. Her fingers were numb, the tips turning a pale shade of blue. She could not stay in this metal icebox. She grabbed her purse and prepared to force the heavy door open—she would have to wade through the freezing floodwater to the coffee shop on the corner and borrow a landline.

Just as she unlatched the door, a massive black Range Rover pulled up directly beside her.

The tinted passenger window rolled down.

𝖣о𝗐n𝗹𝗼a𝘥 𝗣𝘋𝘍𝗌 𝗳𝘳𝘦e 𝗼𝘯

Dr. Julian Thorne leaned across the center console, still wearing his dark blue hospital scrubs beneath a heavy winter jacket. His face was lined with the exhaustion of a grueling emergency room shift, but his eyes were sharp and focused. He was the attending physician who had stabilized Effie—and the man who had instructed hospital security to enforce the restraining order and keep Grayson out of the ward.

He raised his voice over the rushing of the floodwater. “Do you need a way out of there p>

His tone was professional, entirely free of the pity Isolde despised.

The heavy knot of defensive tension in her chest loosened just a fraction.

Julian did not wait for an answer. He stepped out into the ankle-deep water, popped open a massive black umbrella, and walked quickly to her side of the SUV.

“Pop the hood,” he instructed, shielding her door from the lingering drizzle.

Isolde pulled the lever. Julian lifted the hood and shone a small penlight into the engine bay. He slammed it shut a moment later. “The electrical system is completely shorted,” he said, opening her door. “You need to abandon the vehicle. Come on p>

Isolde did not hesitate. She grabbed her bag, locked the doors manually, and stepped out into the freezing water. Julian kept the umbrella positioned precisely over her head, taking the brunt of the cold drizzle on his own shoulders as he guided her to the passenger side of the Range Rover.

She climbed inside.

The interior was remarkably warm, the heater blasting dry, steady air. Julian got into the driver’s seat, shook the water from his hair, and reached into the back seat to produce a thick, clean cashmere towel.