Ethan fell into a long and gentle dream.
In the dream, Nina was still alive. His tiny bundle of joy was wrapped in soft swaddling clothes, resting peacefully in his arms.
She was delicate and flawless, like a little doll carved from porcelain. She would also frequently smack her tiny lips.
Rosalind sat beside him, gently pulling the blanket up to his chin. Her fingertips brushed his forehead with such tenderness that it made his heart ache.
Then, the raw, grinding pain throughout his body ripped him violently from the dream and slammed him back into the waking world.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The smell of disinfectant hit his nose and made his eyes burn. His entire body ached, like every bone had been broken and reassembled.
Even moving a little sent a sharp jolt of pain through him, forcing a gasp out of his throat.
He struggled to turn his neck and glanced at the bed next to him.
It was empty.
The hospital room door was pushed open gently.
A nurse walked in carrying a medical chart. When she noticed that he was awake, she spoke in a tone that was polite but tinged with sympathy.
“Glad to see you’re awake. You’ve been unconscious for three days straight. How do you feel?”
His throat was too dry to produce any sound. He could only shake his head.
He mustered all his strength to force out a few words.
“The others... how are they?”
The nurse took notes as she said casually, “You got the worst of it in this accident. You suffered from multiple bruises and a mild concussion. Ms. Lourdes and the guy with her are okay. They were just a little rattled.
“The truck slammed into the spot between the front passenger seat and the back. Since you were in the back, you took the full force of the impact.”
His heart sank heavily. His fingertips gripped the bedsheet until they turned white.
He asked in a hoarse voice, “Where is Rosalind?”
The nurse paused for a moment, then looked up at him and said, “Ms. Lourdes is in the VIP ward.”
He froze and panicked a little. “What happened to her?”
“She’s pregnant. About four weeks along. The accident gave her quite a scare. She’s a bit anemic, and her condition is unstable.
“Mr. Zeller has been really worried. He’s been looking after her the whole time.”
Pregnant, huh?
Nina had only been gone for a short while.
Ethan slowly closed his eyes as tears streamed down the sides of his face.
He sobbed silently as his tears soaked into the pillowcase. Only his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Rosalind visited him later that night.
She walked over to the hospital bed and reached out gently, placing her hand on his pale face.
Ethan flinched instinctively. His entire being recoiled in repulsion.
Rosalind, however, seemed completely unaware.
She said apologetically, “Ethan, I’m sorry that I haven’t come to see you these past few days.
“I’m pregnant.”
She paused and looked at him. Her expression was hard to read. Then, she said something that made his blood run cold.
“I know you’re still holding on to Nina. I miss her too. Maybe this baby is Nina’s way of staying with us, like she’s come back to us.
“When the baby comes, he’ll be yours too. We’ll raise him like Nina, giving him all our love. We can go back to how we used to be.”
How absurd!
Ethan’s eyes snapped open. His gaze was filled with disbelief. It was also filled with intense revulsion and disappointment.
How could she say something so twisted? How could she trivialize Nina’s memory and brush off his pain like it meant nothing?
He started to speak, ready to unleash his fury. However, Samson’s shouting from the next VIP ward cut him off.
Rosalind’s expression faltered. She rushed out without another word.
Ethan’s fingers trembled as he reached for his phone. He called his mother.
“Mom, pass the divorce agreement to Rosalind’s mom and let her deal with it. I’m going through with this divorce, no matter what.”
Just as he ended the call and set the phone down, Rosalind and her two bodyguards burst through the door.
Her expression was dark and grim.
Before he could react, she said coldly, “The doctor said Sam needs an emergency transfusion. You’re a match. Come with me.”
Ethan pushed himself up into a sitting position. He refused in a stern voice, “I won’t donate. There is no way I’ll ever give him my blood.”
Samson, who followed after her, stepped forward and took Rosalind’s arm.
He then turned to Ethan with teary eyes as he said, “Ethan, I know you can’t stand me, but Rose is pregnant with my baby. That baby deserves to have a dad. Can’t you do it for the baby, please?”
Ethan trembled with fury. “Shut up! You don’t get the right to say that!”
He struggled, but the bodyguards behind him moved in. They pinned his shoulders down and shoved him into the transfusion room chair.
The cold needle pierced into his vein. Bright red blood flowed slowly out through the tube.
In the chair, his face grew paler by the second. His lips were completely drained of color. His vision gradually blurred as his entire body trembled with cold. Dizziness overwhelmed him.
When the transfusion ended, he was completely drained of strength. He staggered up from the chair. His legs went limp, and he could barely stand.
Rosalind, however, did not spare him a single glance.
She carefully helped Samson, whose complexion had slightly improved.
Her gaze was filled with nothing but concern for him. She turned and walked into the VIP ward. The door slammed shut behind her.
Just then, Ethan’s phone rang. The caller ID showed that Rosalind’s mother, Julie Lourdes, was calling.
His hand trembled as he answered the call.
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