His body was slightly bent over, both hands clutching his knees. The sound of heavy breathing could be heard, beads of sweat decorating his forehead. His gaze kept searching for the woman who had been making him uneasy. Sean looked at the watch on his wrist and exhaled roughly.
His hand gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. He walked towards where his car was parked. Sean decided to go home. Maybe Alexa had already arrived home. Considering it had been four hours, Alexa would not be that patient waiting for him to arrive.
Inside the car, his eyes searched incessantly for Alexa. Who knows, maybe Alexa was still around here. His eyes stopped on a crowd quite far away in the corner of the city park. He observed them from behind the window.
Soon, his car stopped. Sean decided to see what was happening. He walked toward the crowd. Before he could get there, Sean felt a vibration in his pocket from his phone. He quickly pulled out his phone and saw the name displayed. Sean clicked the green button.
A voice came from the other end. "Sean, are you coming to pick me up?"
Sean closed his eyes, almost forgetting that tonight he was going to dinner to celebrate his third anniversary.
"Yes." Those were the only words that came out of his mouth. Right now, his mind was in turmoil. He immediately pressed the red button on his phone screen.
Sean turned around and decided to go home to his mansion immediately. He wanted to make sure Alexa was already there. His steps felt heavy as he looked back at the crowd. Curiosity overwhelmed him at that moment. For some reason, he really wanted to know what was going on, even though Sean usually didn't care about what was happening around him. But now, his instincts told him that he had to find out. He shook his head slowly, trying to dispel the worst thoughts that filled his mind at that moment.
His hand gripped the car door handle as he looked at himself in the rearview mirror. Every now and then, he glanced back. For some reason, the car didn't start, until finally Sean saw a man running from the direction of the crowd. Sean bit his lower lip, opened the car window, and asked the man.
"Bro, wait, wait. What's going on?" His hand stopped someone running from the crowd. His face gestured toward the crowd in question.
He paused for a moment. "There's been an accident."
His eyes were still fixed on the crowd. "Is the victim a woman or a man?"
"I-it's..." The man turned his head when he heard someone calling him to call an ambulance.
Before the man could answer, he had already run off. His brow furrowed as he watched the man leave. Soon, the car sped away, leaving behind the park where the regret had begun.
***
Like the sound of death, the siren echoed along the road, breaking through the dense traffic. Other vehicles pulled over to make way for the ambulance racing against time. The ambulance had just stopped right in front of the hospital lobby. The siren fell silent as the back door of the ambulance opened. The medics immediately lowered the stretcher.
"Accident victim, pregnant woman. Age around 27, experiencing bleeding," shouted one of them.
"Quick, push it in!" he said as he pushed the stretcher inside. The sound of wheels scraping against the hospital floor echoed throughout the lobby.
Liora had just come out of the changing room. Her work for the day was done. Her hands held her sweat-dampened hair. She exhaled slowly. There was still time to go to the salon. She grabbed her bag and walked out. A smile was always etched on her calm face when she passed by the medical staff.
Before she could leave the hospital lobby, hurried voices echoed through the hallway. Not sirens, but footsteps, the sound of stretcher wheels, and panicked calls echoing back and forth. Curiosity held her back.
Her steps faltered when the sound of the stretcher wheels became clearer. Her body froze instantly when she saw the stretcher carrying a woman she knew very well. Her eyes widened as she saw blood flowing profusely down her legs. She covered her mouth with both hands.
"W-what happened?" her voice caught in her throat as she looked up at the medical staff pushing the stretcher.
"Accident victim," the nurse said.
"PREP THE OPERATING ROOM!" she shouted. Liora turned around, grabbed her gloves, and ran to the operating room.
The medical staff there were shocked. This was the first time they had heard Liora scream. She was a doctor known for her gentleness. Beautiful and kind-hearted, that was how she was described.
An hour later
Sean parked his car haphazardly. He didn't care about the strange looks from everyone. His steps felt heavy, one after another, his legs felt weak. His hands reflexively pushed away the people blocking his way.
He collapsed onto a hospital chair. He hit the metal chair repeatedly, leaving blood on his beautiful hands. His head shook slowly over and over. His hands pulled at his hair in frustration. With the last of his energy, he let out a sound that was heartbreaking to anyone who heard it.
"Lexie." His voice was choked.
A few minutes ago, Sean received a call from Liora saying that Alexa had been in an accident. Upon hearing the news, his body instantly went cold. His world seemed to stop at that very moment. He clutched his chest, feeling tightness there. He shook his head slowly, his brain trying to process what had happened. It was as if he was trying to convince himself that it was just his worst-case scenario. It couldn't be true.
Soon, his parents arrived. The worry was clearly etched on their faces. Nathalia could no longer hold back her tears. Her child and future grandchild were fighting for their lives inside. She prayed incessantly for their safety.
Sean immediately hugged Nathalia. A heartbreaking sob could be heard.
"How is she?" All that could be heard was Sean's sobbing. Nathalia rubbed his back. She couldn't bear to see her son like this.
In front of the operating room, the three of them stood with anxious faces. The red light above the door was still on. No one spoke; they were lost in their own thoughts. All that could be seen were their blank stares toward the operating room door, which had not yet opened.
The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from the end of the corridor. They turned their heads in unison. Marrie came with Bryan, their hands clasped tightly together. They looked strong, even though their eyes said otherwise. It was clear that both of them were holding back the same overwhelming fear. Only that grip strengthened them to remain steadfast, amidst their unspoken fear.
"H-how is Alyssa?" Marrie cried out, her voice hoarse and barely audible through the tears streaming down her face.
Her brow furrowed as Nathalia tried to confirm she hadn't heard wrong.
"A-Alyssa?" she asked softly.