The ER doors opened again. A nurse approached, breathless, heading toward the man who was now waiting for information from her.
“Mr. Aries…”
“What is it?” Aries asked.
“We have news about patient Reina,” the nurse replied.
Aries slowly turned his head, his eyes swollen and red. The name pierced his ears like a knife. Just like Liana, he was also worried about Reina’s condition. After all, the woman was fighting to deliver her baby too.
“Patient Reina’s baby was born safely. The baby is healthy and has no abnormalities.”
Aries closed his eyes, trying to breathe. But the nurse wasn’t finished. There was still more information to give him.
“However, the mother is still in a coma. Her condition hasn’t stabilized after the C-section a few hours ago,” the nurse continued.
Aries stood frozen, torn over what decision to make. On one side, the life he had wanted was falling apart, while on the other, a life he had never expected was the one surviving.
“Thank you for the information.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Aries.”
The nurse left Aries alone after giving him the information he had asked for. In a situation like this, Aries truly felt as though his world had collapsed in the blink of an eye.
The hospital corridor was silent. Only the hum of the air conditioner and the footsteps of nurses occasionally passing by broke the stillness. Aries stood staring through the glass window, both hands braced against the edge of the frame, his shoulders rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath.
“Ries,” someone called.
Aries didn’t turn around. He already recognized the voice. The man calling his name was Dion, his best friend since high school. The one who knew everything about him—even the things no one else should have known.
Dion stood beside him. “One of the nurses said you asked me to come here. What’s going on?”
Aries rubbed his face with both hands. His sigh sounded exhausted. Dion knew his friend wasn’t okay.
“Liana…” His voice was hoarse. “Liana’s baby couldn’t be saved.”
Dion tensed. “Innalillahi, Ries. Are you serious? I’m so—”
“I’m not finished.” Aries cut him off, his voice sharp. “Reina’s baby was born safely.”
Dion’s expression changed instantly. Confusion and fear crossed his face, and he could already guess where this conversation was headed. Dion hoped Aries wasn’t really about to do what he thought he was planning.
“Ries, don’t tell me you’re going to…”
“Listen to me first, Dion.” Aries looked at Dion, his eyes red as if they had been burned. “Reina’s in a coma. The baby’s mother is in shock. There’s no one to take care of the baby right now.”
“But that’s not your responsibility anymore, Ries,” Dion quickly replied. “You have a wife. Liana needs you, Ries. Don’t hurt her. She’s already devastated, and she’ll be even more broken when she finds out you betrayed her.”
Aries tapped his chest twice with his index finger. His hand trembled. “I can’t. I can’t let my child be raised by strangers. That baby is my flesh and blood, Dion.”
Dion let out an agitated sigh and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He understood what Aries was feeling, but making Liana happy by breaking Reina’s heart—wasn’t that horribly unfair to both of them? They would both be destroyed when they learned what Aries was planning.
“What do you really want?”
Aries closed his eyes, holding back the turmoil in his heart, and finally spoke the words that terrified even him.
“I want to switch Liana’s dead baby with Reina’s baby. I want Reina’s baby to be raised by Liana, my lawful wife.”