Nina was completely stunned. She thought the nurse must be joking. How could her baby not be here?She forced a shaky smile. "No... Nurse, you must be mistaken. I just gave birth. If my baby isn't here, where else could he be?"Nina considered other possible issues. "If my name isn't registered, the father's name should be. Check for Nash York's name. Look again."Despite trying to remain rational, Nina was starting to panic. The nurse immediately checked again."There's no record of that name either," she confirmed."That's impossible!" Nina refused to believe it. "I'll check myself! Let me look!"She was completely frantic now. Convinced the nurse had missed something, she grabbed the records to check for herself. When she did not find the name, her heart sank.Nina tried to reassure herself. "It must have been an oversight. I'll go look!"Unsure of what to do, she pretended to be calm and insisted on looking for her baby."Ma'am, you can't go in. Parents are not allowed bey
Nina’s eyes were red with tears. She stared intensely at Nash, gritting her teeth. "Nash, when will you stop lying to me? Why did you have to lie about our baby too?""I'm sorry.""Sorry? What good is that?" Nina screamed hysterically. "Can it bring our baby back? What did you do? How could our baby die? What did you do to my baby?"Nash's eyes were bloodshot as he tightly pressed his lips together, looking both cold and heartless. "He was dead at birth!"In that moment, Nina's heart broke completely. She stared into his eyes, now filled with hatred. She lunged forward and bit his arm hard.Nash did not move, enduring the pain, letting her vent her fury. Blood trickled from her mouth and dripped onto the floor.Nina continued to glare at him, biting down with such force it seemed she might tear off his flesh. The blood flowed from the bite, but Nash made no attempt to stop her, showing no expression.Seeing his lack of reaction, Nina felt it wasn't enough to release her anger an
Nina clutched the box, crying hysterically. She had never been this heartbroken before. There was nothing she could do. She would have given her life for her baby's. Why was she alive while her child was dead? She couldn't accept it.Nash approached and seeing her in such agony, his eyes were filled with a heaviness he couldn't soothe. But the reality was set, and he had to pick her up and tell her, "You can have more children. You need to pull yourself together."Nina, lost in grief, was beyond reason. The anticipation she had for her baby's arrival now turned into immense sorrow, more painful than death. Seeing Nash, her emotions became even more intense. She shoved him away forcefully, "Get away from me! What did you do? What have you done? 'You can have more children,' you say, as if it's nothing! Aren't you sad? Do you even have a heart? Did you ever love him at all?"Nash pressed his lips together, not answering her questions, and instead reached to wipe away her tears
Nina's face was smeared with dirt and tears, looking utterly disheveled. When she tried to stand up, she had no strength left and fainted. Nash caught her just in time.Now, Nina was quiet, with tears still streaming down her cheeks. Nash's deep eyes fixed on her as he gently wiped away her tears."Captain," someone called out.At that moment, they were all there. Nash cradled Nina in his arms. "Clean this place up," he ordered.Scarlett's face turned pale, and she hesitated. "Is that it? She will be heartbroken."Nash replied, "If we don't do this, she'll have nothing but death. As long as she's alive, there's hope. Even if this child is gone, she must live."To Nash, Nina's life was more important than the child's. Even if she hated him for it, he would accept that.Scarlett fell silent, unable to bear seeing Nina in such pain."Take care of the rest," Nash instructed Scarlett. "Keep her safe and remember what I told you."Scarlett responded seriously, "I understand. I w
Nina followed Scarlett's gaze."Someone's here."Scarlett went to open the door. It was Quincy who entered, not Nash. Nina's expression changed, thinking Nash had come. She glanced outside but saw no one else.Quincy came in holding a folder, which made Nina curious."Madam," Quincy nodded to her.Nina, putting her negative thoughts aside for the moment, sat up and asked coolly, "What are you here for? Where's Nash? Did he send you? What's this about?"Her tone was impatient. Quincy understood that the relationship between her and Nash was strained and would not be mended easily.Quincy took a document from the folder and said, "Mr. York sent me. He needs you to sign this document."Nina scoffed. "A document? What else is there to sign? We’ve already signed the divorce papers. What else could possibly involve me?"She was puzzled. They were technically still married because they had signed the divorce agreement but had not filed for divorce. Even so, she could not think of any
Quincy did not push further. "I'll take the documents back, but the legal process has already taken effect."Nina's brows furrowed even more. She asked again, "Where is Nash? Why isn't he here to explain this himself?"She had asked three times, and Quincy still had not answered."Do you think I won't get suspicious if you don't answer?" Nina pressed.Scarlett knew they could not keep this from Nina forever. She would find out sooner or later. It was better to tell her now than to let her imagination run wild."Captain has already left," Scarlett said.Nina turned her gaze to Scarlett, seeing the seriousness in her expression. "Where did he go?""He went to the Yaren territory," Scarlett replied."What?" Nina was shocked. "Why did he go there? Is it to get the antidote?""No," Scarlett shook her head. Seeing Nina's confusion, she continued, "Nina, haven't you noticed your health improving?"Nina was taken aback. She had found it strange, but after so long without a cure, she
Nina's throat tightened with endless bitterness, and she muttered to herself, "Is this what I wanted?"Quincy remained silent. He had witnessed the journey of Nash and Nina over the years. Nina had given her all to Nash, and Nash had done the same for her. In this moment, Quincy did not know how to respond.Nina became more agitated, her smile turning increasingly self-deprecating. "This isn't what I wanted at all!"Her voice grew louder, her emotions becoming more intense and distorted. Quincy was stunned. Mr. York had given her everything he had. What more could she want? Wasn't this a sign of his love? But Quincy could not understand that what Nina desired was Nash's presence, facing life's challenges together, not his repeated departures.Scarlett watched Nina, feeling deeply pained. She took a tissue from the bedside table and gently wiped Nina's tears. "Nina, you need to stay calm. You shouldn't cry or get upset while you're in recovery."Quincy also felt a pang of
Before Nash left, he made sure to put everything in order. He instructed Quincy to follow his directions and to take good care of Nina. A few minutes later, Quincy was gone for good. Nina remained silent, and Scarlett did not know what to say. The room was eerily quiet.Seeing Nina like this, Scarlett grew worried. "Nina, say something. You’re scaring me.""I'm fine," Nina replied. Though deeply pained, she was not someone who would simply wallow in sorrow."How about I take you out for a walk, or should I call some friends over?" Scarlett asked, seeking her opinion.Nina lay back down, turning to face away from Scarlett. "I don't want to see anyone right now.""Okay, then rest for a while," Scarlett said, deciding not to disturb her further.Scarlett walked over to the small sofa in the room and sat down. She considered leaving but thought better of it, worried about what might happen if Nina had dark thoughts. She could not just leave her alone.Scarlett waited for over five
But instead of feeling touched, Vera’s first reaction was nausea. A wave of discomfort surged up from her stomach, and Vera’s face paled. She bolted for the bathroom. Caleb followed quickly. “Are you feeling sick?” “I don’t think so. I’ve been eating normally—nothing too heavy or weird lately.” Vera clutched her stomach, just as confused as he was. Then, a possibility flashed through her mind. Caleb clearly had the same thought. Without a word, he turned and walked into their bedroom, returning moments later with a pregnancy test. Vera looked at him, stunned. “When did you buy that?” He responded matter-of-factly, “Better safe than sorry.” Vera was momentarily speechless. Five minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. It was positive. They had only been married for three months. How did this happen so fast?Caleb, on the other hand, remained composed—at le
Of course, Vera wasn’t about to dump all her responsibilities on her assistant. That would be exploitation. She called her assistant into her office. “You’re twenty-five this year, right?” Her assistant blinked, confused. Wasn’t her age common knowledge? Why was Vera suddenly bringing it up? A thought struck her. Was this an arranged marriage situation? Her face immediately filled with silent refusal. “Miss Vera, I’m still young. I’m not thinking about marriage anytime soon.” Vera tapped her pen against the desk. “I’m not telling you to get married.” “Oh.” “I just want to offload some of the smaller daily tasks to you. You don’t have to run every minor document by me.”Her assistant instantly understood. A raise. After confirming she was on board, Vera gave her a salary bump and had her hire a few more assistants to distribute the workload. “If I don’t have time to handle everything, you guys will take care of it. If something’s too complicated, jus
Vera could sense danger the moment the conversation turned in this direction. Her father had never questioned her about married life, and she was lucky enough to avoid nosy relatives. But just because she hadn’t experienced it firsthand didn’t mean she hadn’t seen it happen to others. Without hesitation, she abandoned the half-folded pastry in her hands. “I... uh, need to use the restroom.” Before she could escape, Mrs. Smith caught her wrist. “You and Caleb aren’t getting any younger,” she said matter-of-factly. “You should start thinking about kids—make sure you’re putting in the effort, hmm?” Vera left the kitchen visibly drained. Mrs. Smith was a wonderful mother-in-law, the kind who treated Vera like her own daughter. Despite knowing Vera came from a well-off family, she had still gifted them a house as a wedding present. Of course, Caleb already owned a place, but his mother had insisted. “That’s your house. This is the home I’m giving you as a weddi
That undeniable possessiveness flickered in Caleb’s gaze—subtle yet impossible to ignore. It was the kind of look a powerful man might give his beloved in an old Hollywood film. And right now, the photographer felt like the unlucky bystander who had accidentally stumbled upon an intimate scene. His voice wavered slightly, caught up in his own imagination. “Mr. Smith, lift your eyes toward the camera.” Caleb’s sharp gaze flickered over, intense and commanding. The photographer instinctively pressed the shutter. They continued with several more poses, reviewing the shots as they went. Vera loved them all, but her favorite was still the vintage-inspired one. “How long until we get the final prints?” she asked. “Two to three days at most,” the photographer replied. “I’ll have them shipped directly to you.” Then, after a slight pause, he hesitated before making a request. “I actually have a personal favor to ask—would you both be open to letting us displa
Vera was tempted. They had already taken plenty of wedding photos—several sets at the island, more at the wedding itself. But this wasn’t just any photo studio. It was privately booked and known for being one of the most prestigious studios in the city. Appointments here were nearly impossible to get. The fact that Caleb had managed to secure a session meant he had gone to great lengths to make it happen. If they were just going to take ordinary wedding pictures, it would be a waste of an opportunity. Still, she wasn’t sure what kind of shoot she wanted. The photographer, understanding her hesitation, pulled out a sample album. “You can take a look at our past work. These are some of the styles we’ve done.” Flipping through the pages, Vera saw an array of stunning concepts—each picture more breathtaking than the last. Then, one particular set caught her eye. A Golden Age Hollywood theme.It was classic, nostalgic, and beautifully atmospheric. “Ca
After the wedding, Vera considered taking some time off for a honeymoon. But the thought quickly faded when she realized Caleb had been practically living at the hospital. With a sigh, she dismissed the idea. She was used to it, but to say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. Her assistant picked up on it. “Mrs. Smith, don’t you want to go on a honeymoon?” she asked one day. “One of my friends just got married, and she’s been obsessively researching destinations. “She even said a marriage without a honeymoon is already half a failure.” Vera froze mid-page, suddenly losing interest in the documents she had been reviewing. Her assistant hesitated, then offered a suggestion. “Why don’t you go visit Dr. Smith at work?“You seem… distracted. Maybe seeing him will help.” Vera snapped out of her daze, suddenly aware of how preoccupied she had been lately. It was embarrassing to admit, but she had been zoning out far too often—especially after coming hom
Whenever they did this in the past, Caleb always maintained some restraint. But tonight—he didn’t hold back at all. He took her from the bedroom to the bathroom, then back to the bed, his searing kisses trailing every inch of her skin. The next morning, even as she woke up, Vera could still feel the lingering traces of last night’s intoxicating pleasure. As expected, she ended up taking the day off. It wasn’t until two days later that she finally returned to work. *Everyone at the company had already prepared for this. The moment Vera walked into the office, she was greeted with knowing smiles and teasing remarks. “Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!” “Newlywed bliss, huh?” “Three whole days off? Someone had a good time.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she had been up to. Obviously, her married life was going exceptionally well—so well that she had completely abandoned work for it. Under the weight of their mischievous stares, Vera barely k
Yelena still hadn’t accepted Hunter, but he wasn’t giving up either and was relentlessly closing in on her. Knowing Yelena’s soft heart, Vera figured it was only a matter of time before she gave in. She let out a sigh. Her friend’s love life wasn’t something she could interfere with. Besides, Caleb had already given her a little inside scoop. “She came to the hospital for a follow-up a few days ago,” he had mentioned casually. “Hunter was the one who brought her.” Vera had clicked her tongue at the news. Yelena always seemed quiet and reserved, but apparently, she was full of surprises.*Time flew by in the blink of an eye.By mid-month, Caleb had rented out an entire vineyard and spent several days transforming it into the perfect wedding venue.When the day arrived, the celebration took place right there.The vineyard was sprawling and elegant, every bit as grand as any luxury hotel—if not better. Even the wine cellar remained untouched, stocked with years-
“Did you plan this from the start?” Vera narrowed her eyes, feeling like she had just walked into a carefully laid trap. “Mm.” Caleb smiled, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Because yes—he had always been planning this. The biggest change in Vera’s life after the island proposal was the ring now sitting on her finger. It wasn’t just any ring. It was custom-made, something Caleb had specially ordered. She only found out by accident when she glanced at his phone one day and saw the purchase record. It had been ordered two months ago. Vera did the math and was stunned. He had been preparing for this long before she even started getting impatient. Her heart swelled with emotion. And as soon as Caleb’s parents heard that their son had finally proposed, they wasted no time pushing them to get the marriage license. *One day, Vera overheard Caleb’s mother lecturing him. “Your dad and I weren’t expecting much from you. With how much ti