Chapter 3

03

I blew through two red lights and sprinted into the emergency room with Theo in my arms.

"Doctor! Save my baby! Please!"

Nurses and doctors rushed over immediately, whisking him away into critical care.

The red light above the emergency room clicked on.

I leaned against the wall, forcing myself to inhale deeply and steady my pounding heart.

Right now, the top priority was keeping Theo alive. Next, I needed hard evidence to expose Valerie and her family's lies.

The most undeniable proof was a DNA test.

I carefully pulled a few strands of hair with roots attached from Theo's blanket and my coat.

I turned toward the hospital's genetic testing center.

Just as I reached the stairwell, a familiar figure blocked my path.

"Declan, where do you think you're going?" Martha stood there, her face terrifyingly dark.

Two burly security guards from the postpartum retreat flanked her.

"Valerie suffered a massive postpartum hemorrhage," Martha said coldly. "Her condition is critical. You must come back right now."

A trap. My gut screamed it instantly, and I took two steps back.

Martha's sharp eyes locked onto the hair in my hand.

"What is that in your hand? Are you trying to pull another stunt? Get back to the retreat with me right now!"

"Martha, you watched me grow up!" I yelled in fury. "Why are you helping them lie to me?"

Her eyes flickered with unease for a split second before hardening again. "If you won't come willingly, don't blame me for getting rough."

She gave a signal, and the two guards grabbed my arms, pinning them behind my back.

I thrashed wildly, but their grip was like iron.

They dragged me back to the postpartum care center against my will.

When they shoved me into the VIP suite, Valerie was lying in bed, her face streaked with tears.

Brenda and several nurses stood around the bed, putting on an act of grave concern.

Seeing me forced inside, Brenda scolded me. "Mr. Mercer, you're finally back. Your behavior at the hospital was completely reckless!"

"Miss Valerie was already weak after delivery. The stress you caused triggered a massive hemorrhage. She nearly lost her uterus…"

I stared coldly at Valerie. "If it were really that serious, you'd be in an ICU, not lying in a private suite with zero surgical equipment."

I walked over to the crib and looked at the stranger's face inside.

"This is not my baby."

I pulled out my phone to show them Theo's birth photos and videos to compare.

My screen was completely clean―every single photo and video of Theo had vanished.

My scalp tingled with cold dread. I had just shown those exact photos to the police officer hours ago!

Before the panic could swallow me, my phone rang.

It was the emergency room. "Doctor, how is my son?" I asked frantically.

The doctor's voice was grave. "Mr. Mercer, the infant has a severe respiratory infection and lung failure. He needs an immediate blood transfusion."

"He has Rh-negative blood, and our blood bank is critically low. Do you or your wife have this blood type? You need to come donate immediately."

Rh-negative blood. I wasn't a match, but Valerie was.

I spun toward Valerie, pleading with everything I had. "Theo needs blood right now! Valerie, please, come to the hospital and save him!"

Valerie sneered at me with cold contempt. "That bastard has nothing to do with me. Why should I lift a finger to save him?"

I grabbed her hand, demanding the answer that was tearing my soul apart.

"You carried him for nine months! You went through so much pain to bring him into this world! How can you be so ruthless to your own child?"

Valerie snatched her hand back and let out a cold laugh.

"My son is right here in this crib. The one dying in the hospital is a dirty stray."

"I will never save him. Give up, Declan."