Yuna lay there in silence for a long moment after her last words, her eyes distant, her thoughts tangled in something she could no longer ignore. The room felt smaller somehow, like the walls were closing in on her, pressing her to face something she had spent years not questioning. Slowly, she turned her head back toward Ethan, her gaze searching, uncertain, almost afraid of what she was about to ask.
"Ethan…" her voice was quiet, fragile. "Be honest with me."
He didn't move, but his attention sharpened instantly.
She swallowed, her fingers tightening slightly over the blanket. "Was my dad… involved in something dangerous?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Was he… a bad person?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and unavoidable.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't know.
But because he knew exactly how much this answer would hurt her.
Yuna noticed the pause. Her breathing became uneven again. "Please," she whispered. "Don't lie to me anymore."
That was enough.
Ethan exhaled slowly, his gaze steady but no longer guarded. "Yes," he said.
The single word broke something in her eyes.
But he didn't stop.
"He was involved in things," Ethan continued, his voice controlled but direct. "Dangerous things. He wasn't just connected to them—he ran parts of it."
Yuna shook her head weakly, as if trying to reject it before hearing more. "No… no, that's not true…"
"He sold children," Ethan said.
The words landed like a blow.
Her breath caught instantly.
Her entire body stiffened.
"And he was involved in organized crimes," Ethan added, his tone steady but quieter now. "He wasn't innocent, Yuna."
Tears spilled down her face without restraint now.
"No…" she whispered again, but there was no strength in the denial anymore. "No, he wouldn't… he wouldn't do that…"
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her emotions spiraling out of control. Everything she had believed about her father, everything she had held onto, was cracking apart in front of her.
"You're lying…" she said weakly, but her voice didn't carry conviction. "You have to be lying…"
Ethan stepped closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"I'm not," he said.
That was what broke her completely.
A sob escaped her lips, raw and uncontrollable. She covered her face with her hands, shaking as the truth sank in piece by piece, tearing through every memory she had of him.
"My dad…" she cried, her voice breaking again and again. "He… he wasn't like that… he couldn't be…"
Ethan couldn't just stand there anymore.
He moved to her side and gently pulled her into his arms.
At first, she resisted—her body tense, her hands pushing weakly against him.
But she didn't have the strength to pull away.
Not this time.
Her head fell against his chest as she cried, her body trembling violently.
Ethan held her carefully, one hand supporting her back, the other resting protectively against her head.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
She didn't respond.
She just cried.
For her father.
For the truth.
For everything she had lost in a single night.
And then—
Her body suddenly tensed.
Sharp.
Immediate.
A different kind of pain.
"Ah—" Yuna gasped, her hand moving instinctively to her stomach.
Ethan felt it instantly. "Yuna?" his voice sharpened. "What's wrong?"
Her face twisted in pain. "It hurts…" she cried out. "Ethan—it hurts—"
Her grip tightened on his shirt as another wave of pain hit her, stronger this time.
"Yuna, look at me," Ethan said urgently, trying to keep her steady. "Where does it hurt?"
"My stomach—" she gasped, her breathing uneven now, panic rising rapidly. "Something's wrong—baby—"
Then—
Ethan saw it.
Blood.
His expression changed instantly.
"Luca!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the hallway. "Elena!"
Within seconds, the door burst open. Elena rushed in, followed by Luca.
"What happened?" Elena asked, but the moment she saw Yuna, she froze. "Oh my God—"
"Call the doctor!" Ethan snapped.
"I already did!" Elena said, moving quickly to Yuna's side.
Yuna cried out again, her body curling slightly as the pain intensified. "It hurts—please—make it stop—my baby—"
Ethan held her tighter, trying to keep her still. "Stay with me," he said, his voice tense, urgent. "Yuna, stay with me."
Footsteps rushed in.
Nurses.
Then the doctor.
They moved quickly, assessing the situation with practiced urgency.
"Get her on the bed properly," one nurse said.
"She's already bleeding," another added.
The doctor stepped forward, his expression serious as he began examining her condition.
"What happened?" he asked sharply.
"Sudden pain," Elena answered quickly. "And then this—"
Yuna cried out again, her body trembling uncontrollably now.
"Blood pressure is dropping," a nurse said.
"Prepare emergency support," the doctor ordered immediately.
Ethan stepped back only when they pushed him aside to make space, but his eyes never left Yuna.
"Is she going to be okay?" he demanded.
The doctor didn't answer right away.
He focused on Yuna, checking her vitals, giving instructions to the nurses.
"She's under severe stress," he said finally. "It's affecting the pregnancy."
Yuna's voice came out weak, broken. "My baby…" she whispered.
Ethan's chest tightened.
"Save her," he said, his voice low but firm. "Do whatever you have to. Just save her."
The doctor nodded briefly. "We're trying."
Trying.
That word wasn't enough.
Yuna's hand reached out weakly, searching.
Ethan saw it.
He stepped forward instantly, taking her hand in his.
"I'm here," he said.
Her grip was weak, but she held onto him.
"Don't let anything happen…" she whispered, barely audible.
Ethan tightened his hold. "Nothing will happen," he said, even though he didn't know if that was true.
For the first time—
He couldn't control the outcome.
And that—
Terrified him more than anything.
The room filled with controlled urgency, voices overlapping in short, precise instructions as the medical team worked around her. Machines were adjusted, monitors beeped faster, and the sterile air felt tighter with every passing second. Ethan stood just a step away now, close enough to see every flicker of pain on Yuna's face, but far enough that he couldn't interfere.
And that distance—
It was unbearable.
"Pulse is unstable," one nurse said quickly.
"Keep her conscious," the doctor replied, his tone sharp but focused. "Yuna, can you hear me?"
Yuna's eyes fluttered, barely open. Her grip on Ethan's hand weakened for a moment, then tightened again as another wave of pain hit her. A soft cry escaped her lips, broken and exhausted.
"I'm here," Ethan said again, leaning slightly closer despite the nurses moving around him. "Stay with me."
Her lips parted, her voice faint. "Ethan…"
He felt it.
That shift.
Even in pain, even in everything that had just happened—she still reached for him.
"I'm here," he repeated, more firmly this time.
The doctor glanced at Ethan briefly, then back at Yuna. "We need to move her," he said. "Now."
A stretcher was adjusted beside the bed, and in one smooth, coordinated motion, they prepared to transfer her.
"Careful," Elena whispered, stepping back but watching closely, her hands clasped tightly together.
Yuna cried out again as they shifted her, her body instinctively resisting the movement.
"It's okay, it's okay," Ethan said quickly, his hand still holding hers until the very last second they had to separate.
"Sir, you need to let go," a nurse said firmly.
For a fraction of a second—
He didn't.
Then slowly, his fingers loosened.
Her hand slipped from his.
And they took her.
They moved quickly, pushing the stretcher out of the room, the wheels rolling fast against the polished floor. The doors opened, then closed again as they rushed her toward the emergency unit.
Ethan followed immediately, his steps fast, controlled but urgent. Luca and Elena were right behind him, both silent now, the weight of the situation pressing down on all of them.
"Doctor," Ethan called out once more as they reached the restricted area. "She was fine a few minutes ago. What changed?"
The doctor didn't slow down. "Severe emotional shock," he answered. "Her condition was already delicate after the earlier operation. This kind of stress can trigger complications quickly—especially in early pregnancy."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
This—
This was because of everything that had just happened.
Because of him.
They reached another set of doors.
"Only medical staff beyond this point," a nurse said, stopping them.
Ethan stepped forward anyway. "I'm coming in."
"You can't," she replied firmly.
His gaze hardened. "She's not going in there alone."
"She's not alone," the nurse said. "We're here. Let us do our job."
The words were calm.
Professional.
But they didn't make it easier.
Ethan stopped.
Not because he wanted to—
But because he had no choice.
The doors closed in front of him.
Again.
The sound echoed louder than it should have.
And just like that—
He was on the outside.
Waiting.
Helpless.
The hallway felt colder now.
Quieter.
Even the sounds of the hospital seemed distant, like everything had narrowed down to one single point behind those doors.
Elena stepped closer, her voice soft but tense. "She's strong," she said. "She made it through the first operation. She'll get through this too."
Ethan didn't respond.
He just stared at the door.
Luca leaned against the wall again, but this time there was no calm in his posture. "We should've handled that better," he muttered.
Ethan's eyes didn't move.
"Yes," he said quietly.
No denial.
No defense.
Just truth.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Each one heavier than the last.
Ethan replayed the moment over and over—the look on Yuna's face, the way her body had tensed, the blood—
His hand clenched into a fist.
For the first time in a long time—
He felt completely out of control.
Not because of an enemy.
Not because of a failed plan.
But because someone he cared about was in danger—
And he couldn't do anything to stop it.
His head lowered slightly, his breath steady but deeper now.
"Stay alive," he murmured under his breath, almost like a command. "Yuna… just stay alive."
Because this time—
It wasn't about missions.
Or power.
Or survival.
It was about her.
And the life she carried.
And whether he would lose both—
Before he even had the chance to make things right.