Chapter 3

Some random guy? Instantly, that young, determined face flashed through my mind.

In the middle of choking smoke and roaring flames, he pressed the only breathing mask onto my face.

Even through the mask, his anxious voice burned itself into my soul.

"You're pregnant. You have to protect both your lives. I'm a firefighter, and saving people is my calling. Remember, stay alive for your child," he said.

His name was Alex Carter.

He fulfilled that calling with his own life.

That act of kindness was the only thing that kept me going, and I would never let the three men in front of me defile it with their filthy words.

"Yeah," I said, meeting Charles's eyes and forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. "I did meet someone. He's ten thousand times better than any of you."

My words made Charles's face go from flushed to pale, then to a sickly shade, like he had just been slapped.

William and Ryan both froze, their bodies going stiff on the spot.

Just then, the hospital room door creaked open, and the nurse walked in with Anna in tow.

Anna's eyes were still red from crying. Sensing the room was thick with tension, she shrank behind the nurse and asked in a tiny voice, "Mommy, who are they?"

I reached out to her, my voice becoming impossibly gentle. "Anna, come here."

Anna looked at the three men whose faces were sullen, but she still summoned her courage and ran straight into my arms.

I hugged her tight, clinging to the only light in my world.

I slowly lifted my head and, in front of everyone, spoke to her in a clear, steady voice.

I said, "They're just strangers, Anna. Remember, your name is Anna Carter. Carter comes from Alex Carter. It's because of Alex that you were able to come into this world safe and sound."

After I finished, I looked up and let my gaze sweep over their three faces, all as pale as paper.

I went on, "I died as Wendy Grant in that warehouse five years ago.

"The person sitting here now is Wendy Carter.

"Alex gave me my life. My daughter carries his last name.

"None of this has anything to do with the Quinn family, the Grant family, or the Stone family."

My words drew an unbridgeable line between us, forever separating our worlds.

But they refused to leave.

The same people who once threw me away were now clinging to me like stubborn glue, coming at me all over again with their self-righteous love and guilt.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, I turned down all their plans and took Anna back to the old apartment complex where Alex's parents and I were living together.

After Alex passed away, his elderly parents didn't drown in sorrow. Instead, they welcomed me as their own daughter.

His mother would wipe away her tears while making hearty soup for me, saying, "Alex saved you and Anna. It's the only thing he left us to hold onto."

His father wasn't much of a talker, but he was always there for me through every grueling rehab session. When I was at my lowest, he'd awkwardly pat my back and say, "Sweetheart, take your time."

They gave me a real home when my world was at its darkest.

But it didn't take long for Ryan, William, and Charles to figure out where I lived.

After that, fancy cars kept showing up outside the complex, and the neighbors were all talking.

They sent over piles of pricey health stuff and toys, but I just tossed everything straight into the trash downstairs.

I didn't say a single word to any of them.

One day, Anna pointed at the flashy Maybach outside the window and asked in her sweet, childish voice, "Mommy, why does William keep coming here? And what about Ryan and Charles? Are they bad guys?"

I pulled Anna into my arms, pointed at Alex's photo on the wall, and said gently but firmly, "Anna, remember, Alex in his firefighter uniform is our hero and our family."

I looked into Anna's clear eyes and went on, "Those men downstairs are people I used to know. But they made a mistake, a really big one. Because of what they did, you and I almost couldn't be together, and we lost Alex forever.

"So we don't need them anymore. We already have Alex, our hero, and that's all we need, right?"

Anna nodded, not quite understanding, but she hugged my neck even tighter.