Chapter 4

I stared at the hospital ceiling, my expression hollow.

Hailey sat beside my hospital bed, holding my cold hand in hers with an expression brimming with remorse. "W-We'll find a way to treat your leg… There has to be a way to treat it, Nathan…"

I glanced at Andrew, whose eyes were brimming with tears, before shifting my gaze toward Hailey. I then said faintly, "I've injured my leg for the second time now, Hailey."

Hailey immediately stiffened.

Three years ago, amidst a heavy blizzard, Andrew dragged me into a "quick reply game" to test our significant others' loyalty.

Ten minutes later, a Maybach pulled over and whisked Andrew away. I, on the other hand, was left stranded in the freezing blizzard.

I eventually passed out in the freezing snow and remained unconscious all night. I came to with terrible frostbite on my right leg, which had nearly required amputation.

Hailey had once again ruined my right leg, all for the sake of Andrew.

It was clear that the two of them remembered that blizzard incident too, their eyes instantly filling with overwhelming guilt.

Andrew's eyes were completely bloodshot as he repeatedly struck his own head. "It's all my fault! I'll pay for it with my life! I'll make up for what I did to you, Nathan!"

Hailey's expression shifted drastically as she pulled Andrew into a tight embrace. She kissed the tears off his face, telling him over and over again that he hadn't done anything wrong.

I watched their tearful drama without feeling the slightest emotion. I pulled the IV needle from my arm and limped out of the hospital ward.

I calmly began packing my belongings as soon as I returned to the villa. I then took out the wedding suit from the back of my closet—the one I'd spent countless nights designing by hand—intending to throw it into the trash.

Just then, the door swung open. Hailey caught sight of the wedding suit lying on the bed, and the guilt in her eyes deepened.

"I get that you're afraid that if I have Andrew's baby, it'll mess with your standing in our relationship. You can rest assured that you'll always be my husband—and that no matter who the biological father is, you're the only one who'll be their father."

I dodged her hand by stepping to the side as she reached out to hold me after saying that.

Hailey's hand froze halfway. She took a deep breath and patiently coaxed me, saying, "I swear we'll get married tomorrow. I'll even take you to Fioren to watch the Northern Lights after the wedding. You won't be upset anymore after that, right, Nathan?"

I had once dreamed of having a wedding and watching the Northern Lights with her, but now that I was finally getting them, my heart remained completely unmoved.

Just then, my phone buzzed with an update from the court. "All three suspects involved in the sexual assault case are now in custody. Your hearing is set for 10:00 am tomorrow, so please be present on time. Those suspects indicated in their statements that they were acting on someone else's orders, Mr. Zeller."

I was just about to speak up when a dedicated ringtone interrupted me.

Hailey instantly answered the call, snatching her coat and rushing outside in a hurry. "Andrew isn't feeling well, so I need to take him to the hospital right away. You should just stay home and rest well. I'll come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning for the wedding, Nathan."

I couldn't even tell her that my court case was going on trial the following day as she rushed out and closed the door shut behind her. I smirked bitterly, packed up all my case files, and left them sitting on the cabinet in the foyer.

…

Third-Person POV

It was the following morning, and the lively wedding party gathered at the villa's front doors.

Hailey looked radiant in the wedding dress. She walked up to the front door, her smile wide, and keyed in my birthdate at the smart lock, only to hear the mechanical sound ringing out from it. "Passcode is incorrect."

Hailey's smile faltered as an inexplicable sense of anxiety welled up inside her.

Andrew chimed in from the side with a teasing remark. "It seems like the groom had deliberately changed the passcode to stop you at the door! You don't think you can marry Nathan without putting in some effort, do you, Hailey?"

Hailey forced down the unease rising within her and used her spare key to unlock the door.

She went completely still the moment she saw the files on the cabinet in the foyer.

Just then, two police officers suddenly walked up behind them and addressed Andrew. "We need you to come with us, Mr. Heath."