tal room became Anna's prison for a

erpetually at her bedside, his face lit with a smile as h

return to reality, marked by

ba

as g

remained consp

atched Oscar Paul, his assistant, with two deliveries: pink roses, t

to the nurses, but the words caught in her thr

months, was minimal. But the instinct to crad

hed life within sparked a fa

irst

blood with the man she had

...just

but the hospital, as hospitals do, needed t

of her packing, a stranger

ed by meticulous makeup, adorned in a Barbie-pin

-edition pink diamond piece from FY, the one Riley G

ew, Ethan's classmat

prompting a bitter reflection on the name:

ed hand, Anna forced herself

n Smith's wife. You ca

lickered, betraying a mom

expression smoothing back into place.

gnant. If I had known, I would never have let Ethan accompany me to the FY press conference. And then I drank too much that night; it's really all Riley's

ruit basket. "This is a small gesture of apology.

g before her. "Why wouldn't I accept a five-hundred-dollar fruit

d a hairline crack. She cleared her throat

es

reminding him of our...your loss. He's been so distraught this past month, and I've been tryi

y of elation, Anna couldn't care less whe

ces, treating them to yacht trips every week. He even gifted my best friend a ten-million-dollar diamond necklace once!" A

imperceptibly. "If you're so u

one more thing. Ethan won't be able to pick you up from the hospita

, pointed barb,

llowness devoid of anger, replaced b

nfirming that Ethan was

had

warped narrative, Anna resolved to

detour to the Traditional Medicine Depar

ed distrust of tablets. Anna had always personally brewed his remedies,

f not for the recent tragedy, Anna

he medicine, Anna arrived at

revious meal deliveries to Ethan - a t

g. You can leave the medicine with Assista

ka

ceptionist, from clarifying that she

ypassed Oscar's office, heading dire

sed. Through the narrow gap, Anna

let go of your wife, yet you had t

ed to knock, froze,

othing to do

or not, I can never h

hy

ciation and Mom's approval. Once a baby arrives, it won't be so simple." Ethan casually exhaled

ely...wasn't careful, damaging her uterus. The

ched, made the admissi

e door, Anna was alread

arshly, who will carry on the Smith famil

esponse to Riley's

on with Riley, he began to leave the offic

of h

Nursin

g from Ethan's office, from Ethan's co

consumed

ord was a v

an she had lov

her out of spite, as reve

ld with his own hands,

hree years of marriage-a

ay her tears and walked

n, her mother had been mov

s been fragile, had succumbed to A

ecognized her, there were t

st wish was to see

to tell he

a failure a

the nursing home and w

y flickered to life, illuminating the vibrant pul

on, illuminating the medicine and a

house, there was no

Anna He