Chapter 1

I was born with congenital analgesia. Growing up, Ethan's biggest fear was seeing me get hurt.

Whenever there was danger, he’d throw himself in front of me without hesitation.

He even gave up a lucrative career in finance to go into medicine—a grueling field that demanded all his time and energy—just so he could take care of me.

For over a decade, he kept me sheltered in the palm of his hand. When I was drained, he took me out to unwind. When life felt dull, he brought it back to life. He told me that by his side, I only ever needed to be a carefree princess.

Everyone thought our love would last forever.

Until I missed a step on the stairs, lay frozen and helpless on the cold floor, and called Ethan for help. But he was busy delivering Chloe’s puppies.

"I can't make it back right now. Just call 911."

"Besides, you can't feel pain anyway. Just wait there for the paramedics."

In that exact second, I realized that his love had rotted away.

I opened SnapChat and saw Ethan had just posted a new story. I tried to shift my legs to get comfortable on the bed, but I could barely move.

The man on my screen was exceptionally handsome. Even a plain white button-down looked striking on him, but the smeared bloodstains across his chest stung my eyes.

He had severe germaphobia.

Yet right now, Ethan held a tiny nursing bottle in each hand, patiently feeding two newborn puppies.

The tiny pups let out desperate little squeaks, and the corners of Ethan’s mouth slowly curled upward.

"Shoutout to Dr. Miller for saving my babies' lives!"

The person recording was clearly an energetic girl.

Hearing her voice, Ethan looked up at the lens with a helpless, utterly affectionate smile.

The caption read:

[Delivered puppies for the first time. Such an incredible feeling of accomplishment.]

I clenched my jaw and gripped the corner of my blanket until my knuckles turned white. My whole body wouldn't stop shaking.

It wasn't even winter, yet a bone-chilling cold swept right through me.

I had blacked out before the paramedics arrived, only to wake up in a hospital bed. And now, my own husband still hadn't shown up.

By the time I dialed his number for the ninth time, I didn't even have the strength left to hold the phone.

Dr. Adams, my attending physician, looked down at my chart with a grave expression.

"Are you able to reach any family members right now, Summer?"

I shook my head. "Dr. Adams, you can just tell me directly."

Hearing this, Dr. Adams frowned deeply.

"Given your condition, your family really needs to be informed. You have a fracture in your right fibula. We've set it in a cast, and it needs to stay on for at least a month. You need absolute bed rest during this period."

"On top of that, you're pregnant, and showing signs of a threatened miscarriage. If you plan on keeping this baby, you have to be extremely careful from here on out."

My mind went completely blank. Instinctively, I asked, "Pregnant? How far along?"

"About eight weeks."

I touched my flat stomach, my chest tightening with conflicted emotions.

During our pre-marital screening, Ethan had been diagnosed with severe oligozoospermia.

Back then, he had avoided me, hidden away, and even talked about moving across the country to put distance between us. He stubbornly pushed me away, yet he couldn't hide how desperately he wanted to hold me, how much he craved my love.

He started binge-drinking, speeding on backroads, smashing things in fits of rage, completely unraveling. He tried to push me into the arms of other men he deemed 'worthy,' but the second I faced even the slightest danger, he would pull me into his arms like a madman.

The proud spine of that young man had shattered. With bloodshot eyes, he had choked out:

"Don't you want a baby, Summer? I can't give you a real future."

"I won't let you spend the rest of your life regretting being with me."

Back then, I had gripped his trembling hands tightly and smiled with absolute conviction.

"Ethan, I don't need a baby. I just need you. As long as I have you, that's enough."

Ethan had forced a faint smile, but the deep despair in his eyes was impossible to hide.

He wanted a child far more than I did.

If this had happened before, the news of this pregnancy would have sent me over the moon.

Yet now, all I felt was turmoil—wondering if I should keep this child, or if I should even bother giving Ethan another chance.