Chapter 4

Isaac rushed inside, breathing hard, as though he were terrified he might never see me again.

My face was bloodless. I gave a bitter laugh and was about to speak when he slipped a caramel into my mouth.

The gesture was automatic, exactly as it had been for seven years.

"Look at you. You're about to have another low-blood-sugar episode."

The rich sweetness spread across my tongue and somehow tasted bitter.

When I didn't answer, Isaac took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"I'll have the driver take you to another hotel.

"I've already arranged a room. Stay there for a few days.

"When the ceremony is over, I'll come find you and explain everything properly."

My eyes suddenly burned.

He hadn't said he loved me, and he hadn't said he couldn't bear to lose me.

But these unconscious habits of care still reminded me of the man who once ran through the rain with medicine and refused to leave until I finished a meal.

The habits of seven years were still there.

His jacket still held his warmth, warmth I once thought belonged only to me.

But the woman legally married to him was someone else.

Serena's voice sounded from the doorway, with Phoebe standing behind her.

"Isaac, so you really are here."

Her gaze landed on the hand he had not yet pulled away from me, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Am I always going to come after her?

"I know you still can't let go of Rachel. If that's true, I'll step aside and let you be together..."

Isaac's eyes reddened. He pulled her into his arms, and Serena, still crying, tipped her face up to be kissed.

In that instant, I felt like the vicious woman written into someone else's fairy tale.

I drew a deep breath and forced my tears back.

Without saying another word, I picked up my suitcase and headed for the door.

As I passed Phoebe, she deliberately drove her shoulder into mine.

I lost my balance, slammed into a low table behind me, and then hit the floor.

A tearing pain ripped through my lower stomach.

Warm blood quickly soaked through my skirt.

The moment Isaac saw the blood, all color left his face.

He crouched without hesitation and reached for me.

"Rachel, where does it hurt?

"I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

For one second, the panic in his eyes looked completely real.

But just as he started to lift me, Serena clutched her stomach and doubled over.

"Isaac, my stomach hurts.

"What if something is happening to the baby?"

Those words stopped him cold.

Mom and Dad immediately surrounded Serena.

Andrew lifted her into his arms, and Phoebe ran to call the elevator.

Isaac hesitated only a few seconds before turning and following them.

Before he left, he looked back at me once.

"I'm taking Serena to the hospital first.

"It's probably just your period. Go rest and you'll be fine."

The door shut moments later.

Only their hurried footsteps remained in the hallway.

Holding my stomach, I tried to get up and call for help.

My fingertips had barely reached my phone when everything went black.

A housekeeper entering to clean the bridal suite eventually found me.

She saw me unconscious in a pool of blood and immediately called emergency services.

Dr. Naomi Reyes looked serious when she came back with the results.

"You're about six weeks pregnant, and the bleeding places the pregnancy at risk.

"We're going to keep you for observation and repeat the ultrasound."

I stared blankly at the ceiling.

So at the exact moment I decided to leave Isaac, our second child had quietly arrived.

I remained under medical observation for two days.

The team treated the bleeding, monitored me closely, and asked me to avoid unnecessary exertion while they reassessed the pregnancy.

But on the third morning, Dr. Reyes stayed silent for a long time after the scan.

"The pregnancy has stopped developing. There is no cardiac activity now, and I'm sorry, but you've lost the baby."

I didn't cry.

I only rested one hand over my stomach without thinking.

It was still flat, as though the child had never existed.

Before the procedure, a nurse came in with the consent paperwork.

She glanced around the empty room.

"Is anyone here with you?

"The baby's father didn't come either?"

At that exact moment, my phone displayed a social-media update.

Serena had posted a photograph.

She was lying in Isaac's arms.

Mom and Dad sat nearby choosing possible names for her baby.

Andrew had bought a crib.

Phoebe had given her a tiny pair of infant shoes.

The caption read:

[False alarm. The baby is healthy.]

[Thank you to every member of my family who loves me.]

They had spent two full days beside Serena at a different hospital.

Not one of them had checked on me.

The nurse asked gently, "Would you like us to try another emergency contact?"

I looked at the blank emergency-contact section beneath the consent form I was signing for myself.

After a long moment, I took the pen from her.

"No.

"I don't have anyone to call."

After the procedure, Dr. Reyes recommended that I stay nearby and rest.

I shook my head and dragged my suitcase to the airport alone.

Every step sent a dull, cutting ache through my stomach.

When the boarding announcement sounded, I left the family group chat and switched off my phone.

The twenty-four-hour countdown had long since reached zero.

When the plane rose through the clouds, Westbridge fell away below me, and with it the seven years that city had trapped me in.

Ten hours later, I landed in Port Lumen, Rosavia.

The moment I turned on my phone, the screen filled with missed calls.