Chapter 4 OUR BABY

​Alex’s fingers trembled violently as the tiny baby shoe rested in his palm. His eyes slowly drifted to the folded letter, scanning the few short lines written in Javier's familiar hand:

​Alex,

​I wanted to tell you this on our anniversary. I imagined you’d smile, hug me, and tell me we’d finally become the family we’d always dreamed of. But you never came. So, I’ll keep this surprise to myself until you remember that you have a wife waiting for you at home.

​—Javier

Alex felt his knees weaken beneath him. "No..."

​His breathing became shallow and uneven as he reached back into the envelope to unfold the second piece of paper. It was a official hospital report, and his eyes instantly locked onto a single sentence: Pregnancy Test: Positive. Beneath it, the text read: Eight weeks pregnant.

​He stared at the words over and over again, trying to process them. His lips parted in disbelief. "...I'm going to be a father."

​An instinctive smile began to touch his face, but it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. The ruined anniversary, the mysterious silver gift box, the untouched dinner, and the devastating tears in Javier’s eyes—everything came rushing back in a suffocating wave. She had desperately wanted to tell him, and he had chosen to spend that exact night with Camille.

​Alex covered his face with his hand, his voice breaking. "What have I done?"

​The head housekeeper, who had been watching him quietly from a respectful distance, stepped forward. "Sir..."

​Alex snapped his head up. "When did Madam leave?"

​"This morning, sir."

​"Did she take her luggage?"

​"No," the housekeeper replied, shaking her head. "Just her handbag."

​"Did she say where she was going?"

​"No, sir."

​Alex immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Javier’s number. The number you are calling is currently unavailable. He called again, and then a third time, but the same automated voice cut him off. His heartbeat raced into a frantic panic.

​"Find her!" he demanded, looking at the surrounding staff.

​The housekeeper blinked in confusion. "Sir?"

​"I said find her!" Alex’s voice rose to a desperate shout. "I don't care where she is, I just want to know she's safe!"

​The staff hurried away to obey his orders, leaving Alex standing completely alone in the massive living room. The tiny baby shoe was still clutched tightly in his fist. He looked down at it, his eyes slowly swelling with tears.

​"I missed it..." he whispered to the empty room. "Our baby's first moment..."

​Across the city, Javier sat quietly on a wooden bench inside a peaceful neighborhood park. Nearby, children laughed and played as parents chased after their toddlers. She watched a little girl run toward her mother, throwing herself happily into her arms.

​Unconsciously, Javier rested her hand flat against her stomach. "Our baby..." she murmured softly. "I'm sorry. I thought yesterday would become one of the happiest days of our lives." Instead, it had become the most painful.

​Her phone vibrated in her lap, showing a text from Nina: Where are you?

​The park, Javier typed back.

​Stay there. I'm coming.

​True to her word, Nina arrived half an hour later and sat down beside her, immediately handing Javier a fresh bottle of water. "You haven't eaten anything today."

​"I'm not hungry."

​"You have to think about the baby, Javier."

​Javier smiled faintly, looking down. "I know."

​Nina hesitated for a moment before asking quietly, "Have you told him yet?"

​Javier shook her head. "No. But... I left him something."

​"What?"

​"The hospital report," Javier whispered. "And one of the baby shoes."

​Nina’s eyes widened in shock. "So by now... he knows."

​Javier turned her gaze back toward the playground, a hollow feeling in her chest. "I wonder what his reaction was."

​Back at the Swan Group headquarters, Kendall Swan entered his son's executive office without knocking. He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the state Alex was in.

​Alex was slumped behind his desk, staring blankly at the open hospital report. Right beside the paperwork lay the tiny knitted baby shoe.

​Kendall’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked together. "Alex..."

​Alex slowly looked up at his father, his voice completely hoarse. "Dad... I'm going to be a father."

​A heavy silence filled the office. Kendall walked over, slowly picking up the medical report. A proud smile naturally appeared on his face, but it faded the moment he looked back down at his broken son. "Does Javier know that you know?"

​Alex lowered his head into his hands. "No. She left the house before I got home."

​Kendall let out a deep, heavy sigh. "I warned you."

​"I know."

​"I told you to protect your marriage, Alex."

​"I know."

​"I told you not to let your past destroy your present."

​Alex closed his eyes tightly, his voice cracking under the weight of his regret. "I know! I know all of it! But I realized it too late."

​Kendall placed the report firmly back on the desk. "It isn't too late. Find her. Apologize to her. And this time... don't just apologize with words. Prove it."

​Alex nodded determinedly, wiping his face. "I will."

​Just then, a soft knock interrupted them, and Camille entered the room carrying a scheduling folder. She smiled politely at first, saying, "I've organized tomorrow's schedule..."

​She trailed off, immediately sensing the suffocating atmosphere in the room. "Did something happen?"

​Alex looked at her. For the first time since her return to the city, his expression toward her was entirely different. It was cold, sharp, and completely distant.

​"Camille."

​She blinked, startled by his tone. "Yes?"

​"I need to leave," Alex said bluntly, standing up. "Cancel everything on my schedule."

​"Of course," she stammered, nodding quickly.

​But as she turned to leave the room, her eyes accidentally caught sight of the desk. The bold letters at the top of the open document immediately grabbed her attention: PREGNANCY REPORT.

​Her polite smile vanished instantly.

​Once she was outside the office doors, Camille leaned heavily against the wall, her breathing turning shallow and uneven. "Javier... she's pregnant?" Her fingers slowly curled into tight fists. "So... that's why he looked at me like that."

​For the very first time since she had come back into Alex's life, a chilling fear crept into her heart. If Javier gave Alex the child he had always desperately wanted, would there be any room left for her?

​Panicked, she pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar, unlisted number. The line connected after two rings. "It happened," Camille whispered urgently.

​The voice on the other end was calm. "What happened?"

​Camille lowered her voice further, glancing around the hallway. "Javier is pregnant."

​A long, heavy silence stretched over the line. Then, the mysterious caller let out a soft, amused laugh. "Interesting."

​"What should I do?" Camille pressed, her voice trembling.

​"Nothing," the caller replied smoothly. "Not yet. Let Alex run after his wife. The harder he chases her, the more painful his fall will be."

​Camille frowned, confused. "What do you mean by that?"

​"You'll understand soon enough," the voice said coldly, and the line went dead.

​Camille stared blankly at her phone screen, a strange, ominous feeling settling deep in her chest. For the first time, she began to realize that this situation was growing into something much bigger—and more dangerous—than she had ever imagined.

​Meanwhile, Alex drove frantically through the city, stopping at every single location Javier loved. He checked the art gallery, their favorite local café, the small bookstore where they had first crossed paths, and the riverside walkway where they used to stroll.

​Nothing. She was nowhere to be found.

​As the sun began to set, painting the sky in deep shades of orange, his phone suddenly rang through the car's speakers. He answered it instantly. "Did you find her?"

​It was the head housekeeper, her voice tense. "No, sir. But... we found Madam's car."

​Alex gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Where?"

​"The car is parked outside St. Mary's Hospital, sir."

​Alex’s heart nearly stopped in his chest. "The hospital?"

​"Yes, sir."

​Without another word, Alex slammed his foot down on the accelerator, weaving dangerously through traffic. He had only one terrifying thought repeating in his mind over and over again: Please... let my wife and my baby be safe.