Chapter 2

Alison looked through the observation window by the door and saw Harrison crouching at Iliana's bedside, leaning in with his ear against her pregnant belly.

"Is the little one bothering you?" Harrison asked, his voice gentle and full of warmth.

Iliana smiled. "It's just pregnancy, you know. Why are you so nervous? You've handled everything: registration, prenatal checkups, prenatal education.

"If someone didn't know better, they'd think it's not your first time being a father."

Alison bit her lip hard. For six months, she'd been shuttling back and forth between the hospital and home, all on her own.

Whenever she felt sick or overwhelmed, she'd ask Harrison if he could go to the hospital with her.

Harrison was always looking so serious. "My rescue missions are critical. There's no room for mistakes, not for a second.

"As my wife, you should've known you'd have to handle everything yourself the moment you married me."

'So, he wasn't too busy to care for someone. He never wanted to care for me,' Alison thought.

Inside the room, Harrison's phone buzzed. He smiled and put it on speaker.

"Sweetheart, you must be scared, right? I'm sending you 30,000 dollars for you to spend however you like. Make sure you rest up and take care of yourself," the voice on the phone said.

Alison let out a bitter laugh. It was Stella's voice.

Yesterday, Stella was griping about how Alison's pregnancy was costing too much and that she never saved a dime for Harrison. But then she tossed Iliana 30,000 dollars for pocket money.

Alison's eyes burned and swelled, but she couldn't squeeze out a single tear.

Inside the room, Iliana finally noticed Alison standing there and gave her a little wave, smiling.

Then she leaned in and whispered to Harrison, "Honey, you wouldn't believe how sad Alison's life is. She went through thousands of fertility shots to finally get pregnant.

"And when she was in danger, she called her husband nine times, but he didn't answer a single one."

Harrison caught Alison's gaze and gave her a sharp look, warning her not to say anything.

Alison stood frozen in the doorway, watching them being all sweet and intimate.

The pain in her wound slowly turned numb. Like her heart, the ache was so suffocating that she could barely breathe.

Iliana noticed the tension between them and asked tentatively, "Honey, do you two know each other?"

Harrison avoided Alison's eyes, sounding indifferent. "Just a brief encounter. I happened to save her once."

'A brief encounter, huh?' Alison kept echoing those words in her mind, again and again.

Seven years ago, at their wedding, Harrison set three rules for Alison.

First, since he was the captain of the rescue team, his time was devoted entirely to the people he saved. Alison had no right to bother him.

Second, Alison was only allowed to share a bed with him one day a month, on the 15th, never more, and never at her request.

Third, all his earnings would go straight to charity.

If Alison couldn't handle any of it, they could call off the wedding at any time.

Alison was one of the people Harrison had saved. Knowing how demanding his work was, she nodded with unwavering resolve, accepting everything without hesitation.

"I do," Alison had replied.

After they got married, Alison was left to look after his parents and run the household all on her own.

When she was pregnant, she handled all her prenatal checkups by herself.

Everyone kept telling Alison to watch out for Harrison, saying, "Where a man spends his time, that's where his heart truly lies."

But Alison smiled and shook her head. "Every guy in the world might mess around, but not Harrison. He always means what he says. He's the most dependable guy out there."

But today, everything changed.

Harrison stood up and gripped Alison's arm, in such a rush to get her out of there that he didn't notice he was squeezing right over her injury.

The bandage was stained red with blood, and Alison's voice shook from the pain. "It hurts. Let go of me."

But Harrison didn't listen. He even walked faster.

Alison stumbled after him, every step tugging at her wound and sending waves of burning pain through her belly.

Harrison cornered her in the hallway, his brow furrowed. "Didn't I already tell you? Iliana is pregnant and not in good shape. Don't go showing up in front of her and stressing her out again."

"Harrison, I was pregnant too. But you picked Iliana over me, and because of that, I lost the baby. They took out my uterus. Is that all you want to say to me?" Alison said.

Harrison lit a cigarette, his expression all frustration. "I told you when we got married. Being the wife of the rescue team captain means you have to deal with loneliness and learn to make sacrifices."

He exhaled a cloud of smoke, the haze blurring his features. "Since the operation has been done, leave the hospital today. And don't show up around Iliana for a while."

Alison watched as he turned and walked away. He stopped outside Iliana's room, put out his cigarette, and made sure the smoke smell was gone before going in.

When it came to Iliana, he was so thoughtful, making sure she wouldn't catch a whiff of smoke.

Alison gave a bitter, self-mocking smile, clutching her wound as she made her way back to her room.

As she passed the nurse's station, a nurse called out to her. "Mrs. Bradley, your payment is due."

Alison instinctively reached into her pocket. In seven years, Harrison hadn't given her a single dollar of living money.

With all the expenses that came with pregnancy, she'd been struggling to make ends meet for a long time.

She barely managed a smile. "No, I'm leaving the hospital."

The nurse looked anxious. "You just had surgery. How can you leave so soon? The other pregnant woman who was rescued with you was only scared, and her husband's already getting her a VIP room.

"You really should stay a bit longer for observation."

Alison clenched her fists so tightly that her nails bit into her skin. "No, thank you."