Dominic was thrown violently against the seat. Pain exploded throughout his already injured body.

For several seconds, ringing filled his ears. Blood trickled down the side of his forehead. Breathing heavily, he forced himself to move.

"Mila..." He turned toward her and froze.

She was unconscious.

Fear gripped his chest instantly. Ignoring the pain tearing through his body, Dominic forced the damaged door open and stumbled out of the wrecked car.

His entire body screamed in agony. But he immediately staggered toward Mila’s side. He yanked the damaged door open and reached for her.

Just then, a figure appeared, his face covered by a mask.

Dominic stiffened instantly when the man raised a gun and aimed it directly at him. Then a deafening roar of gunfire ripped through the air.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Mila regained consciousness, she was lying on a hospital bed.

The sharp smell of antiseptic filled her nose. White lights glared overhead. For a moment, her mind remained blank.

"Mila, you are finally awake."

She turned her head weakly toward the voice.

It wasn’t Dominic. It was Max.

"Max?" Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Then everything came rushing back – the black SUV following them, the firing, and then the accident.

Panic hit her instantly.

She didn’t know what had happened to Dominic.

"Where is Dominic?" she demanded, struggling to sit up. "I want to see him."

She pushed the blanket away, preparing to get out of bed.

"Wait." Max gripped her shoulders quickly. "Your wounds aren’t healed yet."

But Mila wouldn’t listen. Fear had already swallowed her whole.

"He was already injured," she muttered frantically. "The accident could’ve made it worse. I need to check him."

She pushed him away and climbed out of bed. Before she could take a step, Max’s strained voice stopped her.

"Mila, you are pregnant. Eight weeks."

She froze completely. For several seconds, she simply stared at him as if unable to process his words.

"What did you say?" Her lips trembled. "I’m... pregnant?"

Slowly, her hand moved to her belly. A strange warmth bloomed in her chest despite the fear surrounding her. Her eyes shimmered instantly.

"I’m going to be a mother..." she whispered shakily.

A soft smile appeared through her tears. "And Dominic..." Her voice cracked emotionally. "Dominic is going to be a father."

Joy exploded inside her heart so suddenly that it hurt. "I can’t wait to tell him..."

She turned quickly toward the door, desperate to find Dominic. But Max grabbed her wrist again.

"Mila, listen to me."

This time irritation flashed across her face. She glared at him.

"What’s now?"

Max’s expression paled. Hesitation flickered in his eyes.

Mila narrowed her gaze suspiciously. "Why are you here anyway?" she demanded. "How did you even find me?"

"I..." He inhaled deeply. "After the shootout incident, I lost track of you. I’d been searching everywhere. Then the police informed me about the accident, so I rushed here."

Dread slowly coiled inside her stomach. If the police had found them... then Dominic...

The thought of Dominic being captured, interrogated, tortured—made her chest tighten painfully.

"And Dominic?" she asked anxiously. "Where is he now?"

"He..." Max stopped mid-sentence.

Mila’s fear intensified instantly. She grabbed his collar tightly. "Tell me where he is."

Max swallowed hard before forcing the words out. "He is... dead."

Everything inside her seemed to stop. Her fingers slowly loosened around his collar. Her legs stumbled backward weakly. Shock rattled her entire body. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"No..." She shook her head immediately, disbelief flooding her face. "You are lying."

Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Max’s face crumpled painfully. "I wish I were. But the truth is—"

"Shut up..." she yelled, cutting him short. Her chest heaved violently. "This is not true. He can’t die."

Her voice cracked into sobs. "He promised me... He promised he would stay beside me forever. He promised he would protect me. How could he leave me?"

Tears blurred her vision completely.

"He did save you," Max said. "He died protecting you."

Mila shook her head violently again. "No... no..."

Her breathing became uneven. Pain clawed through her chest so fiercely that she could barely stand.

Images of Dominic flashed endlessly through her mind—his smile, his teasing voice, the warmth of his embrace, the way he had kissed her just hours ago.

He couldn’t be gone.

"Mila, please calm down," Max urged carefully. "You are pregnant now. You need to think about the baby."

He stepped closer and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Dominic did everything to keep you safe. And now you are safe. That’s what matters."

Mila’s eyes turned ice-cold instantly. She shoved his hands away sharply.

"Stop spreading lies," she snapped, fury storming in her eyes. "My Dominic would never leave me. He is alive. He is hiding somewhere. He’ll come back to me."

Max finally lost patience. "I have no reason to lie. He is dead already. His body is lying in the cold morgue."

Silence fell heavily between them.

Horror crept up her spine. She wouldn’t believe it. She still refused to believe it. But a terrifying question suddenly emerged in her mind.

What if it were true? What if he were really dead?

Fear gripped her throat so tightly she could barely breathe.

She immediately pushed the thought away, refusing to accept it. Yet the doubt lingered stubbornly inside her chest. She needed proof.

"Fine," she muttered. "Take me to the morgue. I want to see the body myself."

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.

Mila nodded firmly despite the ache crushing her heart.

But Max still looked uncertain. "You are pregnant. You shouldn’t see the dead body. It will be too much for you. You may not control your emotions."

"I am a doctor," she snapped, glaring at him. "I can handle it."

Max finally gave in. He took her to the morgue.

The moment the heavy door opened, freezing air rushed over Mila’s skin. Her blood turned cold instantly.

The room smelled of chemicals and death. The pale white lights above flickered faintly. The metal stretchers lined up in silence. A suffocating stillness hung in the air.

Mila’s fingers trembled slightly at her sides. Fear crawled through every inch of her body, but she forced herself forward anyway.

Her heart pounded violently when she noticed a body lying on one of the stretchers beneath a white sheet.

Her knees weakened instantly. For one terrible second, she nearly turned around and fled. But desperation pushed her forward.

She had to know. Step by step, she forced herself closer. Her breathing became shaky. Her palms turned sweaty even in the cold room. Then she slowly reached for the sheet with her shaking hand.

’Please... don’t let it be him.’

She pulled the white cloth away. The moment the face was revealed, a gasp tore from her throat.

There was a bullet wound between the eyebrows. The face was badly disfigured, barely recognizable. But his physique was just like Dominic’s. The stab wound on his stomach she had stitched was the same. Even the tattoo on his arm was familiar.

That serpent tattoo... Mila had seen that on Dominic’s arm countless times.

Shock exploded inside her. A horrifying scream escaped her lips.

The world spun violently around her before darkness swallowed everything.

"Mila." Max rushed forward and caught her collapsing body.

But she had already fainted completely.

Without wasting another second, he scooped her into his arms and hurried out of the morgue.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mila didn’t know how long she had been unconscious before she finally opened her eyes again.

A dull ache pulsed through her lower stomach. Instinctively, her trembling hand moved to her belly. Then tears slipped freely from the corners of her eyes.

"Mila..." Max called softly from beside the bed. "Please don’t cry."

The image of the corpse in the morgue flashed across her mind again.

That bloodied face was barely recognizable.

But the wound in his stomach, the serpent tattoo on the arm... How could she ignore them?

Her breathing turned uneven. Yet something inside her still refused to accept it.

’Those alone can’t prove it was Dominic,’ her mind argued desperately.

Clinging tightly to that tiny strand of hope, Mila abruptly sat up and tried to climb out of bed.

"Where are you going now?" Max quickly stopped her.

"I’m going to find Dominic," she muttered stubbornly. "Move out of my way."

She glared at him through tear-filled eyes.

Max looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "You saw the body," he said heavily. "He is dead."

"No, he is not," she snapped immediately. "He can’t be."

Her voice trembled violently. "I don’t believe that body belonged to him."

Max ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his chest rising and falling sharply.

"So everyone is lying now?" he asked incredulously. "The cops are fooling us too? Mila, wake up."

He forced himself to calm down before speaking again.

"I know this is hard for you. I know you are hurting. But the truth is the truth. You can’t change it."

Her emotions finally exploded.

"Shut up. Shut up," she screamed hysterically. "Get out. I don’t need you here."

Max stared at her helplessly.

Even after her outburst, he still didn’t leave.

After seeing how fragile her mental state had become, he simply couldn’t abandon her alone.

Right now, she looked like she could completely break apart at any second.

His expression hardened with determination.

"I’m not leaving," he said firmly. "You need someone beside you. And I won’t leave you alone in this condition."

Mila glared at him furiously, rage burning inside her chest. At that moment, she truly wanted to hit him.

"What is this commotion about?" A deep, cold voice suddenly echoed through the room.

Both Max and Mila turned toward the door instantly.

A middle-aged man stood there calmly.

Mila frowned slightly. She had never seen him before.

"Dad, why are you here?" Max strode toward him immediately, irritation flashing across his face. "Go away. We don’t need you here."