Chapter 2

2.

Waking up in this new life, my first instinct had still been to call Gavin, but the line remained dead.

It was not until Devin mentioned Gavin taking the best delivery team to save Alina that realization hit me.

Gavin had been reborn too.

Was the baby in my womb not his as well? Why was he so heartless toward us, and what did I ever do wrong?

During our three years of marriage, did he not know how many bitter medications I choked down, and how many painful hormone injections I took just to conceive?

Gavin and I met through a blind date, and for him, I quit my job back home and moved to his bustling city without hesitation.

After my parents tragically died in a car crash shortly after our wedding, I yearned desperately for a family bonded by blood.

Because Gavin constantly worked overtime and pulled late shifts at the clinic, his fertility was low, making this pregnancy an absolute miracle.

The moment I saw the positive test, I wept with joy.

Gavin promised back then that he would build a warm, loving home for us, and I believed him with all my heart.

We decorated the nursery together, handpicking every safe, organic material for our baby.

I looked forward to our child's arrival every single day, forcing myself to swallow nutritious meals even through severe morning sickness.

I thought I would become a happy mother, watching my baby grow up healthy and loved.

Yet Alina's sudden return quietly derailed everything.

Gavin started making frequent excuses to stay out late, and when he was home, he was glued to his phone, texting non-stop.

I once suspected he was having an affair.

But he defended himself openly and casually.

"Stop overthinking. Alina is married and already pregnant. I only see her as a little sister."

His reasoning sounded solid, so I let go of my suspicions to focus on my pregnancy.

I never noticed the dark undercurrents threatening to tear our peaceful marriage apart.

Fighting against the howling wind, I dragged my heavy body into the bathroom inch by inch.

The moment I shut and locked the door, I let out a shaky breath of relief.

I was safe, for now.

I pulled out a small silver prayer charm from my pocket.

Gavin had personally gone to a chapel to have it blessed, filling it with heartfelt prayers for our baby's long life.

"My little one must live a long, wonderful life!" he had smiled back then.

I had kept it against my chest, waiting to put it around my baby's neck the second he arrived.

Looking at it now, I only felt a bitter, hollow irony.

Outside, the storm shrieked louder, rattling the bathroom door violently.

I curled up on the cold tile floor, clutching my belly as I waited for rescue.

Cramps tore through me in relentless waves, and my dress was soaked in crimson before I even realized it.

Even without prior delivery experience, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.

Minutes dragged like hours, and just as despair threatened to swallow me, I heard Devin shouting my name from the wreckage outside.

Hope flared in my chest, and I croaked out a weak response.

The gale was brutal, and entering a living room with no windows was extremely hazardous, making their progress slow.

Fortunately, several neighbors heard that a pregnant woman was trapped and rushed in to help.

"The door is jammed! Grab the crowbar, let's pry it open!"

"Careful, she's pregnant, don't hurt her!"

"Sadie, hang in there! We're getting you out right now!"

Neighbors I barely exchanged polite nods with in the hallway were now risking their lives to pull me from the rubble.

Yet the man who had shared my bed for three years did not care whether I lived or died.

Resting a trembling hand on my belly, I let out a tearful, bitter whisper.

"Hold on, little one... You're the only family I have left."

With everyone pulling together, they managed to pry the door open and rush me onto an emergency stretcher.

The paramedic examined me the moment the ambulance doors closed, his face darkening instantly.

The situation was critical.

"Stop the bleeding immediately! Severe hemorrhage with preterm labor, she's in critical condition!"

"The fetal heartbeat is gone. We lost the baby. Focus all efforts on saving the mother!"

Hearing that my baby was gone, darkness washed over me, and I passed out.