Chapter Eighty Six: Shaken, Not Broken

Layla's heart ached with an intensity that robbed her of her breath. It was like the world had taken a pause before her. It was as if her body stopped functioning the moment the headlights blinded her vision. When she felt a firm grip on her shoulder, steering her out of danger's way–doing what she ought to have done to save her and Derek–she couldn't even steady her weight. She crashed to the ground behind Canaan, bracing her fall with one hand. "Oh, God!" She gasped, recalling that she hadn't seen her son. Her sight lacked focus when she swept it across the space. The colors around her were all blurred; she couldn't properly make objects out. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she hyperventilated. "Derek. Derek," she chanted his name weakly. Tears clouded her eyes, and she struggled to catch her breath. "Mrs. Ramirez," the driver called out to her. He had ensured the child was secure and unaffected by the narrow danger he had escaped. Derek played in his baby carrier, una