Chapter 3

Dad put extra emphasis on my stubborn refusal to let Zoe near Alex.

Mom's brows knitted together. "Alex doesn't need to be bottle-fed. I'll nurse him myself. You can go attend to your other duties, Ms. Scott."

Her voice was gentle, yet her tone left zero room for argument.

Zoe's face twitched, her smile nearly faltering completely.

She forced out a stiff grin. "Mrs. Hardy, you just gave birth. Breastfeeding takes a heavy toll on your body. Let me—"

"No need," Mom repeated, her eyes now glinting with clear suspicion.

Dad sat by Mom's bed, clutching me with one arm while placing his other hand protectively on Alex's swaddle.

His posture made it clear that he wanted Zoe to leave.

Zoe's gaze lingered on Alex for a few long seconds.

Snuggled in Dad's arms, I caught the bitter unwillingness flickering in the depths of her eyes.

Then, she turned on her heel and walked out.

"Dad, I'm scared…" I whispered right into his ear.

Mom slipped off my shoes and pulled me into a soothing embrace.

Dad sat back down on the couch in silence, his eyes locked firmly onto Alex and me.

"Don't be scared," he murmured.

Wrapped in the warmth of my parents' presence, I felt the tension in my chest finally melt away.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they closed against my will.

I thought to myself, "This is wonderful. Alex won't be snatched away this time."

The next morning, when the bright sun warmed my skin, I woke up in Mom's arms. The very first thing I did was look for Alex.

But…

As I stood on the bed, my face drained of all color. Tears spilled over my cheeks as utter horror gripped me. "Alex… Alex is gone!"

My frantic crying jolted Mom and Dad awake.

The moment Mom saw the empty spot beside her, her eyes instantly turned red. "Where's Alex? Where did my baby go?"

Dad's hands were trembling uncontrollably as well. "When did I fall asleep? I didn't mean to…"

The last thing he remembered was from the night before.

After Zoe left, Mom had fallen asleep holding me while he sat on the couch, determined to keep guard over us until sunrise.

Yet out of nowhere, his eyelids had felt impossibly heavy, and his consciousness began to fade.

By the time he woke up, Alex had vanished into thin air.

Dad's voice shook with raw terror and desperation. "Honey, stay calm. The hospital has security cameras. Alex will be okay."

Mom collapsed back onto the bed, gasping for air. Her entire body shook uncontrollably.

This familiar scene dragged me straight back to my past life—to the horrific day Alex vanished.

Mom had almost cried herself blind back then.

Dad had dropped to his knees in front of her, slapping his own face over and over again.

And I had cowered in the corner, paralyzed by fear, doing nothing but sob.

Was I really destined to fail at protecting Alex, even with a second chance at life?

Hospital security rushed over within minutes. Soon, the hospital director, the attending doctors, and the nurses crowded into the room.

A swarm of onlookers—relatives of patients from other floors—gathered outside, drawn by the commotion.

Dad demanded furiously, "Who was on duty last night? Where is the security footage? Where is my son?"

The hospital director was breaking out in a cold sweat.

The security chief turned ghost-white. "Mr. Hardy, the cameras malfunctioned last night. We're looking into it right now…"

"Useless trash!" Dad roared, his face livid.

Some family members whispered among themselves in the hallway, "I heard a newborn boy got kidnapped."

"Good grief, what kind of parents are they? They can't even keep an eye on their own child."

"Right? So much for being rich. Now all they can do is cry."

As those cruel words reached Mom's ears, every trace of color drained from her face. Her lips trembled, and her fingernails dug so hard into her palms that they drew blood.

Dad swayed where he stood. Raising his hand, he delivered a ringing slap to his own face. The crack echoed so loudly that the entire hallway fell dead silent for a moment.

Inside the room, Mom wept in agony, and Dad drowned in self-loathing.

The medical staff stood tense and terrified.

And the crowd watched with cold indifference, firing off one mocking jab after another.

I stood frozen in the corner, tears streaming down my face, completely at a loss for what to do.

Dad had driven the villain away last night.

So why was Alex still missing?

And then there was Zoe. In my past life, the moment she snatched Alex, she had vanished without a trace.