Chapter 4

I stayed in that position for a long time, holding my baby until the tiny body in my arms gradually grew cold.

I didn't scream or break down hysterically anymore. Looking at the baby cradled in my arms, I knew with absolute certainty that the marriage I had fought so hard to save over the years, and whatever feelings I had left for Alexander, were completely gone.

Freeing one hand, I slowly slid the diamond wedding band off my ring finger.

This was the ring Alexander had picked out himself; it even had my name engraved on the inside of the band.

I handed the ring to a nurse who was organizing medical equipment nearby. "Excuse me," I said softly. "Could you please take this to the nearest jewelry store and sell it for me? I need to use the money to arrange for my baby's funeral."

I paused, noticing her stunned expression, and added, "Also... could you help me contact a divorce lawyer? I need to have an agreement drafted."

By the following afternoon, the city's cleanup efforts were wrapping up, and traffic flow had somewhat returned to normal.

Having just concluded his mid-year merger meeting, Alexander followed the information logged by the emergency responders and drove to this remote, run-down community hospital.

When he pushed open the door to my room, his brows were knitted in their habitual frown.

He clearly believed that my desperate calls the night before had just been another dramatic stunt. He was prepared to handle this the way he handled all our arguments—using his usual cold shoulder to force me into dropping my supposed "tantrum."

"Where exactly did you go last night? Do you have any idea how long I had Victoria and the driver looking for you?"

Alexander walked over to the bed, his tone dripping with blame.

However, as his eyes drifted down to the bed and noticed my completely flat stomach, his reprimand abruptly stopped.

A look of disbelief flashed through his eyes, quickly replaced by the joy of becoming a father.

"You already gave birth?" He quickly took a few steps closer, glancing around the outdated, dingy room in confusion. "Why on earth did you come to a sketchy little clinic like this with zero medical guarantees to deliver? Why didn't you go to the downtown hospital where we had your check-ups?"

When I didn't answer, his tone softened. "Where's the baby? Did the nurses take him to the nursery? I want to see him."

I sat on the bed, staring at his entitled face without a single trace of emotion.

Pulling the documents the lawyer had drafted and delivered that morning out from under my pillow, I handed them to him.

"Sign it." I looked him dead in the eye. "And you will never see that child for the rest of your life."

Hearing those words, the joy on his face froze instantly, only to be rapidly replaced by a surge of intense fury.

He stared at the divorce papers in disbelief, clearly assuming that I had hidden the baby on purpose to use as leverage in dividing our marital assets.

He slammed the thin stack of papers onto the ground.

"How long are you going to keep up this unreasonable nonsense? Is all this just because I wasn't there for the delivery? If you weren't such a habitual liar, I wouldn't have ignored your calls."

Alexander took a deep breath. "If your goal is to threaten me with the child, let me be very clear—I will not be manipulated by these kinds of tactics."

He glanced at his watch and adjusted the edge of his suit jacket, unwilling to waste another second arguing with me. "I'm going to let you stay here and cool your head for a few hours. I'll come back to see you tonight."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, completely ignoring my reaction. His footsteps echoed down the hallway until they faded away.

Night fell, and the storm outside had finally stopped.

Alexander returned to the hospital right on time, even bringing an expensive, beautifully wrapped bouquet of flowers.

He obviously intended to use the flowers as an olive branch, wrapping up what he considered a pointless domestic squabble.

But when he pushed open the door to my room, the expression on his face completely froze.

The hospital bed was completely empty, the sheets neatly folded by the nurses.

There was not a single trace of my personal belongings left in the room.

Alexander marched up to the nurses' station and rapped his knuckles on the counter.

"Where is the patient from the room at the end of the hall?"

The nurse kept her head down, continuing to write in her chart. "You mean Ms. Irene? She was discharged this afternoon."

"What?!" Assuming that I had run away from home with our newborn, Alexander demanded furiously, "I need a proper explanation from you right now!"

"That baby was just born. How does your hospital operate? How could you just let a mother who just delivered take a newborn baby out of the hospital like that? If anything happens to his health on the road, who exactly is going to take responsibility?!"

The head nurse stopped her work, startled by the sudden, harsh interrogation.

She set down her pen and looked at Alexander in utter disbelief.

"Sir, what on earth are you talking about?" The head nurse frowned in confusion. "Ms. Irene did leave this afternoon, but the baby... the baby passed away last night."