Chapter 2

I'd barely made it 30 feet when someone came charging toward me.

Before I could react, a fist slammed into my face. "Gary Payne, you bastard!"

I tasted blood almost immediately.

It was Luke West, Claire's younger brother, and the only family she had left.

He didn't give me a chance to argue. He grabbed me and practically dragged me into his car.

The entire drive to the hospital, Luke kept both hands locked around the steering wheel, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I saw everything on the live stream…" His jaw clenched. "If anything happens to my sister, I swear to God, you'll pay for it."

I leaned back in the passenger seat and closed my eyes without saying a word.

We waited outside the ER for three hours before a doctor finally came out.

"She was underwater for quite some time, and she's developed a serious lung infection. The good news is, she's stable and no longer in immediate danger. We'll need to keep her in the hospital for observation and treatment."

Everyone visibly relaxed.

Luke immediately looked past the doctor toward the doors, desperate for a glimpse of his sister.

Ryan's eyes were red as he gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.

I was the only one who frowned. "How much is this going to cost per day?"

The doctor seemed taken aback by the question. "That'll depend on how she responds to treatment, but we'll need a 4,000-dollar deposit for now."

"Then, forget it," I said immediately. "We're taking her home. If she makes it, she makes it. There's no point throwing money away."

The entire hallway went dead silent. Everyone stared at me in shock.

Luke lunged at me, ready to throw another punch, but several people grabbed him before he could reach me.

He fought against them, his face twisted with rage.

"When Gary was injured, my sister sold the heirloom our parents left us just to pay his medical bills! She made sure he had a private room and the best treatment money could buy. And now, he won't even put down 4,000 dollars to keep her in the hospital!"

Luke wiped angrily at his tears before glaring at me. "Gary Payne, tell me the truth. Are you seeing someone else? Is that why you're trying to get my sister killed? So you can get her out of the way and run off with your mistress?"

I gave him a cold look. "Don't be ridiculous."

A few members of the rescue team quickly came to my defense. "Luke, you don't have to worry about that. Claire's the only woman Gary ever spends time with. Trust us. We'd know if there were someone else."

That brought the argument to an awkward standstill.

The doctor cleared his throat and continued, "There's something else. Because Claire went without oxygen for too long, we weren't able to save the baby. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Luke stopped struggling.

The hallway fell so quiet that the steady beeping of medical equipment seemed deafening.

Everyone knew how desperately Claire had wanted a child. After her last miscarriage, getting pregnant again had become almost an obsession.

Her doctors had warned her that her chances of conceiving naturally were extremely low, so she'd turned to IVF. Even when the treatments caused serious complications that landed her in the hospital, she refused to give up.

On her seventh attempt, she'd finally gotten pregnant.

She had gone through hell for this baby. And now, it was gone.

Ryan slowly looked up at me. I was still soaked from the lake, my clothes clinging to my skin.

He let out a quiet sigh. "Gary, I'm sorry. I know this has to be hard for you too."

I nodded without a trace of emotion. "Oh."

Then, I glanced toward Claire's room. "All the more reason to take her home. The baby's already gone. What's the point of keeping her in the hospital now?"

Luke let out a furious yell. He tore himself free from the people holding him back, tackled me to the floor, and started throwing punches.

I didn't fight back.

Then, his right arm suddenly gave out.

Luke sucked in a sharp breath, his face going pale.

I caught his wrist. "That's enough. You've broken this arm before, remember? Keep this up, and you'll hurt it again. Claire would worry about you."

Luke went still. He stared at me, stunned.

I helped him over to a nearby chair, then asked one of the nurses for an ice pack and pressed it gently against his arm.

Luke suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Gary, can you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Frustration crept into his voice. "You obviously still care about me. So why are you treating my sister like you hate her?"

I said nothing.

Luke stared at me for a long moment. Then, something seemed to click. The color drained from his face.

"Wait… Did Claire do something to you? Was that baby… not yours?"