Willow’s entire body was drenched in sweat as she gasped for air, her eyes growing increasingly dazed.

    Heather cried, “You have to hang in there, Willow!”

    It took all her strength, gathered over what felt like an eternity, for Willow to turn her head and say softly, “I–I’ll hold on. I’m going to have this baby.”

    She then let out a blood–curdling scream as she tightly gripped the bedsheet, wracked with pain.

    There was a flurry of activitymencing within and beyond the confines of the delivery room.

    Maria stepped out of the delivery room with a grave expression and exined solemnly, “I’d like to inform you that she is currently suffering from a major hemorrhage. You should prepare yourselves for the worst. If absolutely necessary, we’ll have no choice but to sacrifice the first baby to ensure the survival of the mother and the other baby.”

    Laura remained stunned for a long time before releasing a long, heavy sigh. Mnie’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, while Esther held her close and offered her firm support, encouraging her to remain strong. Julian’s hands were balled into fists, ba /bprominent vein pulsed on his forehead, and his body was as rigid as a taut bow.

    Yet, the situation took a turn for the worse as Willow’s hemorrhage wouldn’t cease. If it persisted, the avable Rh negative blood in the blood bank wouldn’t be enough, and all three lives would be in grave danger.

    Julian’s gaze was intense as he looked at Maria and said softly, “You have to save the mother first, no matter the circumstancesb./bb” /b

    Though he truly did love his unborn children, Julian couldn’t bear the thought of losing Willow.

    Mnie’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she said, “Yes, the mother’s life is the absolute priority.”

    Maria nced at them before turning and heading back inside. If the baby wasn’t delivered within the next half hour, its chances of survival were slim, necessitating the prioritization of Willow’s life.

    It wasn’t long before the situation spiraled further out of control; Willow was hemorrhaging badly, teetering on the brink bof /bshock. Her life was hanging by a thread. In additionb, /bthe blood supply that had once been sufficient was now nearly exhausted, and with it being sote, securing a donor with the necessary rare blood type seemed nearly impossible.

    Heather’s soft, choked sobs could be heard from within the delivery room.

    Julian had been on the phone the whole time, urgently calling Yarrowmere’s best obstetricians toe to the hospital. He was determined to go in and be by Willow’s side after ending the call–in the event of the worst, he wanted to be there, leaving nothing unsaid.

    He wished to apologize to Willow. He wanted to say something–perhaps that he would never remarry, that he was willing to do anything for her. Yet, anything he could think of saying seemed shallow and insincere at this point. He had, after all, wronged her way too many times in the past.

    His worry had taken over. In that instant, Julian braced himself for the worst because Willow had no blood left for a transfusion.

    It was then that the rain stopped. It was pitch ck outside, with only the leaves in the trees catching the faint glimmer of lingering rain.

    It wasn’t long before the sound of hurried footsteps approached from the end of the corridor. Timothy had arrived with Dorothy, apanied by Jeffrey and Liam.

    Dorothy, who hade in a rush, looked weary from travel. Though she had agreed long ago to donate her blood to Willow, her movement immediately slowed down as soon as she caught sight of Julian.

    In the hush of bthe /bcorridor, Dorothy fixed Julian with a burning gaze and said through gritted bteeth/bb, /b“I have no desire to save your child, Julian. I truly wish bI /bcould rip you to shreds as I recall what you did to bJeffrey /band the Gibson family.

    b“/bI’ll make you pay for it todayb, /bJulian. If you want me to donate my blood for Willow’s transfusionb, /byou’ll have to bkneel /bbbefore /bbme /b-in front of everyone present–and grovel at my feet three times to atone for your past transgressions. I doubt you’d ever do bit/bb, /bthough–given how proud you are.”

    bIt /bwas a cold and quiet night, as the wind stirred with remnants of the past, whispering things long buried.

    Julian fixed his gaze on Dorothy, who was standing before him, and said softly, “I bonce /bswore before the altar that for Landon bto /barrive safely in this world, I would cast aside all avarice, malice, and ignorance. I would pay for my wrongdoings in bfull/b, and 1 would allow myself to bepletely ruined if it caine to that. I, Julian Ziegler, am willing to do absolutely anything!”

    In the midst of the bustling corridor, Julian slowly kneeled before Dorothy. He then prostrated himself on the floor and eximed hoarsely, “Willow is innocent, so please save her!”

    Having said that, Julian groveled three times before Dorothy, groveled three times toward the Gibson family, and groveled three times toward Jeffrey.

    Upon hearing that, Dorothy’s eyes glistened with tears. She finally found some sce in her anger being released, a release for what happened to Jeffrey.

    Mnie immediately burst into tears. Her face was wet with tears as she cried, “J–Julian!”

    Julian remained prostrate on the floor, tears beading at the tip of his nose before falling. Having abandoned all pride and dignity, his voice was humble and sincere as he said, “I’ll thank you on behalf of Willow and the unborn child! I’ll bear the weight of all wrongdoing alone!”

    Dorothy struggled to keep her emotions in check, her voice trembling slightly as she said, “I’ll consider this ount settled.”