Logan scooped up a spoonful of porridge, carefully blowing on it to cool it before bringing it to Amy's lips.
"Logan… was Dr. Hart angry just now?" Amy asked softly, looking at him timidly. Logan paused for a moment, his expression darkening.
"Ignore her. She's just gotten spoiled because I treated her too well before."
As he said it, a trace of irritation lingered in his mind. The calm look in Serena's eyes when she mentioned divorce had left him strangely uneasy.
But he quickly pushed that uneasiness aside. Serena had loved him for seven years. How could she possibly leave for real? It was nothing more than a moment of anger. Treating Amy well now was simply a way to make Serena see the situation clearly.
In a place like this, without him protecting her, how long could a pregnant woman like Serena possibly survive?
Once she suffered enough, she would naturally come back and give in.
Thinking this way, Logan's tone softened.
"Come on, take your medicine. Your body is weak. You need to take good care of yourself."
Amy obediently opened her mouth to take the medicine and leaned into his arms.
"Logan, you're so good to me."
Logan held her in his arms, but his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the tent outside.
What was Serena doing right now? Was she still angry?
Logan figured it might be better to let her cool off on her own.
Thinking that, he fed Amy another spoonful of porridge.
Over the next few days, the atmosphere in the camp became strangely tense.
The tribal villagers would turn their faces away whenever they saw Serena. When she distributed medicine or fetched water, they deliberately made things difficult. Maya tried to argue with them but ended up being shoved instead.
Logan came by once, his expression unpleasant.
"Serena, why bother getting angry with the villagers…"
"Dr. Lockwood." Serena was changing a wounded soldier's bandages without even looking up. "If there's nothing else, please leave. I'm busy."
She truly was busy. Her hands never paused, and she had no spare emotion left for Logan.
Logan stood there for a moment before leaving with a frustrated wave of his hand. Only after he was gone did Serena stop working and look down at her fingers.
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied them. Once the war zone deployment ended, once she returned home, once the divorce was finalized, their lives would go separate ways forever.
With that thought, a strange calm settled in Serena's heart. Like the sea after a storm, faint ripples remained on the surface, but deep beneath, everything had grown quiet.
That fragile peace shattered one night when the rebel attack came without warning.
The first bomb collapsed the eastern barracks just as Serena stepped out of the surgical tent.
After days of nonstop work, her vision darkened and she had to steady herself against a wall. What greeted her was a sky lit red by flames, machine gun fire, screams, and the crashing sound of collapsing buildings all blending into chaos.
Serena did not panic. She instinctively protected her belly and moved toward the western side of the camp by memory.
There was a thick broken wall there. She had observed it before and knew it could serve as relatively safe cover.
Shrapnel flew past her as waves of heat scorched the air. She stumbled toward the broken wall and curled her body behind it for cover.
Another coughing fit surged up. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep the sound from giving away her position.
"Serena!"
Serena had not expected Logan to appear. He looked disheveled, his white coat stained with soot, blood running down his forehead as he grabbed her wrist.
"The evacuation truck is at the east gate. Move!"
Serena stumbled along as he pulled her forward. Her hand was cold, but his was even colder. After they had run only a dozen steps, a cry suddenly rang out.
"Logan! Logan, save me!"
Amy rushed out of the smoke, her hair disheveled and face streaked with tears as she clung tightly to Logan's waist.
"I'm so scared… my baby… my baby hurts…"
Logan froze.
He looked down at Amy, then up at Serena. After only a brief hesitation, he released Serena's hand.
He lifted Amy into his arms, his voice urgent.
"Stay here and wait. I'll come back for you after I get her to safety!"
With that, he ran into the smoke.
Serena stood there, watching his figure disappear into the firelight.
A sudden sharp pain tore through her abdomen. She bent over, clutching it, her hand touching warm blood.
Looking down, she saw her skirt already stained deep red.
"My baby…" She murmured as she collapsed to her knees.
Another shell exploded nearby.
The shockwave threw her to the ground, the back of her head striking broken stone.
Agonizing pain spread from her abdomen through her entire body, as if a hand were tearing violently inside her. The blood kept flowing, and Serena's consciousness slowly began to fade.
Serena lay on her back among the ruins, staring at the sky stained red by flames.
So this was the color of the sky a person saw before death.
Maybe that was fine.
She slowly closed her eyes.
The roar of an engine approached from the distance.
A black off-road vehicle tore across the sand and screeched to a halt beside her.
The door opened and someone stepped out, crouching down to check her breathing.
"She's still alive."
It was a man's voice. Serena struggled to open her eyes, trying to see clearly.
Through her blurred vision, a tall figure stood against the backlight.
