Chapter 5
When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the hospital.
I heard a voice nearby.
“I’m
sorry, Mr. Cruz. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t lost my balance Mrs. Cruz… she wouldn’t have had this accident…”
Kelly’s voice was heavy with guilt.
“It’s not your fault. I know it wasn’t intentional. If anyone’s at fault, it’s me.
I didn’t hold onto her.
“It was just an accident. No one wanted this to happen. Please don’t blame yourself, especially now that you’re expecting.”
“But… I’m unsure when Mrs. Cruz will wake up. When she does, I’m worried… I don’t want to cause any issues between you two because of
- me.
“If she is upset, you’ll be the one most distressed… I can’t bear to see you unhappy…”
Kelly’s voice quivered slightly.
Marques let go of my hand.
“You’re such a silly girl.”
At that moment, Kelly clutched her head and swayed slightly.
Marques quickly rose to his feet, gently scooped her up, and asked with worry in his voice, “Are you feeling lightheaded again? You’ve always
Chapter 5
been delicate. Try not to focus too much on these matters.”
As he spoke, he turned to look at me briefly before continuing.
“Maddie is still very weak at the moment. I’ll arrange for someone to take a blood sample from you in a few days.
“You’ve also been through a lot. Go home and rest for now.”
Their voices gradually faded, and I slowly opened my eyes.
Oddly, I didn’t feel any sadness.
Once they were out of earshot, I removed the IV tube from my hand.
As soon as I stood up, my legs almost buckled, and I nearly collapsed. The bandaged wound on my forehead pulsed with sharp pain.
After taking a moment to catch my breath, I pushed myself to leave the hospital.
The custody waiver had been signed–my child wouldn’t be taken from
- me.
Although her father didn’t care for her, I vowed to love her doubly.
From this point forward, the baby and I would disappear from Marques’s life.
An hour later, I was at the airport, having cleared security.
As the plane ascended into the clouds, I removed my SIM card, broke it into pieces, and discarded it.
Marques, we would never see each other again.
***
Chapter 5
After comforting Kelly, Marques made his way back to the ward.
However, I was no longer lying in bed.
A sudden wave of panic washed over him, and his hand instinctively clenched at his side.
He reassured himself that I must have just gone to the bathroom.
But the anxiety in his heart only intensified. He searched the entire hospital and found no sign of me, and Marques’s face drained of all color.
He dialed my number 99 times consecutively, only to be met with the same automated message on each attempt.
Unable to stay put any longer, he hurriedly left the hospital.
Upon arriving home, although everything seemed intact, an unexplainable void filled the space.
He searched the bedroom, the nursery, and even the attic. There was no trace of me.
I was absent, the baby was missing, and even the maid had disappeared.
Marques’s heart started pounding rapidly.
At that moment, his assistant phoned him.
“Mr. Cruz, we’ve discovered that Mrs. Cruz is headed to the airport.
“She purchased tickets for multiple flights. We haven’t been able to determine which one she’s on yet.
“Also, Ms. Cruz was sent away by Mrs. Cruz two days ago…”
The assistant continued speaking, but Marques couldn’t comprehend a
Chapter 5
word.
He hurried to the bedside and pulled open the drawer.
Everything was still inside–except my documents.
In a moment of despair, Marques sank to the floor, feeling as if his soul had been ripped away.
He understood that I must have discovered his relationship with Kelly.
That explained my determined departure.
Marques’s gaze
gaze drifted away momentarily, and then he saw the ring lying on the table.
It was the wedding ring he had dedicated a month to designing and crafting himself for me.
Since our wedding day, it had never left my finger.
But now, it lay abandoned.
His heart grew heavier with each passing second. He couldn’t bear to consider what this meant, and with a shaky hand, he dialed a number.
“Find Mrs. Cruz, no matter where she is!”
