Chapter 4
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Gabriella jabbed a finger at Ariana. Tears burst from her eyes.
"How could you do something like this?" Gabriella shouted. "How could you do this to Colton? How am I supposed to show my face in public after this?"
She was shaking all over with rage. She nearly lost her balance.
I instinctively reached out to support her.
That simple gesture only made her break down and cry even harder.
"Colton," Gabriella choked out. "I'm so sorry, Colton. This is all my fault."
I didn't say a word. I let go of her.
Some things couldn't be fixed with an apology.
Meanwhile, Kennedy knew there was no way to hide it anymore.
He took a deep breath.
Finally, he said, "Gabriella, Ariana's not to blame for any of this.
"I was the one who made the first move. I contacted her first."
Gabriella let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "So what? So what are you trying to say?"
Kennedy clenched his jaw, struggling for words. He turned to face me.
"The baby is mine," he admitted.
The whole room gasped in shock.
Even though everyone had already guessed it, actually hearing Kennedy own up to it was a whole different story.
Ariana closed her eyes. Tears kept streaming down her face.
Ariana knew deep down from this moment that there was nowhere left to hide.
All the cover-ups were torn away, leaving only the ugly truth.
Kennedy bowed his head, barely able to speak. "I'm sorry."
I looked at him. Honestly, it was kind of ridiculous.
This guy had slept with my wife, and now he was standing there, saying sorry like it meant anything.
But I couldn't see any real guilt on his face.
What I saw on his face was more like defiance.
To him, I was just the obstacle standing in his way.
Right then, the doctor finally snapped. "We can't wait any longer. The patient's condition is critical. So who's signing the papers?"
The room fell silent again.
Gabriella closed her eyes. She looked like she'd aged ten years in that instant.
A few seconds later, she reached out her hand.
"Give it to me," she said.
The doctor handed her the consent form.
Gabriella signed her name, her hand trembling.
As Gabriella's pen scratched across the paper, the last flicker of hope vanished from her eyes.
The nurse quickly wheeled the bed away.
Right before Ariana was pushed into the operating room, her eyes stayed glued to me, full of desperate pleading.
But I stayed right where I was. I didn't move an inch closer.
The operating room doors slowly closed.
The red light came on. The hallway went quiet again.
I stood there, staring at those closed doors.
Suddenly, it hit me. Six years of marriage, and it all felt like the cruelest joke life could play.
The surgery dragged on for three hours.
At one in the morning, the light above the operating room finally turned off.
The doctor came out, pulling off his mask. "The patient pulled through. But the baby didn't make it."
The hallway fell silent for a moment.
Gabriella closed her eyes and slowly slid down the wall, sitting on the floor. It was like every last bit of strength had been drained from her.
Kennedy stood nearby, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.
He looked absolutely terrible.
I didn't say a word.
Honestly, the moment the doctor said it was a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, the outcome was already set in stone.
The nurse wheeled the bed out.
Ariana was still out cold from the anesthesia.
Her face was so pale, it was like all the color had been sucked out of her. There were still tear tracks at the corners of her eyes.
Gabriella followed the nurse into the room.
Kennedy tried to go in, too. But Gabriella cut him off.
"Get out," she snapped.
Kennedy froze. "Gabriella."
"Don't call me." Gabriella's voice shot up, sharp and furious. "After what you two did, you still have the nerve to stand here?"
People in the hallway turned to look, curious about the commotion.
Kennedy's face went from pale to ashen. In the end, I didn't dare to argue back.
Kennedy glanced toward the hospital room, then turned and walked away.
His steps slowed as he walked past me. "Colton," he said.
I looked up at him.
He gritted his teeth. "I'll take care of everything about the baby."
I almost laughed out loud.
The baby was gone. Now he said he would take responsibility?
It was way too late for that.
I couldn't be bothered to respond, so I just walked right past him.
He stood there, his face dark and stormy.
Inside the hospital room, Ariana was still unconscious.
Gabriella sat by the bed, wiping away tears.
When she saw me walk in, she quickly stood up.
She looked at me, guilt written all over her face. "Colton."
"Gabriella," I said.
She opened her mouth, but couldn't say a thing.
She struggled, unable to speak.
I knew exactly what she wanted to say.
But at this point, words were meaningless.
I set the file I'd brought down on the nightstand. "Give this to her when she wakes up."
Gabriella looked at me, confused. "What is this?"
"She'll know when she sees it," I replied.
With that, I sat down in the chair next to the bed.
I stayed right there.
There were still things I needed to tell her myself.
Two hours later, there was a faint movement from the hospital bed.
Ariana slowly opened her eyes. She was still groggy from the anesthesia.
Ariana looked dazed, her eyes still glazed and unfocused.
When she saw Gabriella, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Mom..."