Chapter 2

I've always been sensitive to anesthesia. Daniel knew that. He would never let me wake up mid-surgery.

A searing pain ripped across my belly. A dark premonition coiled in my gut.

I struggled to prop myself up, only to see a stranger's face.

He was making the first incision across my lower abdomen. My eyes widened, and I shrieked.

“Who are you?! Why isn't Daniel performing my surgery?!”

“Daniel said he would save my baby, even cancel his lecture for me! Why is it you now? You're in the wrong place, aren't you?!”

The man was startled that I'd woken up. He quickly explained:

“Ms. Miller, I'm Dr. Miller's colleague, Dr. Evans. Your situation is critical. If we don't operate now, you might even lose your uterus.”

“Before you went into surgery, a patient named Chloe fainted from stress, and Dr. Miller went to stabilize her pregnancy.”

“Dr. Miller said her number was before yours. He couldn't break protocol, even for his wife. But he was very responsible, he said, and specifically called me in to operate on you. I'm the only one who can save your uterus.”

But I wanted my baby. I could still feel a heartbeat inside me.

My baby hadn't even seen the world. He'd fought so hard to grow this big, and I hadn't even had the chance to name him 'Jumpy'.

I refused to let him die like this.

I bit down hard, pushed the doctor away, clutching my profusely bleeding stomach.

I gritted my teeth against the searing pain, rolling off the bed, stumbling and screaming Daniel's name at the top of my lungs.

“Daniel! Get out here! Please! Save our baby! You promised you'd protect him!”

“Daniel, I don't blame you! Just save our baby, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened, okay? Our baby, the one we waited so long for, he kicked your hand last night, remember? How could you forget?”

“Please, don't be so cruel! Please, I'm begging you, save him!”

Strange looks were cast my way, and whispers broke out.

“Is this woman crazy? Dr. Miller's in surgery. She's yelling for him to come out!”

“She looks like Dr. Miller's wife. But even a wife can't be that demanding, expecting him to abandon another patient to save her first. How selfish!”

But I didn't care about their scornful words. I just kept wailing, over and over.

The relentless blood loss streamed down my thighs, leaving a winding crimson trail everywhere I stumbled.

Dr. Evans rushed after me, steadying my swaying body, pleading with me to go back.

“Are you trying to kill yourself? It's just one baby. You can always have another one with Dr. Miller, can't you?”

I gritted my teeth, stubbornly pushing him away.

As long as there was one shred of hope for my baby, I wouldn't give up.

Finally, I found Daniel in another operating room.

He was performing surgery, his face grim with concentration. My eyes lit up. I threw myself against the glass window, screaming.

“Daniel! Our baby's still alive! He's still alive! Please, just this once, can you make an exception for me?”

“I can't lose him, Daniel. Please.”

My hands were weak, so I pounded my head against the glass, begging him to see me.

Daniel's steady hand suddenly trembled. He slowly looked up, finally seeing me, disheveled and sobbing.

I felt his body stiffen for a split second. I ignored it all, desperately pleading with him to choose me for once.

But the next second, Chloe on the operating table winced. Daniel's gaze snapped back to her.

His mask shifted. A nurse came out, and without a word, pushed anesthetic into my arm.

All strength drained from me. I slumped to the floor.

The nurse turned to Dr. Evans, who was still trailing me.

“Dr. Miller instructed that she's sensitive to anesthesia, so use a heavier dose. If the baby can't be saved, don't worry about it. Just save her uterus.”

“He's at a critical point in his surgery. If you can't keep this patient under control and she disturbs Dr. Miller again, he'll make sure you fail your annual review.”