He raised his hand to hit me again, but Sienna quickly stepped in. "Dad, Henry is my fiancé. Let me handle this."

She pulled me out into the corridor, found some ice cubes and carefully pressed them against my swollen cheek.

I lowered my head and muttered, "I didn’t push him…"

"Yeah." Her voice was quiet and calm, neither angry nor questioning.

I knew her too well. That silence… was her loudest denial.

If she truly believed me, she would have spoken up for me without hesitation.

But if she did not… she would just stay silent.

Still, if she did not believe me, then why was she being so gentle?

My tears fell before I could stop them, landing on the back of her hand one after another.

She suddenly pulled her hand away as if burned, then stood up. "If you want to stay here and keep watching Daniel and the baby suffer, then go home first."

I panicked, grabbing the hem of her shirt, my voice shaking with tears. "Just believe me, for once, please?"

She let out a long sigh, then slowly pried my fingers off her one by one as if utterly disappointed.

"Henry, I let a lot of things slide because I love you. But the least you could do is be honest with me."

Just then, her phone rang. It was Daniel’s custom ringtone. How far must I go to reach your heart? How long until I’m close to you…

I had asked her ince, "Isn’t it strange to have a special ringtone for a coworker?"

She looked confused. "Daniel likes the song. I just set it for him. Don’t overthink it."

Now, I watched her walk away to answer his call without looking back even once.

I sat down on the bench, my face throbbing, half-red and swollen. Then, without warning, I started laughing through my tears like someone slowly realizing they were beyond saving.

She said I should be honest, but had she ever been?

I went back to get my suitcase and was ready to head to my parents’s place when a video call came through.

My father appeared on the screen, clutching his chest, trembling as he pointed at me and shouted.

"The Bailey Family said you went to the hospital, caused a scene and even hurt Daniel while he was helping the new mother. What were you thinking? The hospital director is a friend of mine. He messaged me in the group chat asking what happened. You’ve completely embarrassed the Cameron Family!"

My father went on and his voice grew more strained as he spoke. My mother hurried to give him his medication, then turned to glare at me.

"Sienna explained everything clearly. She and that young man are just colleagues. You’re really trying to force people together out of nothing?"

Then, catching sight of the injury on my face, she sneered. "Serves you right."

"What did I do that was so wrong that all of you are blaming me?" I took a deep breath, voice raw. "Why is it so easy for you to believe outsiders instead of your own son?"

"Believe what, exactly? Tell us," they both snapped back in unison.

Seeing their cold, unshaken expressions, I suddenly lost the will to keep arguing. "Forget it."

I ended the video call without another word.

I could not let them see my tears again. If they did, I would only hear the same familiar scolding. "What else can you do besides cry?"

Right now, I did not even know where I was supposed to go.

Then my phone buzzed. It was a message from Clara James.

[Henry, when can I take her place?]

[Now.]

I answered without even thinking.

She had been the lowest-ranked student in class once, but something changed in her final year of high school. She pulled herself together and followed me to the same university.

From then on, it was a relentless pursuit. For years, she confessed to me again and again and I rejected her every time, maybe a hundred rejections for a hundred confessions.

Who would like someone even worse than the worst student in school?

Even if she looked like an angel and her smile made your heart skip a beat, it still was not enough.

After college, I got together with Sienna Bailey.

Clara went abroad to study in Switzerland, but she never stopped reaching out.

From casual check-ins to everyday updates to asking the same question every few days. [Henry, when can I take her place?]

I had never replied to her messages, but she was like a tireless machine, never giving up.

Thinking about that, I sent another message. [We’re getting married in three days. You can be the bride, so do you want the spot?]

Bang!

The door burst open.

Sienna stood in the doorway, her face dark, eyes locked on me.

"Henry Cameron! What the hell did you do to my clothes?"

"What are you..."

"Shut up!"

She stormed in, grabbed my wrist and shoved me against the wall.

I had never seen her like this before. Her eyes were bloodshot, her breath unsteady.

"I wore the pajamas you gave me while holding the baby and ten minutes later she broke out in a rash and stopped breathing! She’s in the ICU right now!"

"She’s a newborn, Henry! Give me a damn explanation!"

"I didn’t do anything!” My wrist throbbed under her grip. I struggled desperately. "Let go of me first…"

Before I could finish, she suddenly raised her hand. I flinched, bracing for impact. But her hand slammed into the wall beside my head with a loud crack.

When I opened my eyes, blood was dripping from her knuckles.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Sienna… did you really just try to hit me?"

She seemed to snap out of it. Her expression shifted in an instant, panic overtaking her rage. She released me and pulled me into her arms.

"Henry, I… I lost it for a second. I’m sorry."

"I told you, I didn’t care what you’ve done in the past. But this time… this time you really crossed the line. Daniel is breaking, crying, saying he wants to die with the baby. Please, just go apologize to him. Admit it. Okay?"

Tears, warm and real, dripped onto my neck.

"Do it for me. I promise, if you just apologize, we can still get married."

This woman, who once cracked two ribs during flight training and never shed a tear, was crying now.

A woman only cried when she had a weakness. So, Daniel and the baby… they were her weakness.

I looked at her trembling shoulders and let out a quiet laugh.

"Fine. I’ll go apologize."

She exhaled, visibly relieved, like a heavy weight had finally lifted from her. "Let’s head to the hospital now."

She reached out to take my hand.

I shook her off without a word.

"I can walk on my own."

"Okay," she nodded, then added with concern, "Hurry up, I’m worried Daniel might break down..."

Just as we reached the emergency room doors, Daniel suddenly dropped to his knees and clutched my legs. "Henry, please, take my life if you want, just let the baby be safe!"

He sobbed uncontrollably, his whole body shaking.

I was so furious I laughed. Reaching down, I tried to pry him off.

"Drop the act. I should be the one kneeling. I beg the great Daniel to let me go. I don’t want Sienna anymore and you can have her."

He jerked his head up and for a split second, there was a flicker of triumph in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with a look of panic.

"No, no! Sienna belongs to you, always. How could I ever compete? I just want to live a quiet life with my baby."

"Get up!" I snapped, my patience completely gone.

He grabbed my wrist and I yanked it away in disgust.

Using that momentum, he threw himself backward. The back of his head hit the floor with a dull thud and he let out a sharp wail.

"That’s enough!" Sienna ran to his side, helping him up while glaring at me like I was some kind of monster.

"Henry, if you don’t want to apologize, then don’t come at all! Daniel hasn’t eaten or slept since yesterday. Our baby is still in critical care. How can you be so heartless and cruel to him?"

I dropped my head, unable to come up with anything to say.

Well, what was the point?

She would not believe me anyway.

After a long silence, Sienna let out a bitter laugh.

"Forget it. What am I even expecting you to explain? You’ve hurt Daniel and the baby over and over again. I saw it all with my own eyes. Just leave. You're only making things worse here."

"Parents of the child, please come forward!" the doctor suddenly called out.

Without even glancing back, Sienna quickly followed the doctor with Daniel at her side.

The doctor shot me a disapproving look. "Please don’t cause a scene. Outsiders aren't allowed in this area."

Yes. They were the parents of the child and I was nothing but an outsider.

Twice in one day, I had come to this hospital just to embarrass myself.

To everyone else, I must look like some deranged, heartless man.

I felt all the strength drain from my body. As I staggered back, I suddenly fell into a warm embrace.

Clara caught me, her face full of excitement. "Henry, are you really giving me the spot now?"