But when she delivered the baby… the famously cold-hearted doctor suddenly froze in place, unable to move, and said a line that sent shockwaves through the entire room.
The wind from the sea was raging violently, and rain poured endlessly onto the road leading to Mactan. In front of St. Lucia Hospital—a private hospital for the wealthy in Cebu—a woman was almost crawling her way inside.
Her name was Amira Delgado, twenty-five years old.
She clutched her stomach tightly, every contraction feeling like it was tearing her body apart. Her thin dress was completely soaked and clinging to her skin, her hair messy and covering her pale face.
She was alone.
No money.
No one to turn to.
“Please… save my child…” she whispered, almost swallowed by the sound of the rain.
Before she could even stand properly, she collapsed onto the emergency room floor.
The nurses panicked and immediately rushed to her.
“Critical patient! Prepare the delivery room!”
“Hurry!”
They lifted Amira onto a stretcher and rushed her through the cold, bright hallway. Every wave of pain felt like it was cutting her breath short, but she forced herself to endure it.
Because this child… was her last reason to live.
The Doctor Without Emotion
Inside the delivery room was Dr. Sebastian Cruz—the most famous obstetrician in Cebu and one of the hospital owners.
He was not only wealthy… but also known for being cold.
No one had ever seen him smile.
Three years ago, his fiancée died during childbirth, along with their baby. Since then, he had shut his heart completely.
“Report,” he ordered shortly.
“The patient is weak, blood pressure is unstable!”
“There is a risk of losing both mother and child!”
His eyes darkened.
“Prepare for emergency delivery. No mistakes.”
No questions. No emotion.
To him… this was just another case.
The Fight for Life
Amira screamed in pain.
“Push! Keep pushing!”
“One more time!”
She gripped the bed, tears and sweat streaming down her face.
“T-Tian…” she whispered weakly, calling a name no one understood.
No one heard it.
But her heart knew exactly who it was.
Time felt painfully slow.
Until—
A loud cry echoed.
“Oaaah… oaaah…”
A baby girl.
Alive.
Healthy.
Everyone let out a breath of relief.
Amira weakly smiled… before losing consciousness.
The Moment Everything Changed
A nurse carried the baby to Dr. Sebastian.
“It’s a girl, doctor. Stable condition.”
He took the baby.
His expression remained cold.
His movements precise.
But when the light hit the baby’s face—
He froze.
His eyes widened.
His breath stopped.
The instrument in his hand fell to the floor.
The entire room went silent.
He stared at the baby.
The small face…
The eyes.
The lips.
The shape…
It couldn’t be mistaken.
His hands began to tremble.
“No… impossible…”
He stepped back.
Then his eyes fell on the baby’s wrist.
A thin red string was tied there…
And at the end of it…
A small silver ring.
The same ring he had once placed on the finger of the woman he loved… before she suddenly disappeared.
His voice broke.
“Why… is this here…?”
He quickly looked at the woman on the bed.
For the first time…
His eyes were no longer cold.
But filled with fear.
“What is the name of that woman…?”
The nurses exchanged glances before one answered.
“A-Amira Delgado, doctor…”
It felt like something exploded inside his chest.
Amira.
The name he had buried for three years.
Slowly, he walked toward her bed, trembling as he brushed away the wet hair covering her face.
And then—
His world stopped.
It was her.
Amira.
The woman he thought he had lost forever.
“Amira…?”
No response.
No movement.
He quickly checked her vital signs.
Alive.
Safe.
He closed his eyes, finally breathing deeply for the first time in years.
He couldn’t believe it.
The woman he had searched for in every city, every memory—was right here in front of him.
And she was holding a child.
A child wearing the ring he once gave.
Pieces of truth began falling into place.
Hours passed.
The room stayed quiet except for the sound of machines.
He never left her side.
Until her fingers moved slightly.
Slowly, Amira opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry… but when it cleared—
She stopped breathing.
“Se… Sebastian…?”
He stepped back immediately.
“Don’t… don’t come closer…”
It felt like his heart was being crushed.
“Why, Amira? I looked for you… everywhere…”
She shook her head, trembling.
“No… you didn’t… I saw your engagement… to another woman… it was on the news…”
Sebastian’s world collapsed.
“That’s not true! It was a lie!”
Amira’s chest tightened.
“You left me when I needed you…”
“I didn’t leave you! I looked for you every day! But your family told me you left me… that you didn’t want me anymore!”
Amira looked at him, lips shaking.
“I didn’t leave… they forced me… they locked me away… they made me disappear… because they didn’t accept you…”
Silence fell.
The truth slowly came together.
Lies.
Interference.
Lost years.
Sebastian sank into a chair, holding his head.
“Three years… I thought you left me for three years…”
Amira cried.
“And I… thought you chose someone else…”
Quiet again.
But this time, it was no longer anger between them—only pain and understanding.
Suddenly, the baby cried.
They both looked up.
Slowly, Sebastian took the baby and placed her in Amira’s arms.
Their hands touched.
Warm.
Real.
“She…?”
Amira looked at the baby, then at him.
“She’s your daughter…”
Time stopped.
“What…?”
Amira nodded through tears.
“I was already pregnant when I left… I never got to tell you…”
Sebastian couldn’t hold it anymore.
He knelt beside her bed and held her hand.
“Forgive me… I failed to protect you…”
Amira shook her head.
“It’s not your fault…”
Silence.
But now, there was hope.
Sebastian gently touched the baby’s head.
“What’s her name?”
Amira smiled through tears.
“Tiana…”
Sebastian closed his eyes.
“The name we dreamed of…”
She nodded.
She held both of them tightly.
At last… she had found them again.
Days passed.
Amira slowly regained her strength.
Sebastian never left her side.
He cared for her, watched over her, waited for her.
Every day, they rebuilt the three years they had lost.
One afternoon, while Amira held baby Tiana by the window, Sebastian approached holding a small box.
“Amira…”
She looked up.
He opened it.
Inside was the ring.
“I never removed this… because I never stopped waiting for you…”
Amira teared up.
Sebastian knelt in front of her.
“Can we start again…?”
Silence filled the room.
But this time, she didn’t turn away.
Amira smiled, tears falling freely.
“Yes…”
For the first time in a long time, Sebastian smiled.
Not as a doctor…
But as a father.
And as a man who had finally learned how to love again.
