Chapter 4

When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was a blinding, clinical white.

The pungent smell of bleach hit my nose.

I struggled to lift my hand, only to find my skin bruised and pierced with IV needles.

"Look at this! In ten days, there's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime Leonid meteor shower!"

"Can we go see it together? Please?"

It was Tiana.

She was sitting right next to Gabriel, leaning in close to show him her phone.

The two of them were practically pressed together right in front of my hospital bed.

Neither of them noticed I was awake.

Gabriel hesitated for a second, but under Tiana’s expectant gaze, he let out a helpless, indulgent sigh.

"Well, I definitely can't miss out on something that romantic."

Tiana let out a triumphant giggle.

"I knew you’d love it! I already booked the tickets."

Gabriel playfully tapped the tip of her nose. "Smart girl."

It wasn't until the doctor walked in to check on me that they finally realized I had regained consciousness.

"My baby... is my baby okay?" I asked, my voice raw and rasping.

The doctor gave a solemn shake of his head.

"Your body was already under immense strain, and the severe physical shock was simply too much. I'm so sorry, the baby is gone."

At that moment, the entire world spun violently out of control.

I broke down into loud, ugly sobs, clutching my empty stomach in a wave of crushing regret.

Why had I pushed my body to its absolute limits with all those extreme sports over the years?

Why did I jump into the pool to save Gabriel?

Why did I ever stay with him in the first place?

Gabriel sighed, wrapping his arms around me and murmuring soft, empty words of comfort.

But Tiana immediately intercepted the doctor.

"Wait, so in her condition, can she still travel? I actually bought three tickets."

The doctor’s expression hardened with disgust.

"The patient just lost a pregnancy. She has suffered a massive physical and psychological trauma.

“And your first thought is to ask if she can go on vacation? Absolutely not!"

Startled by his sharp tone, Tiana pouted. "I was just trying to be nice..."

Unable to stand seeing her upset, Gabriel instantly jumped to Tiana’s defense.

"Doctor, my girlfriend is the one who loves traveling the world. Tiana was just trying to help lift her spirits."

He turned back to me, offering a gentle smile.

"Daniella, now that you aren't carrying the baby anymore, you can finally join us, right? We can all watch the romantic meteor shower together."

My chest felt completely hollowed out. I stared at him, my eyes wide with utter disillusionment.

"Gabriel... are you even human?

"Our baby is dead and you don't feel a single shred of grief, all you care about is going out to play with someone else."

Gabriel opened his mouth to argue, but I shut my eyes and shook my head.

"Maybe to you, a wild romance really is worth dying for. But I don't have another ten years, or another miracle baby, to waste on you."

"We're done. It's over."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes on me. "Are you actually serious, or is this just another tantrum?"

I didn't answer. I simply turned away, completely exhausted.

Seeing this, the doctor immediately waved his hands and ordered Gabriel and Tiana to leave the room.

As the hospital door clicked shut behind them, a sudden, sharp pang of anxiety gripped Gabriel's chest.

"Ordinary people get weighed down by the real world.

“They can't help throwing tantrums over these things. You can't blame yourself," Tiana said, tossing her hands up in mock sympathy.

Gabriel allowed himself to be convinced.

He walked away with Tiana to review their travel itinerary, silently resolving that he wouldn't be the first one to break the silence this time.

Back in the quiet of the hospital room, I contacted the creative studio and asked to start my relocation as early as possible.

I arranged for a moving company to ship my belongings, and sent individual parting texts to my family and few remaining friends.

Finally, I permanently blocked and deleted both Gabriel and Tiana from my phone.

Lying back down on the hospital bed, I let out a long, cathartic breath.

I realized then that I held absolutely no attachment left to this city.

Ten years ago, I had crossed the world for him.

And now, ten years later, this would be my very last night here.