Chapter 288: Deserve to Die Alone

\[Sarah\]

"When the doctors wanted to use medications that could harm the baby, Theodore didn't say a word," I said, my throat dry and my voice slightly trembling. "His silence was consent to sacrifice our child. How could he be so indifferent to his own flesh and blood as this baby's father?"

Mike struggled to find the right words. "Sarah, maybe he just trusted the doctor's professional judgment. The situation was urgent..."

"He never blindly trusts doctors," I interrupted. "When he's sick himself, doctors tell him not to smoke, yet he does anyway; they tell him not to drink, yet he still does. A man like Theodore Pierce—unless he himself is willing, no one can order him to do anything." My eyelashes fluttered as I fought back tears. "The truth is obvious: he simply doesn't want a child that might not be healthy!"

"Sarah, don't think the worst of him," Mike tried to change the subject. "I can't be certain about everything else, but he truly cares deeply for you. From the moment he learned you were kidnapped until you were successfully rescued, he barely closed his eyes. Only when the doctor said you were out of danger did he finally breathe a sigh of relief."

"I know," I took a deep breath, feeling the emotion swelling in my chest like a tide. My voice became more nasal as I fought back tears. "If he didn't love me, he wouldn't have risked everything to save me." I stared at my trembling hands, watching as they twisted the hem of my shirt into small wrinkles. "Mike, I love him too," my voice caught in my throat, the words barely making it past the lump that had formed there.

"I know," Mike said gently. His eyes softened with understanding. "If you didn't love him, you wouldn't even be considering keeping his child." He frowned, the lines deepening on his forehead as he studied my face. "Sarah, what are you planning to do? You're not thinking of breaking up with him, are you?"

The question made my heart twist painfully. I closed my eyes for a moment, picturing Theodore's face.

"I don't want to break up with him," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "But I also don't want this potentially unhealthy child to become a stain on his perfect life." I felt my eyes burning as tears threatened to spill over. I can't abandon this life that's already forming inside me." My hand moved protectively to my stomach, resting over where our child grew. "I just can't... I really can't..."

Mike reached across the space between us, his hand warm and steady on my shoulder. "Don't think about all that now. Whatever decision you make, I'll always stand by you."

Mike led me to Daniel's hospital room. Through the crack in the door, I glimpsed fresh flowers brightening the sterile space. "Lily brings those every day," Mike explained in a hushed tone. "She barely knew him before, but seeing him hurt like this... it affected her deeply. She's been quite unstable. The nanny brings her daily, and those flowers—it's their little ritual now. They're forming a bond, those two."

Daniel's mother emerged from the room, her shoulders stooped with exhaustion. When her gaze found mine, her eyes hardened, grief crystallizing into something sharper. "Sarah, we need to talk. Privately."

I followed her down the corridor, each step heavier than the last. We stopped at a deserted corner, the harsh sunlight streaming through the window making me squint.

She turned to me, shadows playing across her worn face. "Sarah, my son is lying in there broken because of you."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, the words pathetically inadequate even as they left my lips.

Her face contorted, tears spilling over. "Sorry?" She spat the word like poison. "Look what happened to him! My beautiful boy! Do you know what it's like to see your child suffering?" She trembled with rage and grief. "I once thought of you like a daughter. Now I can barely look at you without feeling sick. How dare you show your face here?"

Each accusation landed like a physical blow. I deserved every one.

"I needed to apologize to Daniel... and to you," I managed, my voice small.

"Apologize?" She gave a bitter laugh that held no humor. "We don't need your guilt!" She jabbed a finger toward the elevator, her hand shaking. "Get out. Now. And stay away from us. Every time I see you, all I can think about is my son's screams!"

I retreated, her words echoing in my skull as I wandered numbly through the hospital until I found myself in the outpatient area. I collapsed onto an empty chair, suddenly boneless with exhaustion.

Nearby, a couple's argument cut through my haze of misery.

"I told you not to have this baby!" The man's face was twisted with frustration as he berated his wife, who clutched a whimpering infant. "Now look—we're here every other day! I'm swamped with work. This is the LAST time I'm coming with you!"

The woman's face flushed with anger and hurt. "You think I want our baby sick?" Her voice cracked with emotion. "Stop blaming me! This is YOUR child too! If you're done, I'm done too. Let her die of illness then!"

"Fine! Forget the doctor—we're leaving!" He stormed off, leaving a vacuum of shocked silence.

The woman crumpled, sobs wracking her body as she held her baby. Then something in her seemed to snap. She placed the infant on the chair and walked away, her movements jerky with desperation.

The baby's cries pierced my heart. Without thinking, I rose to my feet, drawn to the abandoned child like a magnet.

"DON'T TOUCH MY BABY!" The mother had returned in a flash, snatching up the infant with fierce protectiveness, glaring at me with red-rimmed eyes.

As she clutched her child close, murmuring soothing sounds against its tiny head, something shifted inside me. Despite everything—the fighting, the despair, the moment of weakness—she came back. She couldn't truly abandon her child.

And neither could I.

"Sarah!"

The familiar voice cut through my fog of despair. I turned to see Theodore running toward me, his normally composed face tight with worry, tie askew and hair disheveled.

He reached me in seconds, his warm fingers gently circling my arm as his eyes searched mine with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. "Sarah, Mike called about Daniel's mother." His voice softened to a tender timbre. "I know what she must have said. Daniel's injuries aren't your fault."

"Mm-hmm," was all I could manage, lowering my gaze to hide the conflict raging behind my eyes. "Let's go."

Without warning, Theodore scooped me into his arms. I gasped as my body melded against his chest, his heartbeat strong and steady beneath my cheek. The familiar scent of his cologne wrapped around me like an intimate embrace. My traitorous body responded instantly—relaxing against him.

In the car, his fingers brushed mine as he fastened my seatbelt, sending electricity crackling across my skin. I held my breath, torn between the urge to pull him closer and the need to protect what remained of my shattered heart.

"Theodore, when are you returning to America?" I watched shadows play across his handsome profile.

His eyes met mine. "When you're healed. We'll go together."

"No." I shook my head. "You should go now." My voice broke. "Since losing our baby, I feel... hollow. Empty. You're so good to me, yet I feel terrified, like I need to run away." My fingers twisted in my lap. "I don't want to drag you down with me. Please, go back to your world."

Pain flashed across his face. "That's not what you're feeling, Sarah," he said, his voice raw. "To you, our child matters more than I do. You think I'd reject a disabled child. You don't trust me." His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. "You believe a selfish bastard like me deserves to die alone!"