Chapter Thirty -Two
Eddie
I’m standing on eggshells, trying to figure out how to get Lawliss to see me and how I’ll plead my case thus if she will let me.
Listening to Josh reel me in every day about how miserable I’ve been is exhausting. But I know he’s right. And he’s enjoying reminding me of it. He told me what I did was stupid, and since the moment Lawliss walked out of my life, he hasn’t let me forget it.
But I know that now too.
And I will do anything to win her back, even if it means agreeing to a divorce and starting over with her. I will do that if that’s what she wants.
I sense her before I see her. My head snaps up, and there she is: running toward me and for a moment, hope flares in my chest. But then I see it. Something’s off.
She looks unwell. Too pale. Too thin.
She starts slowing down, her steps uneven, her body swaying. My stomach twists as I realize—she’s about to fall.
I sprint toward her.
She barely makes it another step before her body gives out, but I reach her in time, catching her before she hits the ground. She collapses into my arms, limp.
My heart pounds. “Lynx.” I tap her cheek, my voice shaking. “Baby, wake up.”
Nothing.
Panic grips me like a vice. “Lynx, please.”
I scoop her up, already heading for my car.
“What happened?” Aria’s voice cuts in, sharp with accusation.
"Hospital” is all I manage before turning toward my car.
Thankfully, I came with Josh today. I don’t think I could drive like this.
I slide into the backseat with her, cradling her against me, while Josh jumps into the driver’s seat. He doesn’t ask questions. He just drives and I am grateful for that. Her family piles into the van, following us.
I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, my hands shaking. “Baby, please don’t do this to me,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything… just wake up.”
She doesn’t move.
My throat tightens, and I press my forehead to hers.
“I love you, damn it,” I murmur. “I was a fool not to see how wrong I was. Please. Please.”
I stroke her cheek, my thumb tracing the curve of her face as she rests in my lap. I wish that hazel eyes would flit open even if it were to just hurl insults at me or anything. I will take that any day to her lying down like this.
I keep talking to her, keep begging, and keep whispering my love until we reach the hospital.
We arrive at the hospital, and the doctors move quickly.
IV drips. Oxygen checks. Injections. Machines beeping. The sterile scent of antiseptic fills the air.
Her dad texted me earlier, telling me to take her to the family hospital. He had already spoken to the staff, making sure they were on standby. The moment we arrived, they were waiting. No delays. No questions. They lifted her from my arms, placed her on a stretcher, and disappeared into a room.
Now, we wait.
Her family arrives soon after, and suddenly, the waiting room feels smaller. Too many people. Too much silence.
I keep pacing. Walking back and forth, my hands clenched into fists. My body is tense, but my mind is worse. My thoughts spiral. What if she doesn’t wake up? What if—no. I can’t think like that.
When she wasn’t mine, at least I knew she was somewhere, alive. Breathing. But to live in a world where she doesn’t exist?
I can’t even picture it.
“It will be fine, son.”
Her father’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. I nod, but my throat is too tight to speak.
A single tear slips down my face before I can stop it.
Ines steps forward and wraps her arms around me. “She’s strong. Nothing will happen to her.”
I let her hold me. I need the grounding she gives me. Even Aria steps beside me, placing a hand on my arm. Silent comfort.
I should be the one comforting them, but I can’t bring myself to be the all-bossy, ruthless Eddie they know. Not right now.
Right now, I feel like a child again.
Helpless.
A doctor finally steps out.
We all move toward her at once.
“How is she?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
She looks at the crowd of anxious faces around her, then a small smile breaks across her face.
Relief crashes over me. My knees give out, and I sink down, trying to catch my breath. A weight lifts from my chest, but I still can’t calm myself.
Andrei walks up to me and places a firm hand on my shoulder.
“She’s okay,” he murmurs.
I nod, exhaling shakily before forcing myself to stand. “Can we see her?”
The doctor nods.
A hesitant voice whispers from behind me. “What about the baby?”
I turn toward the speaker. She’s the one Lawliss talks about often. Her best friend.
“Yes… is the baby okay?” Ines asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
The doctor gives us a reassuring nod. “The baby is fine. I’ve administered some medication, and after she receives her IV, she can go home.”
I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.
The doctor turns to me now, her expression serious. “She’s awake, but you need to remember—she cannot be stressed under any circumstances.”
I barely hear her as she walks away. The others rush into the room, but I don’t move.
The words hit me all at once.
A baby.
Lawliss is pregnant.
And I’m going to be a father.
The realization slams into me with full force. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. My chest feels too tight.
This isn’t just about us anymore.
I press a hand over my face, exhaling slowly.
I have to fix this. Not just for me. Not just for her.
For our child.
For years, I told myself she was mine. It’s always been her for me. I told myself no matter how far she ran, no matter what name she took, I would always find my way back to her and when I got to be with her, everything in me was sealed. But now, it’s not about chasing her or claiming her anymore.
It’s about deserving her.
Deserving them.
I run a hand through my hair, my fingers gripping tight at the roots. What kind of father will I even be? I can’t even fix myself. A sense of fear grips me. Fear I haven’t felt before coiled deep in my ribs—the fear that I’ll fuck this up somehow, that I’ll never be enough for them. I barely know how to be a good man, let alone a good father.
I’m not the good guy. I never was.
I’ve lied. I’ve manipulated. I’ve hurt people without blinking, and if it meant keeping Lawliss, I would have burned the whole world down.
But I won’t be that man for my child. I shake my head. I won’t be that man for her.
She deserves better. They both do.
I push off the wall, feeling something shift inside me affirming my decision earlier. A choice I’ve never made before.
I won’t force this. Yes… I won’t hold onto her so tightly that she suffocates under my grip. If she stays, she stays because she chooses me.
I walk toward the hospital room, my chest tight and my steps unsteady. But this time, it’s not out of fear of losing control.
It’s because, for the first time, I’m ready to let go of it.
To let her decide.
To trust her.
And maybe… just maybe… that’s how I finally win.