9 Despite getting immediate medical attention, the baby couldn't be saved. It was inevitable. To be certain, I had taken an abortion pill before I even came to the hospital. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Julian. He was sitting by my bedside in a hospital gown, his 4/17 eyes bloodshot. The moment he saw I was awake, he sat up straight, reaching for my hand. But halfway there, his hand fell, defeated. His eyes were moist. "The baby... is gone," he said, his voice raw. We had always wanted a child. Julian had started preparing early, cutting back on work commitments, quitt- ing smoking and drinking, getting regular check-ups. It was during one of those check-ups that they found the problem. I let my face crumple in manufactured shock and grief. As our eyes met, tears streamed down my cheeks. My gaze shifted to the corner of the room, where Zack stood with his head bowed. With a trembling hand, I pointed at him. "It was him," I choked out, my voice thick with hatred. "He pushed me... down the stairs." Everything had happened so fast, catching them all off guard. Now, learning the "truth" about our child, Julian whipped his head around to look at Zack, his face a mask of disbelief. Zack opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn't deny it. No matter how nasty my words hac been, the fact was, he had laid his hands on me. In the next second, Julian was on his feet, lunging at him, landing a brutal punch that snapped Zack's head tc the side. He grabbed Zack by the collar, his voice a roar of pure fury. "Are you insane?! That's my wife!" "THAT WAS MY CHILD!" They fought, a tangled mess of limbs. It was mostly Julian throwing punches; Zack didn't dare fight back Not until Lana tried to intervene and Julian shoved her away. That's when Zack's temper finally flared. "What about Lana, then?!" he yelled, pushing back. "What is she to you?!" The air in the room froze. Julian glanced at me, lying weak and pale in the hospital bed, having just lost our child. He took a deep, shu ddering breath, suppressing a cough that threatened to break free. Lana, her face etched with concern, moved to soothe him, to rub his back. But he flinched away from her touch. The scene was so familiar. But this time, Julian's words were different. "Lana has only ever been a friend to me," he said, his voice low and firm. Lana stumbled back a step, her eyes wide with disbelief and pain. Zack swore, shoved Julian aside, and pulled her out of the room. I watched as Julian called for a nurse and asked for another bed to be brought in, right next to mine. He was going to stay with me, watch over me. 5/17 It was as if we had gone back to the beginning. He had retracted his thorns, packed away the sarcasm and the cruelty, and let the loving man I once knew resurface. He told me that even though it was Zack, his best friend, he would make him pay for what he did to me, and to our child. Hearing those words, my heart gave a traitorous flutter. But just as my resolve began to soften, I heard a strange, mechanical voice. [Condition change detected. Shortening mission timeline.] [Host must complete the mission to conquer the white moonlight ex-wife within one month.] [If, within one month, the white moonlight ex-wife does not willingly die for the host, the mission will fail Host will lose the protagonist halo and be trapped in this world forever.] Julian, who had been gently stroking my cold hand, froze. And so did I. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!