Chapter 18 Chapter 18
Savannah opened her eyes slowly. The room was bright, and the smell of medicine filled the air. For a moment, she forgot where she was. Then she saw the hospital bed, the drip attached to her hand, and everything came rushing back. She fainted at work. Rosa. The man with the car.
Her eyes turned, and she saw him. Adrian sat quietly in the chair beside her bed. He was dressed in a simple shirt now, his jacket hung neatly on the chair. He looked calm, but his eyes were fixed on her, deep and serious.
“You’re awake,” he said softly. “How are you feeling?”
Savannah tried to sit up, but she was weak. He quickly stood and adjusted the pillow behind her. His movements were gentle, careful, as if she was made of glass.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You need rest,” Adrian replied. “The doctor said you’re safe. Both you and the baby.” His eyes went to her stomach for a moment, then back to her face. “But you must not stress yourself.”
Savannah’s heart pounded. She had tried so hard to hide her pregnancy, to carry her pain alone. Now this stranger knew. She felt her throat tighten. Tears gathered in her eyes.
Adrian noticed. He pulled the chair closer and sat. “Savannah…” His voice was steady, but warm. “What is a young woman like you doing, working so hard when you are pregnant? Why are you pushing yourself to this point?”
She looked away, but the tears slipped down. Her lips trembled. “I… I didn’t have a choice.”
Adrian leaned forward. “No choice? What do you mean? Where is your husband?”
At those words, Savannah broke. A deep sob escaped her lips. She covered her face with her hands and cried as if her chest would tear open. The sound of her pain filled the room.
Adrian said nothing. He only waited, giving her space, but his jaw tightened. He could feel that whatever story she carried was not small.
Savannah’s voice cracked as she spoke through her tears. “It was supposed to be our anniversary. That night… I wanted to make it special. I planned to tell him I was pregnant. I thought he would be happy.” Her hands shook. “Instead… instead he gave me divorce papers.”
Adrian’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t interrupt. He only listened.
Her sobs grew stronger. “I begged him. I told him I was carrying his child. He looked at me like I was dirt. He called me a liar.” Her chest heaved. “He said I made it up to tie him down. He said he never wanted me. That he already had someone else.”
Adrian’s hands curled into fists, but his voice stayed calm. “So… he knew. He knew you were pregnant, and still treated you like trash?”
Savannah nodded weakly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Yes. He didn’t care. He pushed the papers to me, forced me to sign. I couldn’t. My hands shook too much. I wanted to run, but he told me not to leave without signing. That was the last thing he said.”
She broke down again, her voice rising with pain. “He left me… for her. For his mistress. While I… while I carried his child.”
Adrian sat back, staring at her with disbelief. Anger burned inside him, but he forced it down. He looked at the young woman crying in front of him—so broken, so fragile, yet still holding on. He had never seen such pain before.
He let out a long breath, then spoke softly. “You don’t deserve this, Savannah. No woman does.”
Savannah cried harder, pressing her hands against her stomach as if protecting her baby. “But what do I do now? He left me with nothing. Nothing at all.”
Adrian leaned closer, his voice firm but gentle. “Listen to me. You may feel like you have nothing. But you still have your child. And as long as you have breath, you are not alone.”
Savannah looked at him through her tears, her lips trembling. “But he doesn’t want us. He made it clear. I have no home, no husband, no family…”
Her voice broke completely, and she fell back on the pillow, crying silently.
Adrian stayed by her side, his heart heavy. For the first time in years, something stirred in him—an urge to protect, to stand up for someone else’s pain. He clenched his jaw, his eyes never leaving her.
“Then let him go,” Adrian said quietly, almost like a vow. “Because one day, Savannah, he will regret ever letting you slip through his hands.”
But Savannah didn’t hear the last words. Exhausted from crying, she had closed her eyes again, drifting into a restless sleep. Adrian sat there, watching her, his mind full of questions and a strange new fire in his chest.