Chapter 3

"Shit!" Rachel from across the street suddenly poked her head out, her face frantic. "They found an abandoned baby in our community garden this morning! His little face was burning red, and the ambulance just took him away. Poor thing!"

Julian's face drained of color.

He stared at me, his eyes bloodshot. "You really threw him away?"

I, too, was stunned by Rachel's words.

I had clearly left the baby at Chloe's doorstep.

How did he end up in the community garden?

But before I could even process it, Julian violently grabbed me and dragged me outside.

"Julian! What are you doing?!" Serena's Dad roared.

Julian ignored him completely. "To the hospital! Now!"

Serena's Mom tried to stop him but was roughly shoved aside by Julian.

I was half-dragged, half-shoved into a taxi. Julian, trembling, yelled for the driver to take us to the Children's Hospital.

In the car, he kept mumbling, "He'll be okay, he'll be okay."

I watched his distraught state with cold eyes.

In my past life, when I was curled in bed, shaking with fever and pain, begging him to take me to the hospital, he had simply looked at me and said, "Drink some hot water. You'll be fine."

Now, for his child, he was frantic with worry.

How ironic.

It truly is easy to be indifferent until the pain hits you directly.

At the hospital's emergency room, Julian frantically questioned the nurses until he found the baby's whereabouts.

He dragged me, stumbling, towards the hospital room.

Just as we reached the door, we heard a woman's sobs.

Pushing the door open, we saw Chloe holding the infant, whose face was flushed and breathing labored. She pressed her cheek against his forehead, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't be scared, baby, don't be scared." Her voice was choked with emotion. Anyone could see how worried she was about this child.

Julian rushed in, his eyes instantly red. He whirled around, glaring at me, his gaze overflowing with resentment.

"Serena! Are you happy now?! The baby's burning up, pneumonia, convulsions, he almost..." His voice was hoarse. "He's so young, how could you be so cruel?!"

I looked at the fragile little life, my heart completely unmoved.

In my past life, they had drained my youth and health, climbing higher and higher using my family's resources.

In the end, they watched me draw my last breath with cold indifference.

His life or death held no meaning for me.

"Cruel?" My gaze shifted to Chloe. "Julian, yesterday I personally placed this child at Chloe's doorstep and even left a note. So... how is it that..."

I paused, my tone laced with suspicion. "This child was left out in the cold all night, only to be found in the community garden this morning?"

Chloe looked at me, her eyes wide with shock. "Serena, what are you talking about? This is the first time I've seen this poor child today! I'm a nurse here, transferred to pediatrics to help out. I saw this baby was so sick and unattended, so I..."

She started crying again. "If... if you really left this child at my door, how could I possibly leave him outside all night?"

"If I had seen this child first, I would have taken good care of him!"

"The three of us grew up together. You know what kind of person I am!"

I frowned at her words.

I used to think Chloe was kind and innocent, which is why, after I gave up my spot at a prestigious overseas university, I had my dad pull strings to give it to her.

Watching my best friend fulfill the dreams I couldn't, I did it willingly.

I just never imagined that Chloe would transform into my son's biological mother.

And Julian's 'moonlight goddess.'

Those years I spent sick in bed, I finally realized how foolish I had been.

I watched with cold eyes.

Julian watched the tears track down Chloe's face, his own expression flickering with something complex and pained.

He took a deep breath, his gaze hardening as he stepped decisively between Chloe, the baby, and me.

"That's enough, Chloe. I believe you."

Then, he pulled a document from his bag. He turned it slowly, forcing the bold, black letters of the header into my line of sight.

ADOPTION CERTIFICATE.

And below it, unmistakable, was my signature.