Chapter 5 TOO LATE

​Alex's black Rolls-Royce screeched to a halt outside St. Mary's Hospital. Before the security guard could even step forward to greet him, Alex was already sprinting toward the entrance, his heartbeat thundering like cannon fire in his ears.

​Please... let her be alright, he prayed desperately. Please let our baby be alright.

​He rushed up to the reception desk, out of breath. "I'm looking for my wife."

​The receptionist looked up, startled by his frantic demeanor. "Sir, may I have her name?"

​"Javier Swan."

​The woman typed quickly into her computer. A few seconds later, a frown marred her features. "Mrs. Swan checked in this morning."

​Alex's heart clenched tightly. "Where is she?"

​"I'm sorry, sir. She was discharged over an hour ago."

​Alex felt the blood drain completely from his face. "Discharged? Yes, but... did something happen to her?"

​"I'm afraid I can't disclose a patient's private medical information, sir."

​Alex closed his eyes as a wave of defeat washed over him. He had arrived too late. Again.

​Outside the hospital, he stood silently beside Javier's parked car. The driver's seat was empty. He rested one heavy hand on the roof, staring at his own hollow reflection in the tinted window.

​"You promised..." he whispered to himself, his voice thick with regret. "You promised you'd always protect her."

​Instead, he had become the very reason she cried.

​His phone began to ring, the screen displaying his father's name. Alex answered immediately. "Dad."

​"Did you find her?" Kendall asked.

​"No. She's gone."

​A heavy, suffocating silence followed over the line. Finally, Kendall spoke with quiet authority. "Come home. We'll figure this out."

​Alex looked at the empty parking space beside him. "I don't deserve to go home."

​"You deserve whatever consequences come next, Alex," Kendall said bluntly. "But hiding in a parking lot won't fix your marriage. Get back here."

​Alex took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'll be there."

​At the exact same time, Javier was sitting inside Nina's apartment. The curtains were drawn tightly against the daylight, and a warm cup of tea rested untouched on the coffee table.

​Nina emerged from the kitchen, holding a steaming bowl. "You should eat something."

​"I'm not hungry, Nina."

​"You have to stop saying that," Nina chided gently, placing the bowl of soup directly in front of her. "You're not eating for just one anymore."

​Javier instinctively placed her hand over her flat stomach, a bittersweet warmth spreading through her. "I know," she smiled sadly, looking up. "I'll try."

​Nina hesitated for a moment before sitting down opposite her. "Are you going to go home tonight?"

​Javier stared blankly into the soup. "I don't know. I don't think I can face him right now."

​"You still love him, don't you?"

​"I do."

​"Then why run away?"

​Javier looked up, her expression fiercely resolute despite her tears. "I'm not running away, Nina. I'm protecting what's left of my heart. And now..." She gently rubbed her stomach. "I'm protecting someone else's heart, too."

​Back at Swan Mansion, Alex walked through the front doors carrying the crumpled hospital report. The grand house looked exactly as it had the night before, except the anniversary decorations had all been meticulously cleared away by the staff.

​Only one thing remained on the side table: their wedding photograph.

​Alex picked up the silver frame. He remembered that day vividly. Javier had smiled at him with tears of pure joy in her eyes, whispering, "Promise me... no matter how busy life gets, we'll always choose each other."

​He had smiled back, entirely certain of his words. "I promise."

​Alex shut his eyes tightly against the memory. "I broke it."

​"Son."

​Alex turned around to see Kendall standing in the doorway. His father had been watching him silently for some time.

​"I've never seen you look like this," Kendall observed quietly.

​Alex let out a bitter, joyless laugh. "I deserve it."

​Kendall walked closer, his gaze piercing. "Do you know what your biggest mistake was in all of this?"

​Alex nodded slowly. "I went to Camille when I should have come home."

​Kendall shook his head. "No. Your mistake was forgetting that every decision you make sends a message."

​Alex frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

​"When you chose to spend your anniversary night with Camille, you weren't just leaving a dinner party," Kendall explained, his voice heavy. "You were telling your wife that she came second."

​Alex lowered his head, the truth cutting deep. "I never meant to send that message."

​"I know you didn't," Kendall replied softly. "But intentions don't erase consequences." Those words struck Alex harder than any physical blow.

​The next morning, the Swan Group headquarters was absolutely buzzing with corporate gossip.

​"Have you heard? Madam hasn't come to work at all."

"I heard she packed up and left the mansion."

"Do you think they're getting a divorce?"

​The whispers stopped instantly the moment Camille stepped out of the executive elevator. She kept her head held high, walking down the corridor as though she hadn't heard a single word.

​She knocked softly on the door of Alex's private office.

​"Come in," a tired voice called out.

​Alex didn't even look up from his desk as she entered.

​"Your nine o'clock board meeting is ready," Camille announced professionally.

​"Cancel it."

​Camille blinked. "The board meeting? The one with the directors?"

​"Cancel it."

​"What about the investors from Singapore?"

​"Reschedule them," Alex commanded flatly.

​Camille stared at him, genuinely shocked. "Alex, you've never canceled a major meeting before in your entire career."

​Alex finally raised his eyes to meet hers, his gaze completely hollow. "My wife is missing, Camille."

​Camille's professional facade softened into an expression of deep sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

​Alex stood up, pulling his jacket on. "I have something to ask of you. I need to take some extended time away from the office."

​Camille nodded immediately. "I understand. I'll handle everything here while you're gone."

​Alex hesitated for a split second. "Thank you."

​As he turned and walked toward the door, Camille suddenly called out after him. "Alex!" He stopped, waiting. She forced a reassuring smile to her lips. "You'll find her."

​"I hope so," he muttered quietly before slipping out, the heavy door clicking shut behind him.

​Left alone in the massive office, Camille's supportive smile slowly evaporated into a mask of cold realization. She whispered to the empty room, "So... you really do love her."

​For the very first time, Camille realized she had severely underestimated Javier. Even with her own return to the city, Alex's first instinct wasn't to stay by her side—it was to abandon his empire just to search for his wife.

​Elsewhere, in a private clinic on the other side of town, Javier had just finished an unexpected follow-up checkup. The OB-GYN smiled reassuringly at her over the charts.

​"The baby is perfectly healthy, Mrs. Swan. The ultrasound looks good."

​A massive wave of relief washed over Javier. "Thank you, Doctor."

​"But," the doctor added, her tone turning serious, "you need to drastically reduce your stress levels. High emotional distress is highly dangerous during the first trimester of pregnancy."

​"I'll be careful," Javier promised softly.

​As she stepped out of the quiet consultation room and into the busy hospital corridor, her phone suddenly vibrated in her purse. It was an unlisted, unknown number. Javier almost ignored it, but a strange instinct made her swipe the screen.

​"Hello?"

​"Mrs. Swan," a calm, unfamiliar female voice spoke on the other end.

​Javier's brow furrowed. "Who is this?"

​"I know the real reason why your husband left you on your anniversary," the voice said smoothly.

​Javier's grip tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white. "What do you mean?"

​"It wasn't an accident," the woman replied, her tone chillingly precise. "There are things about Camille Mia that neither you nor Alex know anything about."

​Before Javier could open her mouth to demand answers, the line went dead. She stared blankly at the glowing screen, her heart suddenly racing a mile a minute. "What are they talking about?"

​Across the bustling hospital corridor, a woman wearing large dark sunglasses lowered her phone. A faint, calculated smile touched her lips before she turned on her heel and disappeared seamlessly into the crowded afternoon lobby.

​She had made sure Javier took the bait perfectly. The game had only just begun.