Chapter 2

The lights inside the operating room were blindingly white.

I lay down on the cold table. My body trembled slightly from the chill and fear. I couldn't stop it. Metal tools clinked against each other. Every sound felt like another hit to my already broken heart.

I closed my eyes. One last warm tear rolled down from the corner of my eye.

Goodbye, my baby. I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you.

The doctor's cold gloves brushed against my skin. I waited in despair for the heart-ripping pain that was about to hit.

With a bang, someone slammed the door open from the outside with brute force.

I opened my eyes in terror. A group of men in black suits rushed in. Their faces were serious. They surrounded one man as they stormed in.

"Stop!" The man in the lead let out a thunderous roar. His voice was full of sheer panic and anger.

It scared the doctor, who was about to start, so much that his hand shook. The instrument fell to the ground.

My eyes were drawn to that man. He was very tall. He wore a perfectly tailored suit. His face was handsome. He looked elegant and noble, radiating an intimidating vibe that commanded attention.

But at that moment, his deep eyes, as cold as a frozen lake, were filled with anxiety and fear of what almost happened.

He walked to my bedside in a few quick steps. His eyes locked onto mine. His voice trembled slightly from emotion. "Are you Serena?"

I nodded, still dazed. I had no idea what was going on.

The man seemed relieved by my answer. He let out a deep breath. His eyes turned red right away.

He carefully pulled out a document from inside his jacket. He held it out to me. His voice was hoarse but gentle. "Serena... I'm your brother. Alexander Sterling."

He said, "Look. This is our DNA test report. I came too late. I'm sorry... for all the pain you've been through... Let's go home."

Brother? Home? My mind went completely blank. It felt like a pile of scrambled mush.

I looked at the report. It showed a 99.99% probability of a biological sibling relationship. I looked at this man's sincere and pained eyes. It all felt like a ridiculous, impossible dream.

I was an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage. I had no family.

"Take her home." Alexander didn't give me much time to react. He took off his suit jacket. He wrapped it around me gently, from head to toe. Then he picked me up in his arms. His embrace was warm and broad. It carried a calming scent of cedar.

I was so overwhelmed by how fast everything happened. I felt like a puppet. I just let him hold me. A group of men in black surrounded us. We left the hospital that had shattered my heart in a grand procession.

The car drove smoothly down the road. It was so quiet inside that we could hear each other breathe.

Alexander sat next to me. He held my hand tightly the whole time. He looked like he was afraid I would disappear the next second.

He briefly explained everything to me. It turned out I wasn't an orphan. I was the only heiress of the Sterling family.

They were one of the top wealthy and powerful families in Riverside City. I had been switched at birth at a hospital over 20 years ago. Someone did it on purpose with bad intentions.

All these years, my family never stopped looking for me. Only recently, they found an old photo of me as a kid at the orphanage. That gave them a clue. Then they followed the trail and found me.

"Serena, you've suffered all these years," Alexander said. His voice was thick with guilt and heartache. "From now on, I'm here. No one will ever hurt you again."

My tears burst out again. But this time, it wasn't from despair. It was from the warmth that had come 20 years too late.

"Ms. Sterling." The assistant in the front seat turned around. He handed me a glass of water respectfully. "The doctor just checked. Your baby is fine. It wasn't harmed at all."

What? I jerked in shock. My hand instinctively went to my flat stomach. My baby... my baby was still there?

Because of this sudden turn of events, because my real family had shown up out of nowhere, this baby I had sentenced to death was, against all odds, miraculously spared.

Under my palm, I felt a faint flutter. A tiny sign of life.

I felt this miracle. I had almost lost it, but found it again. I felt the warmth of the family beside me. For the first time, hope took root in the desolate landscape of my heart.

James, Olivia. This isn't over between us.