Dion froze, his mind still trying to process what Aries was actually planning. Several seconds passed in silence, with neither of them saying a word. Dion couldn't even comment on what his friend had just said.
"You've gone crazy, Ries. You'd better think this decision over again..." Dion took a step back, his voice quiet but explosive in the empty hallway.
"Do you even realize what you just said?!"
Aries moved closer and gripped Dion's shoulders. "Dion... listen to me, just this once. Please, Dion."
"I'm sorry, Ries, but I can't! You'd better ask someone else."
"Liana won't be able to take it if she finds out her baby died. She's fought so hard. Her baby is gone." Aries's voice broke as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I can't bear to watch her fall apart. Liana is everything to me. I love her so much, and I can't watch her break down, Dion."
Dion closed his eyes. It tortured him to see the strong friend he knew now almost dropping to his knees in front of him. Aries had never asked him for anything before.
"I just..." Aries gasped for breath. "I just want her to be happy. The only way to make her happy is to give her Reina's baby."
"And Reina?" Dion stared sharply at Aries. "What happens if she wakes up one day? If she finds out we switched their babies, and that the baby she gave birth to is actually still alive? What are you going to do to her?"
Aries stood frozen without a word. Reina's face during childbirth flashed through his mind. She had looked pale, suffered through the pain, and then slipped into a coma.
"I don't know, Dion," Aries whispered.
"But one thing I do know is that child has to be with me and Liana, not in someone else's hands. And Liana... she deserves that happiness."
Dion stared at his friend for a long time. At last, he sighed, as though surrendering to Aries's insane wish. His heart wasn't strong enough to refuse his friend's request.
"If this gets found out, your life is over."
Aries looked straight at him, his decision and resolve already firm. Whatever consequences came later, Aries would face them.
"I already know the risks."
"Your marriage to Liana will be at stake too, Ries."
"I know that too."
"That's not all, Ries." Dion fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "If she wakes up, she could report you to the police, Ries. What you're doing now is a criminal act."
Aries closed his eyes. "I'll bear all the consequences. I'm only asking you for one thing, Dion."
Dion ran a hand through his hair again, utterly frustrated. "What?"
Aries moved closer. His voice was barely more than a breath. "Please arrange for that baby to be moved to Liana's room. Let everyone believe it's our child."
Dion looked at Aries as if he were watching someone standing on the edge of a cliff. "You're insane. You're really insane, Ries," Dion muttered.
Aries didn't answer. He only stared at the floor. A few seconds later, Dion let out a long sigh—the sigh of a friend who had finally been dragged into a sin that should never have been his.
"I'll help you. Just remember, I warned you, Ries. You'll bear all the consequences yourself."
"After today, there's no going back. You've already chosen your path and the life you're going to live."
"I know, Dion. Thank you for helping me."
Dion didn't answer. He only gave his friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. Dion knew that after today, Aries's life would never be the same again.