Chapter 8

I awoke in a sterile, unfamiliar room, my body feeling strangely light. My hand instinctively reached for my stomach, but instead of the swollen, aching belly I had grown accustomed to, I found my abdomen flat and empty.

Panic surged through me, and I tried to sit up, but a searing pain shot through my lower abdomen, causing me to gasp in agony.

A voice beside me, deep and soothing, urged me to lie still. I turned my head, and there he was—the stranger who had come to my rescue in the forest. His face held a mix of relief and concern as he leaned closer.

"You're finally awake," he said, his voice a comforting presence in the sterile room. I struggled to remember the events that had led me here—the fall in the forest, and the desperate need for help to save my baby.

"What happened?" I managed to croak, my throat parched. I needed to know the fate of the child I had fought so hard to protect.

The stranger—Leo, he had said—looked at me with a sad expression. "The doctors will explain ev