Chapter 4

The hallway outside Claire's hospital room was packed. Reporters, content creators, and people who had shown up just to support her had crowded the corridor until there was barely room to move.

And that was nothing compared to the live stream. More than a million people were watching online.

"Has that piece of trash husband still not shown up?"

"His wife finally wakes up, and he can't even be bothered to visit her. What kind of person does that?"

"Someone needs to investigate whether Claire really fell into that lake by accident."

I pushed my way through the crowd and made my way to her room.

Claire was awake. She had both hands wrapped tightly around Luke's sleeve, her entire body trembling as she cried.

"Luke, please. I'm begging you. Go get the doctor. Tell them to save my baby!" Her voice broke. "I'll take whatever medication they want. I'll go through any treatment they ask me to. I'll do anything. Just please… Tell them not to give up on my baby."

People around her were already wiping tears from their eyes.

On the live stream, comments were flying by so quickly they were almost impossible to read.

"This is heartbreaking."

"Her husband is a monster."

"If he'd gotten into the water and saved her right away, that baby would still be alive."

One of the reporters immediately seized the opportunity. "Ms. West, your husband is a trained rescue captain, yet he stood by and watched while you were drowning. Millions of people online are outraged by the way he's treated you. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Claire's expression changed at once. "No. There has to be some kind of misunderstanding. My husband would never do something like that!"

Luke clenched his jaw. "Claire, it's all on video! The whole thing was live-streamed. Millions of people watched him do it."

Claire's lashes trembled. She fell silent for a moment. Even then, she defended me. "There has to be a reason. Gary would never deliberately hurt me."

The more she tried to defend me, the angrier everyone became.

"After everything he's done, she's still defending him?"

"How much does she have to love that monster to still make excuses for him?"

"Drag him in here and make him get on his knees and apologize to her!"

Just then, one of the content creators standing near the doorway spotted me. "Gary is here!"

Every head in the hallway snapped in my direction. Dozens of phones swung toward me at once, their cameras trained on my face. Then, someone shoved me hard.

The moment Luke saw me, he shot to his feet. "I thought you left. What the hell are you doing back here?"

Ryan stepped in before he could come any closer. "Luke, just give them a minute. Let Claire and Gary talk. Maybe we'll finally get some answers."

Claire's eyes filled with tears the moment she saw me. She reached both arms toward me from the hospital bed. "Gary… What took you so long? Our child…"

I didn't go to her. I simply stood six feet from the bed and looked at her in silence.

Claire's arms froze in midair. Slowly, she lowered them. She forced a small smile, but the confusion in her eyes was impossible to hide. "Can you just tell me why you're doing this? Whatever the reason is, I'll believe you."

The room fell silent again.

Luke's eyes were red as he urged me on, "Then, say it! Look at what you've put Claire through, and she's still willing to hear you out. How much longer are you going to keep this from everyone?"

Ryan and the rest of the rescue team turned to me as well. More people were crowding into the hallway by the second.

Every reporter had a phone raised, terrified of missing a single word of what I was about to say.

Countless eyes were fixed on me.

I ignored them all. My attention remained on Claire. "Are you sure?"

Her fingers curled slightly against the bedsheet. Then, with tears still in her eyes, she nodded. "I'm sure. Gary, whatever the truth is, I can handle it."

I smiled.

Then, I turned away from her and faced the sea of cameras filling the room and hallway.

"Alright. Then, I'll tell you exactly why I refused to save her."