Chapter 3

I nodded and introduced myself. "I'm Olivia Lane."

From that day on, Ryan was like a warm beam of sunlight, quietly chasing away the shadows in my life.

He'd always help me carry my heavy groceries home, saying it was "on his way anyway."

On weekend mornings, he'd show up at my door with a pot of soup he'd made himself. It was something perfect for a pregnant woman.

He even offered to drive me to my prenatal appointments, waiting quietly outside the hospital until I was done.

At first, I was cautious around Ryan. After what happened with James, I was instinctively wary of any kindness from men.

But Ryan's help always landed just right. He came off as such a gentleman, and he knew where to draw the line. I couldn't turn him down.

He never asked about my past or tried to dig into my private life. His care was simple and warm, with no strings attached.

*****

One day after a checkup, I sat in Ryan's car, watching the scenery slide by, and finally gathered the courage to open up to him. "Ryan, thank you for taking care of me these past few months. Actually, it's only me. I don't have a husband."

I thought he'd be shocked or pity me. But he only held the steering wheel calmly, stared straight ahead, and said in his usual soft tone, "I know. It's so hard, looking after yourself and the babies all on your own.

"If you need any help, let me know. Don't stand on ceremony."

Ryan's respect and understanding made all the tension I'd been holding onto for months finally ease up.

My eyes stung, and tears sprang up before I could stop them. I turned away, pretending to be interested in the view outside.

Ryan didn't call me out on it. He quietly turned the car's music down to make it softer.

That day, sunlight poured through the car window, wrapping me in its gentle warmth. I realized it had been so long since I'd felt anything like this.

With Ryan by my side, I made it through the toughest days of my pregnancy.

He was like a silent guardian angel, shielding me from all the hard stuff.

I didn't feel lonely anymore. Deep inside, where everything had been barren for so long, hope was finally starting to grow again. I began to look forward to the future.

*****

My due date arrived sooner than I thought. Late that night, I was suddenly hit with intense pain in my belly.

I managed to grab my phone and dial Ryan's number.

He picked up almost instantly. "Olivia, what's wrong?"

"I-I think I'm in labor," I said, my voice trembling from the pain.

There was a heartbeat of silence on the other end, and then Ryan's voice came through, calm and powerful. "Don't be scared. I'm coming right now."

Ryan rushed me to the hospital as fast as he could. The whole way, he held my hand and kept talking to me to soothe my panic.

It was more critical than I'd imagined. Giving birth to quadruplets was a real gamble with death.

When they wheeled me into the delivery room, I stared up at that huge surgical light, and all I could think about was that my babies had to be safe.

It was like a battle where survival was not guaranteed.

When I woke up from the anesthesia, it was already the next afternoon.

Ryan had been waiting outside my room the whole time. The moment he saw me awake, concern washed away the exhaustion in his eyes. "You're awake? How are you feeling?"

My voice was weak. "The babies. Where are they?"

"Don't worry, they're all fine." Ryan's voice was as gentle as a breeze. "Three boys and one girl. They're all in the incubators, and they're healthy."

I suddenly burst into tears. There was joy, fear, and warmth stirred up by these new lives coming into the world.

The nurse wheeled in the incubators so I could see my four babies. They were so tiny, like four fragile kittens.

Their skin was wrinkled, and their eyes were tightly shut. But to me, it was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen.

These were my babies. They were the treasures I'd risked everything to give birth to.

Ryan had already sorted everything out for me. He hired the best caregiver and nanny, so when I got home from the hospital, things were so much easier for me.

Even so, wrangling four hungry newborns was still a total madhouse.

My days blurred into endless cycles of chaos: changing diapers, feeding, and rocking them to sleep. I'd lie awake night after night, my body and mind hanging on the edge of breaking down.

Whenever I was about to lose it, Ryan always seemed to show up right on time.

He'd scoop up a wailing baby, cradling them awkwardly but tenderly, humming off-key lullabies.

Seeing this gentle, classy guy sweating bullets as he juggled my babies, I felt a gratitude I couldn't describe.