Chapter 2

"Baby, don't worry. I'm here. I'll handle everything."

Ethan comforted a sobbing Chloe, gently rubbing her back before finally walking over to the wrecked taxi.

Only then did he notice me, drenched in blood, slumped in the backseat.

When his eyes met my bloodshot, wild stare,

a flash of intense guilt flickered in the depths of his eyes.

He panicked and reached out to check my wounds,

but I flinched, dragging my broken body away from his touch.

His brows furrowed, an impatient scowl instantly replacing his worry.

"Serena, stop throwing a tantrum. This is not the time."

"Chloe doesn't know she was the one who hit you. You must not tell her."

"Otherwise, she will be consumed by guilt."

I had almost lost my life in the crash,

yet his very first thought was to protect Chloe from feeling bad.

I opened my mouth, wanting to scream, to ask him why I was the only one on mute,

but a sharp, tearing pain suddenly ripped through my lower abdomen.

I felt a warm, terrifying gush of fluid flowing out of me.

Instinctively, I grabbed the hem of Ethan's coat.

"It hurts, Ethan... Save me... Our baby... I think our baby is..."

The ambulance, which the taxi driver had called for me, finally arrived, sirens blaring.

Watching the paramedics rush out with a stretcher,

I dragged myself toward them with everything I had.

For my baby, I had to fight, even if it meant crawling through the dirt.

But right as my hand was about to reach the stretcher,

Ethan stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

He pointed at Chloe, who was sitting comfortably in his passenger seat, and spoke to the medics with absolute authority.

"That lady over there has a congenital heart condition. She needs to go to the hospital for an emergency evaluation right now."

Then, he casually pointed back at me.

"As for her, she's always been incredibly healthy. She once walked home in a freezing storm for two hours and didn't even catch a cold."

"She can wait for the next ambulance."

I stared at Ethan, completely paralyzed by shock. My throat felt like it was swallowing hot coals.

Using every ounce of strength left in my lungs, I let out a guttural scream.

"Ethan Vance, are you insane?! Chloe is perfectly fine! I am pregnant with your child!"

The paramedic nearby was sweating with anxiety. She knelt down, quickly assessed my condition, and warned Ethan with an urgent tone.

"Sir, this lady is bleeding heavily from her lower body. She is showing clear signs of an impending miscarriage. Her situation is extremely critical. She must go first!"

Yet, there was not a single hint of pity in Ethan's eyes.

He didn't even look down at me. His voice was freezing cold and unyielding.

"I know my wife. She has a strong constitution. She can hold on."

"I am her legal guardian and husband. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility."

Having no choice, the paramedics had to follow his orders. They pushed the stretcher toward Chloe.

They carefully secured her inside.

The ambulance siren wailed again, cold and piercing.

Ethan followed her in. Right before stepping into the vehicle,

he finally threw a pitiful glance back at me.

"Serena, just wait here. We'll meet at the hospital later."

I froze on the wet asphalt, my body turning cold as ice. Every breath I took felt like inhaling glass.

By the time the second ambulance arrived, the pain had pushed me to the brink of consciousness.

Inside the emergency room, a nurse ran around frantically, holding a consent form.

"The patient is hemorrhaging! We can't save the fetus. We need to perform an emergency D&C procedure immediately, or she will go into hemorrhagic shock! Where is her family?!"

But at that moment, Ethan was in the VIP wing, keeping Chloe company during her full-body scan.

The hospital intercom blared over and over.

"Will the family of patient Serena Vance please come to the emergency room immediately to sign the surgical consent form!"

The announcement echoed clearly throughout the entire diagnostic building.

Ethan froze. He instinctively stood up, an ominous feeling creeping into his heart.

He took a step, wanting to head down to the ER to check on me.

But before he could take another step, a warm, delicate hand tightly grabbed his wrist.