Chapter 006:

Alicia's POV

We were so close. The strength of a man’s muscular body easily stopped my fall.

I didn’t expect Andrew to help me find my balance. He helped me find my footing on the ground, and then quickly kept his distance from me.

His hand, which had helped me, was clenched into a fist and placed behind his back.

“Are you okay?” I felt his words soften for a moment.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a lack of sleep.”

“You should stay at home to find your peace.” He rarely shows his care for me, so I caught this opportunity.

“Please, Andrew, I need the answer. In our three years of marriage and our years of acquaintance, please don’t be so cruel to me.” I was nearly begging for his reply.

“Alicia, not every question has an answer, for me or for you.”

What did he mean?

“I don’t understand you, Andrew.”

I saw him go back to his desk, seemingly lost in thought. His face turned cold again.

“Just leave my office.”

“No. I’m not leaving. Andrew, I’ve changed my question to one that is simple, easy, and short.”

I bet the first half of my life on this question.

“Do you love me?”

His eyes looked at me darkly, and something was about to come out.

The silence in the room seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, suffocating me.

Goddess, please don’t let him be so cruel to me.

Tears flowed from my eyes, and I couldn’t control them anymore.

The silence was unbearable.

His terrible silence completely broke me down. The raw hurt I felt was almost overwhelming.

I had come seeking answers, a glimpse of the man I once loved, but instead, I was met with his brutal coldness.

“I…” Just as he was about to respond, the door was pushed open, and Liam, his beta, walked in.

“Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but the Zoom meeting with Sierra Cure Pharmaceuticals is about to begin!” he announced, bowing his head to Andrew.

“You didn’t interrupt; she was just leaving!” He didn’t continue his previous words and avoided my question again.

The sting of his attitude killed me a thousand times today. I could not bear it anymore. I spun on my heel, unable to stay in that painful, humiliating place any longer.

I fled from his office, the harshness of his words and his silence to my question echoing in my mind as I fought to hold back the tears on my face.

As I rushed toward the stairs, I saw Veronica striding by with a smug expression. She barely glanced at me, her presence a clear contrast to my own.

She entered Andrew’s office without knocking, as if she had been here so many times, and the sight was a punch to the gut. She wasn’t dismissed or treated with disdain; she was allowed to stay, even though Andrew had claimed he was busy.

The unfairness of it all, and the realization that she was given a place I was so cruelly denied, left me feeling utterly broken.

“I should have known this, Andrew. I should have seen the clear picture earlier,” I mumbled softly, the thoughts of getting a divorce beginning to take hold in my mind.

The truth was obvious, even when Andrew didn’t say a single word to me about it.

This only proved that Veronica was the one near his side.

With my fingers clenched, I stormed out of the company, got into my car, and yelled at the top of my lungs.

I slammed my fist against the car's steering wheel, frustration and regret boiling over. All I wanted was to go back in time and fix the mistakes I’d made. I craved love and reassurance, but Andrew was never going to provide that.

As I struggled to steady my racing thoughts, my phone’s shrill ring pierced through my despair. I snatched it up, my voice trembling as I answered, “Yes?”

“Your mother’s condition has worsened, Luna Alicia… she’s just been rushed to the emergency unit!” Doctor Albert's voice was laced with urgency and fear.

My heart leapt into my throat, the gravity of the situation hitting me like a sledgehammer. “I’ll be there right away!” I managed to choke out.

Panic surged through me as I hung up, dropping the phone onto the passenger seat. I turned the ignition and sped toward the hospital, every second feeling like an eternity.

My mind was consumed by a single, desperate thought: reaching the hospital to see my mother.

Each turn was made with urgency, my hands gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity as I didn’t think twice while driving.

Just as I passed a crossroad, the screech of tires and the blare of a massive truck suddenly veering into my lane and barreling toward me filled the air.

How? My eyes widened in horror as the truck closed in with alarming speed. My heart pounded in my chest at this point.

My breath came in ragged gasps, and my mind raced with thoughts of death.

With my fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, I desperately tried to steer my car away from the disaster looming ahead.

“Please…” I whispered a silent plea to the Moon Goddess, hoping for a miracle, but nothing seemed to change; I couldn’t control the car.

Just as the massive vehicle loomed dangerously close to my car’s headlight, I screamed and turned the steering wheel hard, and the car spun 360 degrees.

The car successfully maneuvered out of the path of danger, narrowly avoiding a crash.

Sweat streamed down my face as I gasped for breath, my heart racing as if I’d just had a near-fatal scare.

“Thank you, Moon Goddess, for saving me!” I muttered, trying my best to calm my nerves when thoughts of my mother came crashing into my mind.

“Mom!” I exclaimed, my eyes bulging out as I turned the car engine on again.

At full speed but being cautious, I headed straight for the hospital and sprinted toward the emergency unit, directed by the nurse, my heart pounding as I saw the door still marked with the “Still Operating” sign at the top.

Thank Goddess, I was not late.

I kept my gaze fixed on the emergency unit door, my heart pounding furiously in my chest.

I had come so close to losing my own life, yet somehow, I had survived.

I sincerely prayed the Moon Goddess would give my mom the same luck, for I was willing to share my life with her.

My lower lip was caught between my teeth, my frustration manifesting in the anxious back-and-forth of my movements.

All I wanted was one piece of news—that my mother was okay, that she was safe and fine.

The minutes dragged on, each second stretching into what felt like an eternity, and still, there was no sign of the doctor emerging with news.

As my anxiety mounted, Andrew’s face flashed in my mind. I momentarily pushed aside the sting of how he had dismissed me earlier.

Desperation overruled my pride as I reached for my phone, dialing his number with trembling fingers.

“Andrew, pick up. Please!” I whispered, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

My voice cracked with the sadness of my plea, each ring of the phone echoing my growing fear.

Despite my countless attempts, Andrew’s phone went unanswered. It felt as though he didn’t care at all, and each unanswered call only deepened my reason to get a divorce.

Just as I was about to make one final attempt to reach him, the emergency unit door swung open.

Dr. Albert and the nurses who had been working tirelessly on my mother began to walk out, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and, even more frightening, regret.

I abandoned my attempt to call Andrew, my mind fixated solely on the doctor. I rushed toward him, my heart pounding in my chest as I grappled with a surge of hope and fear.

“Doctor?” My voice wavered as I grabbed his shoulder, my hands trembling with emotion.

“What is the situation? How is she? Has she woken up yet?” I implored, my eyes searching his face for any sign of good news.

Dr. Albert lifted his gaze to meet mine, slowly pulling down his face mask. His eyes, weary and filled with a profound sorrow, met mine.

“Luna Alicia, we are…” he started, but his words trailed off as he shook his head, unable to continue.

I blinked rapidly, desperately trying to hold back the tears that threatened to overflow.

I could see it in his eyes—the sadness that seemed to seep from him, the quiet disappointment, and the deep, gnawing grief. The realization struck me with a shattering force.

“It can’t be, right?” I stammered, my voice trembling as I shook my head in disbelief, my grip on his shoulder loosening.

“We tried our best, Luna Alicia, but your mother couldn’t be saved. I’m so sorry… she’s dead.”