"G-GIDEON!" I muttered when Gideon grabbed me in the arm and placed me at his side. 

He didn't give me a glance as his eyes stayed on Charlie. 

"What are you doing with my wife, Charlie?" Gideon asked in a dark voice. "Didn't I ask you to stay away from her?"

"I saw your wife throwing up, Gideon," Charlie answered with the same dangerous voice as Gideon. "I just helped her. If you don't want to see you with another man, then you should've never left her side."

I could feel the tension between the two men. I knew Gideon hated his brother. But Charlie... this is the first time I've seen him with this expression on his face. 

"G-Gideon... Charlie just helped me." I grabbed his left arm. "Let's go..." 

I knew Gideon wouldn't make a scene here. And Charlie... he's never violent, but he's very perceptive. I didn't want him to notice anything. 

Gideon's left arm snaked to my waist. "The next time I see you near my wife, you know what I'd do, Charlie." He gritted his teeth before pulling me away. 

"Gideon..." Charlie muttered coldly, making both Gideon and I stop. 

"Did you hurt Bianca?" 

I felt like my heart had stopped beating in my chest. 

Gideon dropped his hand that was on my waist and turned around to face Charlie. 

"Me? Hurting Bianca?" Gideon let out a dark chuckle. "Do you really think I'll be able to do that to my pregnant wife?" 

"Why don't we ask your wife?" Charlie replied, his voice challenging the man in front of him. 

Charlie, please stop. 

I shut my eyes for a moment before I turned around. I never dared look at Charlie. I was afraid that my eyes would give me away. 

Gideon turned to me. He was smiling. But I knew what he really meant with that smile. "Did I ever hurt you, Bianca?" 

I shook my head. "No. You never hurt me, Gideon."

Gideon drew his gaze back to his brother. "See? I never hurt Bianca. Tell me, Charlie? Why are you doing this?" Gideon smirked evilly. "You still can't accept that Bianca chose me over you, can you?" 

"Shut it, Gideon. This is not about that."

This time, I couldn't help but glance at Charlie. He clenched his fist as he stared coldly at his brother. 

"Just remember this, Gideon. The moment I learn you are hurting your wife, you don't want to know what I'd do to you." Charlie said as he walked away from us. 

My eyes widened as I followed Charlie's back. What did he mean by that? 

"What did you tell Charlie?" Gideon whispered through gritted teeth as he dragged me to the exit of the hotel. 

"I didn't tell him anything, Gideon." I gulped. "Are we going home now?" 

I felt his grip tighten on my waist. "We no longer have business here." 

I anxiously looked at him. His face was grim. "B-but we haven't said our goodbye to your mother."

"I'll just call her later."

We were nearing the exit when Amelia saw us. 

"Where are you two going?" 

"We're already heading home, Mom." Gideon flashed his mother a smile. "Bianca was already tired. She needs rest." I felt him caress my arm. 

"Oh. Take care, dear." 

Amelia gave me a peck on the cheek before she let us go. 

Our whole ride to our home was quiet. I gulped as I saw Gideon gritting his teeth as he gripped hard on the steering wheel. 

"Gideon, slow down..." I said, nervous about how fast he drives and with his grim expression. 

"Shut up, Bianca," he barked, throwing me a dark look. 

"Now, tell me. What did you two really do there?" he asked me the moment we entered our house. 

"Nothing, Gideon." I answered as I sat on the couch, taking off my shoes. "He just helped me. Like what he said to you." As soon as I took off my shoes, I stood up. "I'll head to our room."

"We're not yet done." In an instant, he was already in front of me. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, Gideon. I didn't tell him anything."

"Stop lying to me, Bianca." He gritted his teeth. 

I swallowed. "I'm telling the truth, Gideon. I didn't tell Charlie anything. But he saw a bruise on my pulse." I showed him my left wrist. 

He grabbed my wrist and looked at me with slanted eyes. "You let him touch you?" 

"I…" I didn't manage to finish when he dragged me to the wall. My back touched the cold wall. 

"Don't lie to me, Bianca. What did you tell him?" he asked. His dark eyes zeroed in on me. His jaw clenched hard. 

"G-Gideon, I'm not lying. Let go. I'm hurting." 

My eyes widened when he gripped my mouth, forcing it to open. "You will really get hurt if you won't be honest with him." He warned. "I repeat, Bianca. What. Did. You. Tell. Him?" 

I blinked back the tears in the corner of my eyes. "I said nothing."

"I know you still love him, Bianca.” He smirked evilly. "Did you tell him that, huh? Did you tell him you missed him? Did you tell him he's the father of your fucking baby?" 

A tear fell from my eyes as I felt pain in my mouth. 

He's really a devil! "You're right! I still love Charlie." I answered him as I gritted my teeth. "But I didn't tell him anything, Gideon. I didn't tell him that you only forced me to marry you… and that he's the father of my baby!" I looked at him, my eyes burning in fury.

"Now, let go of me, you devil! B-because if something happens to my child, I will hurt you, Gideon."

His grip tightened as he dragged me away from the wall. 

"Before you do that, I'd hurt you first, bitch," he said, before pushing me down to the carpeted floor. 

My back hit something hard. A wince escaped me. 

"You know I hate it when you talk back to me."

I didn't answer. I just shut my eyes and gritted my teeth and listened to his footsteps as he walked away from me. 

When I opened my eyes, Gideon was already gone. I slowly stood up... but then my eyes widened in panic when I saw blood gushing out of my legs.

"My baby... No..." 

I TOOK a deep breath as I stared at the suitcase in front of me. 

This is it, Bianca. No more backing out. 

Today, I finally decided to escape from Gideon. I couldn't allow myself to stay with him any longer. 

After what happened that night... five days ago... I suddenly found the courage to leave. 

I know how powerful Gideon is. I have all the reasons to be scared of him. But if I continued to be like this—scared, weak, and pathetic—I would lose my baby. 

I shut my eyes when I remembered how terrified I was that night... when I thought I already lost my baby. 

"If something happened to my baby, I would have fucking killed you, Gideon Henry." I angrily muttered to Gideon. The corner of my eyes were hot with unshed tears. 

I was lying on our king-sized bed after our doctor left. 

Of course. The powerful and ruthless Gideon Henry didn't drive me to the hospital. Instead, he called for a private doctor to come to his house. 

My hand protectively held onto my belly. The doctor told me I only had a minor bleeding earlier, and I have nothing to worry about because my baby is strong. When he asked me about what happened earlier, I told him I accidentally slipped on the staircase. 

"Really, Bianca?" Gideon retorted, giving me a sharp and cold look from the door of the room. "You really think you could kill me when you can't even hurt a damn fly?" 

I gritted my teeth as I matched his sharp eyes. "You don't know what I can do to protect this child."

"You really love my fucking brother that you're willing to kill just to protect his child?" he asked, his voice dripping with acid. 

"This is not about Charlie, Gideon."

"I told you not to say his fucking name in front of me." His jaw clenched. "If you really want to protect your baby, be a good wife to me." 

"Am I not still being a good wife to you?" I hissed. "I do everything you say. I quit my fucking job. I play my part as your loving and smitten wife in front of everyone."

"Then stay that way, Bianca." He stepped towards me and sat on the corner of the bed. His hand went to my face. This time... his touch was gentle, but his eyes... they were as cold as ice. 

"Continue acting like the loving wife that you are." He lifted my chin and met my eyes. "And stay the fuck out of my brother. Because the next time I see you two again, you don't want to imagine what I'd do."

I picked up my suitcase and headed to the door. I have already made up my mind. I'm leaving him. 

I couldn't continue being like this. I needed to be brave. I needed to stand up. In order to protect my baby. 

If I continued to stay with Gideon, who knows what else he could do next time. 

I couldn't imagine losing this baby inside me. No. I couldn't let that happen. Never. 

I placed my hand on my belly as I put my suitcase in the trunk of my car. 

I promise I'll give you a good life. I'll work hard for the two of us. 

Gideon was currently on a three-day business trip to Atlanta. With him away, this was my chance to escape this hellhole. 

Gideon... he's really confident that I would never escape from him. That I would continue to be the obedient, fearful wife that I was. 

You're wrong, Gideon. And thanks for underestimating me. I said sarcastically. 

I smirked as I entered the driver's seat of my car. 

For one last time, I glanced at the bungalow Mediterranean style house that became my prison for months. A bittersweet smile escaped my lips as I started the car. 

Thirty minutes later, I was already nearing the exit of Los Angeles. I was on my way to Texas, where my best friend Andrea lives. Gideon didn't know about her. 

But I knew I wouldn't stay long in Texas. I needed to go somewhere far. Where Gideon couldn't see me. If I needed to leave everything behind and start a new life on the other end of the globe, I'd do it. Just to get away with my devil of a husband. 

My thoughts got interrupted when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the gadget on the dashboard. I saw Amelia on the screen. I frowned. Why was she calling me? For a second, I hesitated on answering it. But I guessed this would be the last time I'll be hearing her voice. Unlike Gideon, his mother had been so good to me. 

"Amelia, hi..." I said, after putting on my earpiece. 

"B-bianca..." I frowned when I heard her sniff on the other line. She sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down. 

"Amelia, what's wrong?" 

"W-we need to fly to Atlanta right now, Bianca. Prepare s-some things. I'll have s-someone pick you up at your home. He'll be there in thirty."

I swear... there was something wrong in her voice. She was like... panicking. And why do we need to fly to Atlanta? 

My lips parted with a sudden realization. Did Gideon find out about my escape? And now he's using Amelia to stop me? 

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. My heart started pounding inside my chest. 

I glanced at the screen on my phone. How did Gideon find out that I'm leaving? Did he put a tracking device on it? 

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. 

"A-Amelia, why are we going to Atlanta?" 

"M-Gideon..." Amelia muttered in a shaky low voice. "Gideon... he got into an accident, Bianca. T-the hospital called us. M-my son's in a critical condition."

"W-what?" I croaked. I accidentally hit the brake of the car in the middle of the road. 

My lips remained parted as Amelia's words kept on playing in my head. Gideon... there was an accident. And he's in critical condition. 

"Bianca... are you there?" 

"Y-yes… I…" 

My eyes widened when I saw a truck coming my way. I tried to step on the gas, but I realized it was too late. The next thing I knew, I saw my own blood before I lost my consciousness. 

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. It took me a while before I could finally open my eyes and adjust to the blinding lights. 

"Bianca, you're awake."

I stopped when I heard a familiar voice beside me. I turned to my side and saw... Charlie. He was sitting on the couch near me. He looked like he just woke up with his slightly disheveled hair and creased long-sleeve shirt. 

What was he doing here? My lips parted when he stood up and went to me. 

I looked around the room. Everything was white. My heart started pounding. 

"W-where am I?" I asked, my lips trembling when I saw the IV tube on my arm. 

"You're in the hospital, Bianca."

Just like that, everything came back to me. I was finally escaping from Gideon. I was driving on the road when I received a call from Amelia... saying that Gideon had been in an accident. 

The news shocked me that I momentarily forgot I was in the middle of the road. Then... a truck. It was coming my way. The last thing u saw before I lost my consciousness... was my own blood.  

My hand automatically dropped to my belly. Tears formed in my eyes when I couldn't feel anything there. It felt empty. 

"M-my baby?" I looked at Charlie, who was now standing in front of me. "What happened to my baby?" 

"Bianca..." His voice was low. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "The baby... you lost him in the accident."

Charlie tried to touch my arm, but I swatted it away. 

"No!" I shut my eyes as tears escaped them. "Tell me my baby's fine. Tell me it's here." I clutched my empty belly. "No. I didn't lose my baby. It's still here!"

"Mrs. Henry, please calm down."

I didn't realize there was already a nurse inside my room. She touched my arm, but just like Charlie, I pushed her away. 

"No." I angrily shook my head as I rejected the truth. Tears continuously swelled in my eyes. "This isn't true. The doctor said my baby's strong. I didn't lose my baby! You're all lying!" 

"Bianca… please. You're still recovering." 

"No! No! Please tell me I didn't lose my baby!" I turned to Charlie but I failed to see his reaction. My eyes were too blurry with tears. 

"Bianca… I'm sorry."

I shut my eyes, but tears continuously fell from them. "I don't need your sorry. I want my baby! My baby..." I sobbed as reality slowly sank into me. My baby's now gone. I promised I'd protect my baby... but I failed to do it. 

"Bianca… please." I felt his arms on my shoulders. 

I shook my head. "Just… leave me alone, Charlie. I needed to be alone. Please…" My voice broke as I pleaded the last word. I shut my eyes and balled my hands into a fist. 

I heard a sigh. "Alright. We'll leave the room, Bianca. But please... press on the intercom if you need anything."

I didn't know how long I was crying until I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was welcomed again by Charlie. I noticed that his clothes were different now. 

He cleared his throat. "You need to eat, Bianca."

I had no idea how many hours had passed. I had only stopped crying when I felt like I couldn't cry anymore. 

I only glanced at the tray of food on the table. I didn't want to eat. I didn't even feel hungry. "I'm not hungry." 

Empty. That's what I've been feeling right now. There's a huge void inside me that couldn't be filled. 

He sighed. "You need to eat if you want to recover fast, Bianca."

I looked at him with dead eyes. "What if I don't want to recover?" 

I saw how his lips parted. "Don't say that, Bianca," he said in a gentle voice. "You already lost your baby. You can't lose yourself... You have to be strong."

"You don't know anything, Charlie," I cut him off. 

I didn't just lose my baby. I also had lost my will to live. Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes. I had already lost my father four months ago. And this time... it was my baby who was taken away from me. 

Why did I even survive this accident if the only thing that was keeping me alive was now taken away from me? 

"Bianca..."

I turned to him. His eyes... they were looking at me with concern.

"Why are you here, Charlie?" 

The last time I saw him... he was acting cold to me—No… despite the cold treatment, I still knew that he still cared. That night, when he saw my bruise, he showed his concern. 

Charlie cleared his throat. "Mom and Dad… they're in Atlanta right now. My mother asked me to take care of you."

I looked away. "I need you to get out, Charlie." 

Charlie being here was only making the pain worse. He's the living reminder of everything that I had lost. 

Every time I looked at him, I felt like my heart was breaking all over again. He was triggering different emotions in me. Pain. Longing. Guilt. Too much guilt. 

I couldn't… I couldn't even tell him the truth. That the baby I lost was also his. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I don't need you here, Charlie."

He clenched his jaw. "I know you don't want my presence, Bianca. But I'll stay here… until Gideon gets transferred here. You need someone to look after you."

"I don't need someone to look after me. I can handle myself."

I heard him sigh. "Don't be stubborn, Bianca. I'll stay here whether you like it or not. If you're not comfortable with my presence, I'm sorry. But you can't do anything about it. You married Gideon. My brother. That makes us... family."

I stilled. Gideon. He was in an accident and in critical condition. 

My head turned to Charlie. "H-how's Gideon?" 

"Gideon… fell into coma, Bianca."