Mila was rushed into the delivery room. The contractions came one after another, each stronger than the last.

"Ah..." A cry escaped Mila’s lips as another wave of pain tore through her body.

It felt as though her entire body was being ripped apart.

She clutched the sides of the hospital bed until her knuckles turned white. Every muscle trembled. Sweat soaked her hair and trickled down her temples.

Her breathing became ragged. Another contraction hit.

"Ahhh..." She cried out, arching her back as unbearable pain spread from her abdomen through her entire body.

"Dr. Mila, take a deep breath and push," the female doctor encouraged. "The baby is coming. Push harder."

Mila gritted her teeth and obeyed. She pushed with every ounce of strength she had left.

The effort left her dizzy. Her vision blurred. Her lungs burned as though they had run out of air.

"Inhale deeply... Now push again."

The doctor’s voice sounded distant, as though it were coming from the other end of a tunnel.

Mila’s body had reached its limit. Her arms felt numb. Her legs trembled uncontrollably.

Even opening her eyes became difficult. She thought she was about to lose consciousness.

At that moment, she desperately wished Dominic were beside her. She wanted him to hold her hand. She wanted him to tell her everything would be all right.

"Dominic..." she whispered.

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. "I’m... in so much pain..."

A nurse quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead before looking anxiously at the doctor. "Doctor, she is exhausted."

A shadow crossed the doctor’s face. "No."

She immediately leaned close to Mila. "Listen to me, Mila. You cannot fall asleep now. If you stop pushing, your baby won’t get enough oxygen."

At the mention of her baby, Mila forced her heavy eyelids open.

’No...I can’t let anything happen to my baby.’

The thought chased away her exhaustion.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she summoned every bit of strength left inside her. She pushed again.

The doctor smiled encouragingly. "That’s it. You are doing great. Take another deep breath and push."

Mila cried out as she bore down once more.

Pain, unlike anything she had ever imagined, surged through her body. It felt as though she were being torn apart. But she refused to stop. She couldn’t, not when her baby depended on her.

The doctor examined her and smiled brightly. "I can see the baby’s head. Just one more push. You can do it."

Mila tightened her grip on the bed rails.

"Ahhh..." With a loud cry, she used every last bit of strength she had.

One final push, then suddenly, the unbearable pressure disappeared.

"The baby is out," the doctor announced with relief.

A heartbeat later, a loud cry echoed throughout the delivery room.

Mila’s tense body instantly relaxed. A relieved sob escaped her lips.

Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

Her baby was safe.

She weakly lifted her head, desperate to see her child. "My... baby..."

The doctor gently placed the newborn on her chest.

A warm little body nestled against her.

"It’s a boy," the doctor said with a smile.

"A... boy?" Mila looked down at the tiny face pressed against her chest.

A radiant smile spread across her face. She carefully wrapped her arms around him, overwhelmed by emotions she couldn’t put into words.

Tears slowly blurred her vision again. She had given birth to their child. Yet Dominic wasn’t beside her.

He probably didn’t even know she had gone into labor. Ironically, she couldn’t call him herself.

She still couldn’t let anyone discover that Dominic was the baby’s father.

"Is there anyone you’d like us to contact?" the doctor asked gently.

Mila closed her eyes briefly. There was only one person she wanted.

Dominic.

But she knew she couldn’t say his name. "My friend..." She opened her eyes again. "Lara."

The doctor nodded. "Don’t worry. We’ll call her."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day...

Lara hurried into the hospital room, panic written all over her face.

"Mila."

She had barely taken two steps before her eyes landed on the tiny bundle sleeping peacefully in the crib. She froze.

The worry on her face instantly melted into joy.

"Oh, my goodness..." She covered her mouth. "He is so adorable."

Instead of rushing to Mila, she hurried straight to the crib. She leaned over, unable to stop smiling.

"Mila, look at him. His tiny nose looks just like yours. And those little fingers..."

She laughed softly. "They are so tiny."

Mila smiled warmly. She gazed lovingly at her son. "I think he looks more like his father."

Lara’s smile faded. She slowly turned toward Mila.

"Does he know about the baby?"

Mila shook her head. "Not yet."

A frown creased Lara’s forehead. "But he deserves to know."

Mila smiled faintly. Deep down, she believed Dominic would find out. And when he did, he would come.

"He will," she whispered confidently.

Lara didn’t press. Instead, she continued admiring the baby, unable to stop talking about how adorable he was.

She praised his tiny nose, delicate lips, soft cheeks, thick black hair, and peaceful sleeping face. She looked completely enchanted.

After a while, she finally remembered something.

"By the way..." She turned back to Mila. "The doctor said your water broke unexpectedly. What happened?"

Mila’s smile gradually faded. Her thoughts returned to Leonard, the argument, and then the slap.

A cold anger rose inside her.

"It was my father."

"What?" Lara’s eyes widened in disbelief. "He came to see you?"

She clenched her fists. "What did he do this time?"

Mila sighed quietly. "He came asking for money. For Camilla’s treatment. When I refused, he slapped me."

She touched her cheek unconsciously.

"What?" Lara nearly shouted. "He actually hit you?"

Her face flushed with fury. "He only cares about Camilla and Bianca. What about you? Have you completely stopped existing in his eyes? How could he strike a pregnant woman?"

Mila simply shook her head. "Forget it. He isn’t my father anymore."

She looked toward the crib. A gentle smile returned to her lips. "The only thing that matters is that my baby is safe. I don’t want to waste another moment thinking about those people. I just want to live happily with my child."

Lara nodded firmly. "That’s exactly what you should do. They’ve tormented you long enough. Let them rot in misery."

Silence settled over the room. Mila couldn’t stop thinking about how miserable her father looked. He seemed tired.

Mila could he had been through a lot.

After a long while, she quietly spoke again. "Lara... Can you do something for me?"

"Anything. You only have to ask."

"Find out what is happening with my father."

Lara stared at her in disbelief. "What? After everything he has done, you still want to know about him? He almost caused you to lose your baby today. He never cared about you. And you are worried about him?"

Mila let out a quiet sigh. "I’ll never forget what he did. And I won’t forgive him."

She smiled sadly. "But he is still my father. If he is truly in trouble, I want to help him."

She looked at her sleeping son before continuing. "For the last time."

Lara wanted to argue. But one look at Mila’s determined expression stopped her.

After a long sigh, she nodded. "Fine. I’ll look into it. I’ll find out whether Camilla is really sick and how serious her condition is."

Then she gently squeezed Mila’s hand. "But after this, you stop worrying about them. Focus on yourself and on this little boy."

Mila’s gaze never left her son. "That’s exactly what I intend to do."