Chapter 2

2.

The hospital was a whirlwind of noise and chaos when I finally arrived.

"Did you see Silas Thorne? He carried a woman into the ER himself."

"I thought he was some kind of modern saint. They said he didn't even touch women."

"That girl looks familiar. She's the spitting image of his old flame, Jade."

"The one who died? No wonder he's acting crazy. He probably thinks she's back from the dead."

I lay on a gurney, my body turning cold as ice.

When I first arrived in this world, Jade had just passed away. Silas had just started his life of asceticism.

The System warned me he was an impossible target. I didn't believe it.

I was convinced that every man had a heart that could be reached.

I was wrong. Some hearts are just empty voids.

Once they wheeled me into surgery, the System spoke again. 【The bullet hit your abdomen. You should be dead, but I'm keeping you alive until the portal is ready.】

【By the way, you were pregnant. The bullet struck the little life inside you. It didn't make it.】

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"What?" I gasped in my mind.

"I was pregnant?"

【Yes. Didn't you know?】

I had no idea.

Silas and I rarely shared a bed. The only time it happened was on the anniversary of Jade's death. He was wasted.

He called me Jade the entire night.

I thought it was just a one-time mistake. I never thought I'd be carrying his child.

【Host, the child is gone.】

【I hope you can find some peace during your final three days.】

Tears fell like boiling water against my skin.

Silas was the only person I had ever truly loved in all my missions.

I had secretly dreamed of having a family with him.

Now, that dream was a corpse.

I would never forget how he shoved me into the line of fire at the concert.

He didn't hesitate for a second to protect Chloe.

Eight years meant nothing compared to a face that reminded him of the past.

When I finally woke up in a private room, Silas was there.

He was lying in the bed next to mine, his expression unreadable.

"Are you... okay?" he asked.

I looked at the thick bandages covering my stomach and let out a dry laugh. "What do you think?"

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice low.

"It was an emergency. I just wanted to get Chloe to safety. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Also, about my legs... I only faked it to stop my family from pushing me into an arranged marriage."

His tone was as polite and distant as ever.

Eight years, and we were still like polite strangers.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," I said.

In the future, we will be nothing to each other.

I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud yet.

Despite everything, the ghost of my love still haunted me.

"Don't worry. I've hired the best specialists to take care of you," he added.

Once, I would have been touched by his concern.

Now, it just made me want to throw up.

"No need," I replied coldly, turning my back on him.