# Love
Aries couldn't calm down until he saw Reina's condition for himself. He also couldn't ignore her condition; deep down, she held a special place in his heart.
Aries looked at Liana. His wife's face looked pale, but Liana's condition had begun to improve. Aries thought about leaving Liana for a moment, then going to check on Reina.
“I'll step out for a bit, babe. I need to buy something and take care of the paperwork first.”
Liana smiled weakly. “Okay, but don't be long. I still want you here with me.”
Aries kissed his wife's forehead. “Yeah. I'll be right back.”
Aries left the room, hurrying down the hall. But he wasn't heading toward the administrative office. Instead, his feet carried him quickly past the maternity corridor and toward the heavily guarded intensive care room where someone was being treated.
When he reached the door, he stopped for a moment. His heart pounded hard. His left hand clenched into a fist, as though trying to control his ragged breathing. He looked left and right to make sure no one was watching or could see him, then slowly opened the door.
Inside, Reina lay unconscious, her body covered in tubes and monitor wires. Her face was pale, her eyes tightly shut as though she had been asleep for a very long time. The sound of the oxygen machine and the beeping heart monitor filled the silent room. Aries stepped inside, then slowly closed the door.
His footsteps carried him toward the bed where Reina lay. When he saw how pale her face was, his chest immediately tightened. At a time when she needed him, he wasn't by Reina's side.
“Reina...” Aries whispered, his voice trembling.
Aries stroked the woman's hair with great tenderness, the kind of gesture only someone who secretly loved her would make. His gaze wasn't one of pity, but of wanting to possess her completely. It was the gaze of a man looking at the woman he had brought into his life without his wife's permission.
“How did you end up like this?” Aries asked, his voice shaking.
The doctor's gentle voice from earlier still echoed clearly in his ears: Reina was in a coma. No one knew when she would wake up. No one knew whether she could recover.
Aries pulled a chair over quietly, sat beside Reina's bed, and gripped her hand tightly.
“I'm here...” he murmured. “I'm sorry I wasn't by your side when you gave birth.”
Aries lowered his head, holding back the guilt he couldn't deny. Guilt he could never make up for, no matter what he did.
“If only I'd come sooner. If only I could split my body in two, you wouldn't be like this. Maybe right now, you could be with our child. I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Reina. Once again, I had to sacrifice you.” Outside the glass window, rain began to fall, making the room even colder and gloomier.
Aries squeezed Reina's hand even tighter. “You fought so hard for me. For our child. But I'm sorry, Reina. I can't make our dream of becoming a complete family come true.”
Aries covered his face with both hands. “Reina... wake up. Please, wake up. I want to make up for all my mistakes.”
At the same time, the door shifted slightly but didn't open, merely moving as though someone stood behind it. Aries immediately raised his head, his heart racing like a thief caught red-handed.
Aries slowly stood and approached Reina, who remained completely still. He bent down and gently kissed the woman's forehead.
“I'm sorry. I have to go,” he whispered.
After looking at Reina's motionless form one last time, Aries left the room. Unbeknownst to him, someone was standing around the corner of the corridor, watching Aries's back with a confused expression. The person recognized him as the husband of another patient named Liana.