Chapter 4

His eyes turned red. He frantically tugged at the door handle, fumbling for what felt like forever.

Finally, I hit the unlock button and he stumbled inside.

Pearl's dress was completely soaked in blood now.

Her eyes were half-open, barely breathing as she looked at him.

"Dylan... our baby..."

"Is he... leaving us?"

"No, no, he's not!"

Dylan reached for Pearl but hesitated, afraid to hurt her. His hand hovered, shaking.

He looked up at me, voice cracking.

"Iris, why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?! Hurry, get her to the hospital!"

I almost laughed.

"Dylan, I did warn you. You just didn't listen."

"And your car's totaled because you crashed it. How am I supposed to drive now?"

Watching him panic, I felt nothing but bitter irony.

I said flatly,

"I already called an ambulance. It's on the way."

Before long, the ambulance arrived.

As paramedics lifted Pearl onto the stretcher, Dylan tried to follow, but I blocked him.

"Dylan, let's be clear. You faked that video to slander me and deliberately crashed into my car. This isn't over."

Dylan pushed me aside and climbed into the ambulance, calling Pearl's name frantically.

I followed them to the hospital.

Outside the ER, Dylan crouched in the hallway, clutching his hair, voice trembling with fear.

"How did this happen?"

"Pearl's due date was still three months away. How...?"

He looked nothing like the arrogant man who'd rammed my car—just pathetic.

I leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath.

"Your wife went into premature labor..."

"Dylan, if it weren't for your paranoia and spite, Pearl wouldn't be here. I could've gotten her to the hospital safely!"

"You did this to her!"

That set him off. He pointed a finger at my face and started cursing.

"No! It wasn't me!"

"It's you! You evil woman! You did this on purpose!"

After what felt like hours, the ER doors finally opened.

A doctor stepped out, and Dylan rushed over.

"How's my wife? What happened?"

The doctor pulled off his mask and shook his head.

"I'm sorry. We did everything we could. The patient had severe hemorrhaging from the impact. We couldn't save the baby. She's stable now, but she needs rest."

"Gone?"

"That's impossible!"

"You're all lying to me!"

Dylan's eyes turned bloodshot.

He suddenly turned to me, all rationality gone.

"This is your fault! All of it! If it weren't for you, my wife wouldn't have lost our baby!"

"You were driving her! Why didn't you protect her?!"

He lunged at me like a wild animal and slapped me hard across the face.

The sharp *crack* echoed through the quiet hallway.

My cheek burned. My head snapped sideways, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

But I didn't let him get away with it.

I mustered all my strength and slapped him back.

"If you hadn't deliberately crashed into my car, would Pearl have lost the baby?"

"And now you're hitting me instead of taking responsibility? You make me sick!"

Dylan flew into a rage and tried to hit me again, but a nurse nearby held him back.

He struggled and shouted, "No! This is your fault! You bitch!"

Just then, police officers arrived.

"Sir, calm down!"

An officer put a hand on Dylan's shoulder, speaking firmly.

"You created a fake video to defame someone, deliberately damaged property, and now you've assaulted someone. You've broken multiple laws. If you don't calm down, you'll face serious charges."

Dylan looked at the officer's serious face and finally deflated. He collapsed to the floor, covering his face as he sobbed.

"Why me? This isn't fair!"

Even now, he refused to take responsibility.

"Is Iris Bennett here?"

"The patient wants to see you."