Jim and I arrived at the abandoned building before the police did.

As soon as the car stopped, Jim parked farther away from the entrance to avoid drawing attention.

"Sir, should we wait for the police first?" he asked cautiously.

I glanced toward the dark building ahead before opening the car door.

"I can’t wait."

"Sir, it’s too dangerous—"

I didn’t let him finish.

I was already walking toward the building.

How was I supposed to wait any longer when I had no idea what situation Alicia was in right now?

Every second that passed made the fear inside me grow worse.

What if I was already too late?

The thought alone made my chest tighten violently.

I moved quietly through the abandoned building, my footsteps echoing faintly in the darkness.

The air smelled damp and rotten.

Then, as I approached one of the rooms deeper inside, I suddenly heard voices.

"...such a waste getting rid of her."

"Yeah. She’s actually pretty."

"Let’s have some fun first—"

My expression darkened instantly.

Get rid of her?

Rage exploded through me.

Without thinking, I kicked the door open violently.

Bang!

The scene inside instantly sent my fury spiraling out of control.

Alicia was lying on the floor covered in blood.

Her face was swollen badly, blood staining her skin and clothes while three men surrounded her.

One of them was gripping the hem of her blouse, clearly trying to tear it open.

My mind went blank.

I strode forward and yanked him away from her violently, throwing him backward.

"What the fuc—"

The man stopped mid-curse the moment he recognized me.

His face turned pale instantly.

The other two immediately stepped forward warily.

"How did you get in here?" one of them snapped nervously.

For a moment, it looked like they were about to attack me.

Then suddenly—

Police sirens echoed loudly from outside the building.

"The police are here!"

Panic spread across their faces immediately.

Before I could stop them, all three turned and ran toward the back exit in chaos.

I didn’t even bother chasing after them.

The moment they disappeared, I dropped to Alicia’s side.

"Alicia."

My hands trembled slightly as I untied the ropes binding her wrists.

When I saw the injuries on her face clearly up close, my breathing nearly stopped.

An unbearable pain struck my chest instantly.

I carefully lifted her into my arms.

She felt frighteningly cold.

"Let’s go," I said hoarsely. "I’m taking you to the hospital."

Her fingers weakly grabbed onto my sleeve.

Her eyes struggled to stay open as she looked at me.

"Hurry..." she whispered weakly. "My ba..."

Her voice faded before I could hear the rest clearly.

Fear gripped me instantly.

"Alicia."

I carried her out of the building quickly while police vehicles screeched to a halt outside. Officers rushed past us toward the building as another car engine suddenly roared somewhere behind the property.

The police immediately gave chase.

But my attention remained completely fixed on Alicia.

I carefully carried her into the car.

"To the hospital. Now."

Jim immediately started the engine.

Alicia’s eyes were slowly closing in my arms.

Panic surged through me.

"Don’t close your eyes," I said quickly, holding her tighter. "Just stay awake a little longer. Please."

My heartbeat pounded violently the entire drive.

I couldn’t even keep track of time anymore.

All I knew was that when we arrived at the hospital, the medical staff were already waiting outside because of the emergency call I had made earlier.

I laid Alicia carefully onto the stretcher as they rushed her toward the emergency room.

I followed closely behind without stopping.

I couldn’t lose her.

Not like this.

Not now.

Not ever.

The moment the emergency room doors closed, the red light above them turned on.

Only then did I finally stop moving.

Exhaustion hit me all at once as I sank heavily into a nearby chair.

And that was when I noticed it.

A dark stain spread across my black suit pants.

Blood.

My breathing faltered.

The blood on Alicia’s face hadn’t been enough to soak through my clothes like this.

Then where had this blood come from?

A terrible thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Was she bleeding somewhere else?

The realization made panic surge through me all over again.

I stood abruptly and walked back toward the emergency room doors even though they remained tightly shut...

I paced outside the emergency room for what felt like an eternity.

Every second stretched unbearably long.

Finally, the doors opened.

A doctor stepped out, removing his mask as he walked toward me.

I immediately stepped forward.

"How is she?" My voice sounded tighter than I expected.

The doctor sighed slightly.

"We’ve stabilized her condition for now."

My tense shoulders loosened a little.

"Her facial injuries are external. Once the wounds heal, proper scar treatment should prevent any lasting marks."

Before I could fully relax, his expression turned serious again.

"However, due to the trauma from the incident, she is currently at high risk of miscarriage."

My mind went blank.

"...Miscarriage?"

I froze where I stood.

For several seconds, I couldn’t process his words at all.

Then I finally looked up at him.

"What did you say?" My voice had become almost inaudible.

The doctor frowned slightly, clearly surprised by my reaction.

"You didn’t know?"

His tone sharpened instantly.

"What kind of husband are you? Your wife is already four months pregnant, and this is the first time you’re hearing about it?"

Four months.

My expression stiffened completely.

Four months ago...

Back then, our relationship hadn’t deteriorated this badly yet.

Alicia was already pregnant at that time?

Did she know?

I suddenly remembered asking her once—

If she ever became pregnant, would she still insist on divorcing me?

And she had answered coldly that even if there was a child, she wouldn’t keep it.

At the time, I thought she truly meant it.

But now...

If she had already been carrying this child back then, then those words must have only been spoken out of anger.

Because there was no way Alicia would willingly hurt our baby.

A strange warmth suddenly surged through my chest so violently it almost hurt.

Shock.

Relief.

Joy.

Fear.

All of it tangled together at once.

Just when I thought our marriage had already reached its end...

Fate suddenly handed me another chance.

And this time, I refused to let go of it.