Chapter 2

Natalie POV

The private hospital's air conditioning ran at full blast. The instant the needle pierced my skin, I felt no pain.

This was my ninety-ninth ovarian stimulation injection.

"Natalie, this is the last viable embryo we have." The doctor looked at my abdomen, covered in bruises, with sympathy in her eyes. "Is Mr. Sterling still not coming to sign today? Without your spouse present to sign, we cannot transfer this embryo for you."

I lowered my lashes, my fingertips gripping the phone turning an unnatural pale color.

On the screen, I'd sent Adrian thirty-six messages and made over a dozen calls. Without exception, all had gone unanswered.

"He's... busy." I forced out a smile uglier than crying. "Doctor, can we wait a bit longer? He promised he'd definitely come today."

The doctor sighed, about to speak, when the LCD TV on the wall suddenly interrupted with breaking international news.

"A major avalanche struck a canyon in Switzerland. Our country's renowned extreme rock climber Adrian Sterling, three hours ago, free-soloed a sheer cliff face without protection to successfully rescue his former partner, Sophie Lane..."

On screen, wind and snow raged.

The man I'd been waiting for an entire day and night wore a thin windbreaker, clutching a woman tightly in his arms. His hands, those hands he took such pride in, those hands insured for hundreds of millions, now gripped the rock face. Blood dripped from between his fingers onto the snow, a shocking sight.

When the reporter thrust the microphone toward him, Adrian gasped for breath, but his eyes held a fervor and relief I'd never seen before.

"As long as she's safe, I'd be willing even if it cost me these hands."

I stared at the screen, my heart seized by an invisible hand, each breath tasting of blood.

He'd sacrifice his hands.

Yet he knew full well that today was the most important day of my life.

Adrian had azoospermia.

Three years ago when we got the diagnosis, this prideful rock climbing genius locked himself in a dark room for an entire week. I was the one who stayed with him, kissing his trembling spine over and over, telling him. "It's okay if we don't have children. I only need you."

But Adrian's soul was too proud. He felt he'd wronged me, even suggested divorce.

To soothe his ego, I volunteered to do IVF.

Punctures, egg retrievals, failures, trying again. Over three years, I'd put myself through hell, forcing out this one last successfully matched embryo from his body that had been practically sentenced to death.

Last night, he'd held me, kissing the needle marks on my abdomen, his voice tender enough to drip water. "Nat, tomorrow I'll be there with you. We'll bring our baby home."

But now, he was in Switzerland, holding another woman.

Sophie.

The first love who'd pursued Adrian for seven years, who once broke her leg saving him.

"Natalie?" The doctor called out tentatively.

I closed my eyes as tears finally fell onto my hand. I took a deep breath, my voice terribly hoarse. "Never mind. This embryo... destroy it."

"Are you certain? This is your last chance."

"I'm certain."

I stood, didn't spare the TV screen another glance, and walked out of the examination room.

The sunlight outside was blinding. Standing on a New York street, I suddenly felt cold.

I remembered five years ago, when Adrian was pursuing me, he carved my name with pitons into a snow-covered mountain at 16,000 feet elevation.

He said. "Natalie, I've entrusted my life to the mountains, but my heart will forever hang from your carabiner."

However earth-shattering his devotion once was, that's how heartbreaking his betrayal felt now.

I'd endured three years of physical torture for him, while he'd risk his very life for Sophie.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

A message from Adrian, just one cold sentence. "Emergency situation in Switzerland. Postponing the transfer procedure. We'll proceed when I get back."

Postpone?

He didn't even ask if today's injection hurt, didn't offer a single explanation. Just casually pronounced a death sentence on the procedure.

I stared at those words for a long time, my fingers trembling as I typed a reply. "No need to postpone, Adrian. We're done."

Message failed to send.

He'd blocked my messages.

I suddenly laughed, laughed until tears came.

How absurd. I was here in agony while he found even my messages annoying.