Chapter 2

Before I left the hospital, Victoria caught up with me in the stairwell and pulled me into an embrace.

"Leo, I'm so sorry..."

"I really can't leave right now. Your brother's mental state is completely shot today. He refuses to take his medication if I'm not there."

I stared into her eyes for a long, quiet moment.

"Can we go first thing tomorrow morning, then? Victoria... I really can't wait any longer."

Victoria blinked, then let out a soft chuckle.

"Are you really that desperate to marry me?"

I nodded, dead serious.

"Yes. The entire reason I'm here... is to marry you."

She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"Alright. Head home first. I'll come back as soon as I get him to sleep. We'll be the very first couple at City Hall tomorrow morning!"

Looking at the warmth in her eyes, the suffocating dread in my chest finally receded a little.

Everything would be fine once we were married.

I gently rested my hand against her belly.

A wave of warmth and relief washed over me.

That little scatterbrain hadn't even realized she was pregnant yet.

I wanted to surprise her with the news right after we got our marriage license...

But when I woke up the next morning, the space beside me was cold and empty.

Victoria hadn't come home all night.

By nine in the morning, half the sand in the hourglass had run out.

A cold, mechanical chime echoed through my mind.

[Mission countdown: twelve hours remaining. Please hurry, Host.]

I gathered both our IDs and paperwork and headed to City Hall on my own.

Before walking out the door, I texted her.

"I'm heading to City Hall now. What time will you get there?"

When I arrived at the entrance, there was still no reply.

I tried calling her on FaceTime, but the call was declined almost instantly.

Finally, a text popped up.

[Keith's doctor is doing rounds right now. Be a good boy and wait for me outside.]

Along with the text, she sent a picture of Keith resting his head on her shoulder.

I stared at the photo, zooming in on their intertwined fingers.

A memory flashed through my mind. When we first took my brother to a psychiatrist, the doctor suggested that Victoria hug him for at least ten minutes every day to ease his severe anxiety and depression.

The first time she did it, Victoria was so uncomfortable that she literally set a timer on her phone. The second the ten minutes were up, she rushed to the bathroom to scrub herself clean.

Afterward, she wrapped herself around me, pouting, saying she hated being that close to anyone who wasn't me.

I didn't even know when it happened, but somehow, holding hands and hugging had become second nature to them.

Over the past two years, Victoria had probably touched my brother more than she had touched me...

I texted her back:

"Come over as soon as you're done. City Hall closes at noon."

Two more hours slipped by on the hourglass.

I stood at the corner of the intersection the entire time. It was the only route leading to City Hall, meaning I would spot her car the second she arrived.

I checked my phone. She still hadn't replied.

Another segment of sand drained away. As twelve o'clock drew near, I finally spotted a matte-black G-Wagon waiting at the red light down the street.

License plate: 888.

It was Victoria!

My heart leaped, and I scrambled to my feet, clutching the folded ultrasound report in my hand.

Victoria, like many tragic heroines, had lost both her parents at a young age.

Whenever we laid in bed at night, she loved burying her face in my chest, whispering softly:

"I want to have a sweet little baby with you."

I couldn't wait to see her face when I showed her the report right after we signed the papers.

Smiling, I stepped toward the curb to wave down the SUV.

Instead of slowing down, the vehicle tore past the intersection at full speed, roaring away into the distance.

The slush kicked up by the tires splashed straight across my face.