Chapter 25
Ever since that wild, regrettable night, Marie had kept Lena under tight protection. Alan hadn’t even gotten close enough to talk to her, much less do anything about the baby she was carrying. Broken and desperate, he holed up in his villa, drowning himself in alcohol, clutching a bottle and mumbling her name into the darkness. Maybe even fate was disgusted with him, because one night, after too many drinks, he tumbled down the stairs. His face was so swollen afterward, he could barely get a word out. That’s when he finally went quiet.
Now, today, Lena was rushed to the hospital in early labor–again. Marie brought her in, and since the hospital needed the father’s signature, Marie had someone drag Alan there too. To make sure he couldn’t hurt Lena, Marie went straight into the delivery room with her, leaving Alan alone outside.
He sat there, staring at the bold red “Delivery Room” sign, and couldn’t help wondering–if things had gone differently, would it be Summer in there instead? Would he be by her side, nervous and excited to be a first–time dad? Or maybe Summer would have been too scared to let him in, telling him to wait outside. Would he be like all those other new dads, pacing the hall, staring at blank white walls and silently praying for the safety of the woman he loved and their child??
Lost in thought, Alan pulled out his phone, dialing the number he had called a thousand times–a number that never picked up. But this time, to his shock, the call went through.
Tears blurred his eyes. He opened his mouth, closed it again, struggling to find the right words. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t even know where to start. After what felt like forever, his voice trembled out two words.
“Summer…“2
Just two syllables. Words he’d spent a whole year wishing he could say to her again.
But all he got was silence.
Those two words seemed to crack something inside him. Suddenly everything poured out in a rush–his regrets, his guilt, his heartbreak. He told her he never should have betrayed her, never should have left her for someone else. He should never have tried to start a family with another woman. He had no right to say “I love you” to her while lying to someone else. He never should have destroyed her hope with his own hands.
He went on and on, rambling, until he finally dropped to his knees right there in the hallway, sobbing and hitting himself. He begged her to forgive him, promised he’d changed, pleaded for just one more chance.
But all he heard was silence.
“Summer?” he called, voice cracking. “Summer!”
Panic set in as he called her name again. Still nothing.&
Alan pulled the phone away from his ear and realized at some point, she’d hung up. When he tried to call again, her number was switched off.
A raw, desperate scream tore out of him. In that instant, he knew–it was over. There would never be another chance.
His shout made everyone in the hallway turn to look. Even a passing doctor paused.
“Mr. Clark, you finally made it to the hospital,” the doctor said, handing him an envelope. “You and your wife came for a checkup a while ago. Because of privacy rules, she couldn’t see your results or take them with her. Since you’re here, you should take
your report now.”
flew
in shock.
Alan took the envelope and thanked him. But when he glanced at the results, his eyes At that moment, a pained wail echoed from the delivery room, followed by a piercing scream. Alan The doors burst open. Marie, unconscious, and Lena, drained from labor, were wheeled out by The nurse looked at Alan, clearly confused. “Are you… are you sure you’re the father?”
looked up,
frozen in terror.
Right behind them, a nurse carried a tiny, wrapped–up baby.
The words from the report flashed through his mind. Alan squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the ache in his chest. Still, he forced himself to look at the baby. And with just one look, he stumbled backward and collapsed onto a chair.
The baby looked nothing like him.
His own test results said his fertility was practically nonexistent–he couldn’t have fathered a child. Lena’s first baby hadn’t been his either.
A bitter laugh escaped him, turning into wild, broken laughter. That was it. His whole life was over.
He didn’t know how long he laughed before he finally stood up, something cold and hard flickering in his eyes.
Slowly, he walked toward Lena’s hospital room.
Time ticked by
Suddenly, a gut–wrenching scream rang out from the room, then abruptly cut off. A heavy thud followed.
At the nurse’s station, two nurses exchanged terrified glances and ran for Lena’s room. The moment they pushed open the door, they screamed.!! “Someone’s dead!“2
