Chapter 4
520 Words
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down and steady my rapidly fraying nerves.
"Noah! You want to take my blood? Fine! Go ahead! But please... let me go to the obstetrics department first, just for a checkup? My stomach really hurts... it's unbearable."
A warm, sticky fluid began to pool and flow out beneath me.
Inside my womb, it felt as though something precious was slowly slipping away, detaching from me forever.
Panic seized me instantly. I began to beg incoherently, my voice trembling and breaking. "Just let them confirm that the baby is safe and unharmed. After that... if you want my life, you can take it. I won't resist or say a word."
Noah was stunned by the sheer desperation and urgency in my tone. He remained silent for a long moment, unsure of what to do.
But then, Noelle began to cry loudly, her voice thick with hurt and accusation.
"Ruby, why do you have to be like this? Are you trying to say that I am forcing Noah to kill you? Is that what you mean?"
"That is not what I meant—"
I never got to finish my sentence. Noah’s hand swung across my face in a violent slap, striking me with full force.
My cheek swelled up instantly, throbbing with sharp pain.
"Draw the blood! Now!"
The excruciating pain combined with the rapid loss of blood made my entire body turn icy cold.
I curled up into a shivering ball on the table.
I could clearly feel my own vitality draining away, slipping fast like sand through my fingers.
Seeing my face grow paler and paler, until it was as white as paper, Noah suddenly felt a deep, unsettling unease rising in his chest.
Just then, a young woman standing nearby screamed at the top of her lungs, "Ah! Look! There's so much blood!"
Only then did he truly see.
The blood flowing from beneath me had already spread across the table, staining the entire surface bright red.
For a split second, his mind went completely blank, echoing with a loud ringing sound.
Without saying a single word, he scooped me up into his arms and sprinted straight toward the obstetrics ward.
By that time, my consciousness was already fading in and out, blurring into darkness.
I could barely even keep my eyes open.
Panic finally set in for Noah. He shook me roughly, trying to keep me awake.
"Wake up! Ruby, you are not allowed to sleep! Open your eyes! If anything happens to my son, I will never forgive you! Do you hear me?!"
The doctors completed a rapid preliminary examination and immediately demanded emergency surgery.
Addressing Noah, they said, "You are the father of the child, correct? Here is the surgical consent form. Please sign it immediately."
Noah’s hands were trembling uncontrollably as he reached out to take the pen and paper.
But suddenly, another hand, with distinct, well-defined knuckles, reached out and intercepted the document before he could touch it.
A deep, steady voice spoke, "I am the father of the child. I will sign it."
- Writer
