Chapter 224

Philip's POV

"Hold on," I silently said to that unborn child in my heart, "Dad's coming."

My car sped toward Manhattan Central Hospital at an almost dangerous speed. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles had turned white. The cold night air rushed in through the half-open window,but I couldn't feel any chill-only an unprecedented urgency coursing through my entire body.

Sarah. My unborn child. I couldn't lose them.

When my tires screeched to a halt at the hospital entrance, I practically leaped out of the car. Mother was right behind me, but Icouldn't wait for her. Every second of delay could mean losing my child forever.

"Philip!" Allen called out immediately upon seeing me rush into the lobby,his voice echoing against the hospital's smooth marble surfaces. "This way!"

I followed him through the maze-like hospital corridors, with medical staff and patients casting curious glances our way, but I couldn't care less. My breathing was rapid from running, but the fear driving me forward made it imapossible to slow down.

"She's in that room," Allen pointed to a door at the end of the hallway."The doctor wouldn't let me in-said only immediate family members are allowed."

I nodded gratefully and pushed the door open without hesitation.

"Sarah!" My voice nearly choked when I saw her lyingon the operating table. She looked so fragile, so pale. And that tiny life, my child,was inside her womb, in danger.

Sarah lifted her head to look at me, her eyes glistening with tears. "Doctor,let's begin," she said, her voice weak but determined.

In that moment, I felt my heart being squeezed by an invisible hand.There was no time to think.

"I'm this child's father," I told the doctor, my voice carrying an authority I wasn't even aware of. "I do not consent to this procedure."

Sarah's eyes flickered when she saw me, but quickly filled with sadness."But you said you didn't want this baby anymore," she whispered, her voice breaking with a sob. "I'm just doing what you wanted me to do."

I walked to her side and took her hand, feeling the coldness of her palm.In that moment, I suddenly realized that I might lose not just my unborn child,but Sarah herself. Regardless of the conflicts between us, she had at least given me warmth and companionship.

"That was just something I said in anger," I said softly, pulling her into my arms. "I was upset, but I didn't mean it."

"Really?" Sarah looked up at me, tears making her eyes unusually bright.

"Really," I confirmed with a nod, my voice gentler than usual. "I never intended not to have this child. Please don't be so impulsive in the future,alright?"

Sarah's body relaxed in my embrace, her arms wrapping around my waist."As long as you promise to be good to this child," she said,leaning against my chest. "I'll do my best to take good care of them too. Because I want

our child to be born into their father's expectations."

"I promise," I said, suddenly feeling a strange sense of relief and calm."With me as their father, they'll be happier than most children."

Sarah finally broke down in my arms, releasing fears that had been building up for a long time. "I didn't mean to," she sobbed. "I'm pregnant,my hormones are unstable, and after hearing what you said, I could only think-" she paused, "that after the baby was born, no one would raise them."

"I can raise one child, and I can raise two," I gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You don't need to worry about that."

Mother approached us then, her eyes also moist. "I'm a woman too," she said,her voice unusually soft. "When Sarah told me how she felt,I completely understood her."

She looked at me, her eyes pleading: "I never imagined you would hate me so much because of that surgery, to the point of saying you didn't want to recognize me as your mother..."

As I listened to my mother's words, I felt a complex mix of emotions churning in my chest. The anger and sense of betrayal from the past few days were still there, but in this moment of nearly losing my child,those feelings seemed less important.

"I don't blame either of you," I finally said, my voice low. "I blame myself.If I could better control my emotions..."

I couldn't fully express why, but at this moment, I felt like a leaf in a storm, pulled by various forces, unable to control my own direction.Although logically, I was the one whose body had been permanently

altered, the one who had been deprived of the ability to have more children, somehow I was now the one who needed to apologize.

"Let's go home," I said softly, feeling a profound weariness.

Sarah slowly sat up from the operating table, adjusting her clothes."Actually, I never really intended to go through with this," she suddenly said, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation. "But someone told me you wouldn't truly care about ths child, that you would eventually abandon us.

"What? Who told you that?" I immediately asked, anger rising in my chest.Who dared to fill Sarah's head with suchthoughts when she was at her

most vulnerable, almost causing me to lose my child?

"I can't say," Sarah answered in a low voice, her eyes shifting.

"If you won't say, you're protecting them!" I felt anger flaring up again.This person had nearly caused me to lose my child-I couldn't just let it go.

Sarah looked at my expression and finally sighed. "It was Brian," she said softly. "He said you would abandon him, so you would definitely abandon the child in my womb."

I felt dizzy. Brian? My five-year-old son? How could he say such things?Why would he target an unborn baby? Even if he resented me, he shouldn't involve an innocent life.

"I need to talk to him," I said through gritted teeth, anger and disappointment burning in my chest. "He can't do this."

As I turned to leave, Mother grabbed my arm. "Philip, wait," she said hesitantly. "You still have me blocked-could you unblock me first?"

I almost laughed out loud. At a moment like this, she was thinking about that? But I didn't want to argue anymore. I quickly took out my phone and removed her from my blocked list.

"And my living expenses..." she added cautiously.

I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to roll my eyes, and called my secretary. "Resume my mother's monthly transfers," I instructed briefly,then hung up.

Without another word, I strode out of the room, already formulating what I would say to Brian. That child needed to understand that regardless of his feelings toward me, he couldn't harm an innocent baby.