[You took a whole month off just to marry Casey. What important thing do you have going on now?]

Letting out a sigh, I replied, [I need to take care of Onie.]

Afraid she wouldn’t believe me, I even sent a video.

On the screen, Onie nestled obediently in my arms, eyes sparkling like stars. His mouth hung open in a goofy smile, tail wagging with joy. Every time I stroked his fur, he leaned into me, rubbing against my hand with such affection it melted my heart.

Shortly after, Sabrina sent a barrage of messages.

[Are you fucking possessed?! What matters more to you—a person or a dog? Casey almost died in that car crash! A shard of glass nearly pierced her heart. Do you even understand what that means?!]

[And here you are—still worried about your damn dog?!]

[Martin, give us a straight answer—are you going or not?]

[If you don’t show up, don’t bother calling us your friends anymore. We’ll cut you off for good. Don’t ever show your face to us again.]

Just as I was about to reply, a message from Casey popped up.

[That’s enough, Sabrina. Martin isn’t the kind of person you think he is. If he doesn’t want to come, he must have his reasons. Don’t drag him into my mess.]

Then she messaged me privately.

[Martin, I miss you. I really, really miss you...]

[Especially when that truck was flying toward me—I couldn’t think of anything but you. I was terrified I might die without seeing you one last time.]

[But I guess I was lucky. If I hadn’t been wearing that blessed charm you gave me, I might not have made it.]

The charm she mentioned was something I had gotten for her when she was gravely ill and unconscious. I climbed 999 stone steps on my knees, praying with every breath for her recovery.

It had poured rain that day, and by the time I reached the top, my legs were trembling so badly I couldn’t stand.

But I clenched my teeth and kept going. I told myself, if she could just live, anything was worth it.

And miraculously, the moment I returned with the charm—she woke up.

Since then, she had worn it every single day.

But now, I wanted it back.

She didn’t deserve to wear it anymore.

I replied simply.

[Fine. I’ll come see you.]

Casey was overjoyed at my reply.

Despite the pain from her injuries, she instinctively opened her arms to hug me.

Even lifting them hurt her, but she forced them up anyway, biting through the pain.

In the past, I would’ve rushed over to embrace her, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

But now, I just stand there, unmoving—my face blank, maybe even filled with disgust.

Her smile faltered. Slowly, her arms dropped back to her sides. She forced a laugh to cover the awkwardness.

“Martin, I’m already so happy you came. I shouldn’t expect too much.”

She quickly pointed to a nearby table.

It was full of food—all my favorites.

Crystal dumplings. Caviar-topped king crab.

Everything was steaming hot, clearly timed perfectly for my arrival.

The butler beamed and added, “Mr. Ortega, Miss Garza personally arranged all of this after she heard you were coming. She—”

“Who said you could prepare anything for him?!”

A loud voice cut him off as the door slammed open.

Jaylen stormed in, throwing a stack of papers harshly onto Casey’s hospital bed.

“Sis, he’s scum! He’s not worth your love. Martin has been cheating on you! He’s been seeing another woman behind your back! Don’t let him fool you again!”

He expected Casey to be furious.

But she only glanced at the photos before quietly looking away.

“That’s enough, Jaylen. Don’t speak nonsense. Martin is not like that.”

“Sis, if not for that woman, why else would he suddenly back out of the wedding? He’s just afraid she’d cause trouble if he got married! Admit it—Martin is trash!”

“Shut up!”

Her furious scream was followed by the crack of a sharp slap.

Jaylen clutched his face in disbelief.

“Sis! After all these years, you’re hitting me for an outsider?!”

“I’m done with you!”

He stormed off in anger, expecting her to call after him. But Casey didn’t even glance his way.

That was shocking. She used to dote on her younger brother more than anyone. No matter what trouble he got into, she never once laid a hand on him.

I looked at Casey for a long moment, then turned my gaze away.

“I’m in pain, Martin,” she murmured. “Will you sit beside me?”

I walked over to her—but instead of sitting, I reached for the red thread around her neck and yanked the safety charm off with one hard pull.

The force tore at her wound, and blood immediately seeped through the bandages on her neck.

The butler’s face turned pale. “Miss Casey! You’re bleeding! Someone, quick! Call the nurse!”

The shouting drew in Casey's parents, who rushed into the room.

Once they heard what had happened, Casey’s mother slapped me hard across the face.

“If I could go back in time, I would’ve never let my daughter meet you! You’re nothing but a curse!”

And yet—even through this—Casey still shielded me.

“Mom, don’t say that. Martin is just angry with me. I broke a promise. I told him I wouldn’t do any dangerous sports anymore, but I secretly went hiking up the Appalachian Mountains. He was scared for me, that’s all...”

Appalachian Mountains.

My eyes sharpened instantly.

According to the latest report from the people I sent out, that area was still being searched—but no solid leads had turned up.

Could the person I’ve been searching for be there?

I couldn’t afford to wait.

I turned to leave—but just as I reached the door, a wave of dizziness overtook me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

A soft warmth rested in my palm. I turned and saw Casey’s radiant face smiling at me.

Instinctively, I reached out and brushed her cheek—but the moment our eyes met, I jerked my hand back, recoiling.

“Don’t touch me. Get away from me!”

A familiar voice scolded me gently.

“Oh, you stubborn boy... why are you always so angry?”

My mother smiled warmly, gently stroking my hair.

“You just let your emotions get the best of you. Some rest will fix that.”

She continued speaking while gesturing toward Casey.

“But we do have good news. You’re going to be a father, Martin. Casey is pregnant!”

“Pregnant?” I stared at her stomach, dazed. My nose tingled.

“How far along?”

“Four weeks! Almost a full month.” Casey beamed with joy, cradling her belly lovingly.

My mother’s expression softened into one of complete tenderness.

“We’ve already discussed everything with the Garza family. Since Casey is pregnant, the wedding needs to happen. That child deserves a proper name. Next Friday is a lucky day—we’ll hold the wedding then and give Casey what she deserves.”

“I’m not agreeing to that,” I said coldly, meeting their hopeful gazes. “I won’t get married.”

My father let out a long sigh. “Fine. Then don’t marry. But at the very least, register the marriage—give the child a proper name.”

“I won’t sign the registry either.”

Casey panicked and clutched my hand tightly.

“You can’t do that! Martin, if we don’t register, the baby won’t have a household record... he won’t be part of the Ortega family, and he won’t be able to inherit anything. Do you want our child to be an illegitimate child?”

“Even if you’re angry at me, at least think of our child!”

I pulled my hand away and stared at her coldly.

“You’re right. I am thinking of the child.”

Then I waved my hand dismissively. “That’s enough. I’m leaving. I need some time alone.”

But she stepped in front of me, refusing to move.

“Martin, please... just stay with me and the baby. This is our—”

“Shut up!”

My roar cut through the air.

Tears streamed down my face as I placed a trembling hand on her belly.

Right now, it’s just a tiny embryo—without thoughts, without awareness.

I couldn't let this child be born.

Taking a deep breath, I checked the security feed at home on my phone and saw Onie sitting patiently by the door, waiting for me to return.

He looked heartbreakingly obedient.

I softly called his name.

Immediately, he barked twice in response and—like always—raised his rear end again.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

I wiped them away, then turned to Casey and gently took her hand.

“This child came at the wrong time... We need to terminate the pregnancy.”

“What?” Casey clutched her belly, her face pale with disbelief.

“This is our first child! How could you say that? Martin, are you insane?! Do you even know the damage an abortion could do to me? You promised me—you said you’d take care of me and our child. Have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I said quietly. “But this child can’t stay.”

Without waiting for her response, I grabbed her phone and booked an appointment with the OB/GYN—one week from now.

Casey completely broke down. She screamed at me hoarsely, “You called off the wedding just because your dog ‘lifted its butt,’ and now you don’t even want the baby?!”

“Why?!”

I turned my face away.

“What other reason could there be? Onie lifted his butt. So I can’t keep the child.”

Her eyes turned red with fury as she pointed a trembling finger at me.

“You’re crazy. Really crazy! You’re giving up on me—on our child—for a damn dog?!”

“Yes,” I said flatly. “I’ll be back to check on you when the day of the procedure comes.”

—

A week later, I arrived at the hospital and personally wheeled Casey toward the obstetrics department.

My father caught wind of it and rushed inside in a rage.

“Ungrateful bastard!” he seethed as he slapped me hard across the face. Then he barked at the bodyguards nearby.

“Seize him! Drag him back—don’t let him destroy himself any further!”

“Don’t you dare!” I stepped back and glared at them. “If any of you come closer, I’ll hit Casey’s belly myself. The baby is only four weeks—her pregnancy isn’t stable anyway.”

“You—!” My father was livid. “If you dare touch her, your mother and I will cut all ties with you! You’re no son of mine. I will disown you!”

“From this moment on, you are no longer the heir of the Ortega family. Don’t expect a single cent from us ever again!”

People all around us were pointing and whispering, shaking their heads in disgust.

“This guy must be possessed. Giving up his child for a dog?”

“So gross. Maybe he’s in love with the dog! Maybe that’s why he broke up with his girlfriend!”

“Forget it. Even if the child is born, it’ll be unlucky. With a father like him, who knows what kind of life that kid will have.”

Some were so worked up they cursed me to my face—one even spit at me.

I stood there, drowning in a sea of judgment, ridicule, and venom.

Until a deep, commanding voice echoed through the chaos.

“None of you know the truth. If you don’t understand what really happened, you have no right to judge him!”

Everyone turned to look.

When I saw who it was—I finally smiled.

I could finally fight back.