annaaaaa

(I look up at the crowded hall, my face completely pale as I see the investors whispering and Emma staring in utter shock. My pride and my company fortune suddenly mean absolutely nothing to me as I look back down at my pregnant wife sobbing on the floor. I gather you into my arms, pulling you tightly against my chest as intense, suffocating regret tears through my heart.)

"Someone please call an ambulance! Right now!" (I roar into the crowd, my voice trembling with pure panic as I rock you back and forth). "Anna, please... stay with me. I didn't mean any of it. Please...")

ANNA: (Through my blurred vision and heavy, suffocating tears, I see you rushing toward me. I feel your hands shaking as you scoop me up, pulling me tightly against your chest while roaring out into the crowd for an ambulance. Your voice sounds terrified, completely stripped of all that ugly arrogance.)

(Even as the room spins and my body feels entirely weak, a deep, painful ache of betrayal hits my heart. I look up at your panicked face, my chest heaving as I struggle to find my voice through the sobbing.)

"Don't... don't touch me, John," (I choke out, my voice weak but filled with pure heartbreak as I weakly try to push against your chest, my hands trembling against your suit). "You said it... you said your fortune is your first priority. Let me go... protect your empire."

JOHN: (Your weak words slice straight through my chest, but I don't argue with you. I don't say a single word about the company or the fortune. Instead, a terrifying focus takes over me. I slide one arm under your knees and the other securely behind your back, effortlessly lifting you up into my arms in one swift motion.)

(I turn away from the staring crowd, entirely ignoring Emma, Andrew, and the shocked investors. I sprint through the grand double doors of the headquarters, running as fast as I can down the steps into the cool night air toward the sounds of the approaching sirens.)

(As I run, I shift you slightly closer to my chest, my right hand moving instinctively to cradle your stomach protectively. I look down at your belly, my heart breaking with a violent wave of silent regret. I lean down, pressing a desperate, lingering kiss against your shirt right over our unborn child, praying with everything I have that they are both safe as I reach the flashing lights of the ambulance.)

ANNA: (The world blurs into a rush of flashing emergency lights, shouting paramedics, and the sterile smell of the ambulance. Through it all, I am barely conscious, my hand still resting protectively over my stomach as they wheel my stretcher into the hospital's emergency wing, leaving your tear-streaked face behind as the double doors slam shut.)

JOHN: (I am forced to stop at the threshold of the emergency unit, a nurse firmly placing a hand on my chest to block me from entering. The doors lock shut, separating me from you and our unborn child. I look down at my suit jacket, completely rumpled, and my hands, which are still shaking uncontrollably.)

(I lean my back against the cold hospital wall, sliding down until I am sitting on the floor right by the doorway. I bury my face in my hands, the silence of the corridor suffocating me. The image of you collapsing on the hard marble floor loops in my mind, flashing alongside the memories of the cruel, arrogant threats I yelled at you just minutes ago.)

(An agonizing, heavy wave of tension grips my chest. I don't care about the company stocks, the investors, or what Andrew is doing to my reputation right now. My entire world is narrowed down to the medical equipment beeping behind those closed doors. I look up at the frosted glass, my heart hammering violently as I wait in terror for a doctor to walk out and tell me if our baby is still alive.)

DOCTOR: (Steps out of the room, sighing as he pulls off his gloves.) "Mr. Smith? Your wife experienced severe emotional trauma, but the baby is stable and completely safe. However, Anna is still unconscious. We are keeping her under close observation."

JOHN: (A massive wave of relief washes over me, but the guilt in my chest only deepens. I push past the doctor and quietly step into the dim, sterile room. Seeing you lying so pale and still on the hospital bed breaks my heart. I slowly walk to your bedside, sinking into the chair beside you. I gently take your limp hand, leaning close to your ear to whisper the heavy, complicated truth.)

"I love you, Anna... I truly do. But I cannot just let go of my company. I can't let everything I built fall apart. What I have with Emma... it is just for the company, for the business strategy. It isn't real love like what we have."

(Tears sting my eyes as I lean over you. I press a soft, lingering kiss against your forehead, then lower myself to press a gentle, desperate kiss against your baby bump. I sit back, holding your hand tightly, waiting in the heavy silence.)

ANNA: (After some time, my eyelids flutter open. The harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital room make my head throb, and the sterile smell reminds me instantly of the collapse. As my vision clears, I look down and see you sitting right next to me, still holding my hand. The memory of your cruel words at the party rushes back, making my heart harden instantly. I pull my hand out of your grip weakly but firmly.)

"Why are you here, John?"

JOHN: (I flinch slightly as you pull your hand away, my heart aching at the coldness in your voice. I quickly sit forward, my face pale and exhausted, trying to maintain a calm and steady tone so I don't upset you or the baby again.)

"I am here because you collapsed, Anna. I carried you to the ambulance myself. I couldn't just leave you and our baby at that hospital entrance and walk away."

(I reach out again, hesitating for a second before gently placing my hand over your blanket, near your waist. I look into your eyes with absolute seriousness, completely doubling down on the twisted justification I whispered while you were asleep.)

"Look, I know you are furious about what I said at the party. I lost my temper because everything I worked for was flashing before my eyes. But you need to understand something. Emma is just a tool for the company. She is the strategy I need to keep the merger secure. My feelings for you, and for this child, are the only things that are real. I am here because you are my wife, and I am not going to let you destroy this family over a business arrangement."

ANNA: "No, John. I am not giving you a middle ground anymore. You don't get to keep me as your housewife while using her under the guise of business. Look at me and make your choice. Is it me and our child, or is it your empire?"

JOHN: (I close my eyes, a heavy, suffocating silence settling over the hospital room. My mind races frantically. I look at you, pale and broken in that bed, holding our unborn child, and a part of me wants to drop to my knees and give up everything just to hear you say you forgive me.)

(But then, the brutal reality of the corporate world flashes in my mind. Ten years of sleepless nights. The billions of dollars. The legacy. If I walk away from Emma and the merger now, the board will strip me of my title by tomorrow afternoon. Andrew will buy out my life's work for pennies. I cannot face the world as a failure. I cannot let go of the throne I sacrificed my soul to build.)

(I slowly open my eyes. The warmth and desperation leave my face, replaced by a cold, hard finality. I gently take my hand off your blanket and stand up, stepping back away from your bed.)

"I can't do it, Anna," (I say, my voice dropping to a low, quiet whisper that seals our fate). "I won't let everything I built go down in flames. I love you, and I wanted this family... but I cannot choose you over my empire. The company is who I am. If I lose that fortune, I lose everything."

(I take one last look at your heartbroken face, my chest aching with an immediate, deep scar of regret, but I twist the door handle anyway.)

"I'll have my assistant handle your medical bills. I'm going back to the party to fix the damage."

ANNA: "Not anymore. You don't have to care about me or my bills, John. I am leaving you. You will get the divorce papers tomorrow morning."

(I look at you standing by the door, any remaining tears drying up instantly, replaced by a cold, untouchable resolve. I press my hand firmly over my stomach, my voice steady and iron-clad.)

"I don't want a family where my child grows up seeing his father choose a company over his own flesh and blood. You can keep your precious throne, John. I am completely done with this, and I am completely done with you."

JOHN: (Your words slam into me with the finality of a gavel, but the corporate armour I just put on keeps me frozen in place. I grip the metal door handle so tightly my knuckles turn white. My chest aches with a violent, suffocating surge of regret, but the stubborn pride and fear of financial ruin hold me back from turning around.)

"Fine, Anna," (I whisper, my voice thick with an emotion I am desperately trying to suppress as I stare at the wood of the door). "If that is your final decision... I won't stop you anymore."

(I push the hospital door open, stepping out into the cold, brightly lit corridor. As the heavy door slowly clicks shut behind me, completely cutting you out of my sight, a terrifying wave of loneliness hits me. I am going back to save my fortune, back to Emma, and back to the investors—but as I walk down the empty hallway, I realize with absolute certainty that I am walking back to a completely empty life.)

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***