The man was examining Serena's abdominal injury, his brows tightly furrowed.
Was her injury really that serious?
Serena wondered hazily.
"Hang in there." The man took off his coat and wrapped it around her, his movements unexpectedly gentle. "I'm taking you out of here."
Serena tried to speak, but a mouthful of blood came up instead. The man lifted her steadily and placed her in the back seat of the car.
A blanket was pulled over her, blocking out the sharp smell of gunpowder from the battlefield as the vehicle jolted away from the ruins.
The off-road vehicle cut through the darkness, speeding toward the depths of the wasteland.
From the driver's seat, the man glanced through the rearview mirror. Serena's face was ashen, her brows still tightly knit even in unconsciousness.
His fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel as he murmured under his breath.
"Finally found you."
Meanwhile, at the temporary evacuation shelter.
Logan settled Amy inside the evacuation truck and covered her with a blanket.
Amy clutched his sleeve and sobbed softly.
"Logan, don't go. I'm scared…"
"I'm not going anywhere." Logan reassured her, though his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the direction of the camp.
The flames hadn't died down yet, and occasional explosions still echoed in the distance. When he left earlier, he had vaguely seen Serena thrown to the ground by the blast.
Anxiety gnawed at Logan now, his handsome face slightly twisted with tension.
"Logan?" Amy called softly.
Logan snapped back to his senses and forced down the unease in his chest.
Serena was a battlefield doctor. She knew how to protect herself, and with her experience she would surely hold on until he returned for her.
Once dawn came and Amy was settled, he would go back to find her. Thinking that, he tightened his grip on Amy's hand.
What he didn't know was that miles away, the off-road vehicle carrying Serena had already passed the final checkpoint and vanished into the vast desert.
Three days later, the clearing of the ruins was nearly complete.
Logan searched the scorched land for three entire days without eating or drinking properly.
When hunger became unbearable, he gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold water. When exhaustion overtook him, he leaned against a broken wall for a brief nap before waking up and digging again.
He searched through the rubble with his bare hands, all ten fingernails torn and bleeding. Yet he still couldn't find Serena. Not even a trace of her remained.
On the evening of the third day, he finally collapsed, dropping to his knees beside the broken wall. His head hung low, his shoulders trembling.
Just then, a faint glimmer of silver flashed not far away.
Logan suddenly looked up and stumbled toward it.
He knelt beside the broken wall and pushed aside the rubble with trembling hands. It was a wedding ring. But where was Serena?
The ring was twisted out of shape, but the engraving inside could still barely be read.
"Logan and Serena, forever united in heart."
He knelt there holding the ring as tears rolled down his face.
He tried to slide the ring back onto his finger, but it was too bent to fit.
"Logan, you still have the nerve to come back?" Maya stepped in front of him and held out her hand. "Give it to me."
Logan pulled his hand back.
"Give it here!" Maya's voice rose sharply. "That belongs to Dr. Hart! Someone like you doesn't deserve to hold it!"
She crouched down and pried open Logan's blood-stained fingers. The ring fell into her palm.
Maya stood up, walked to the nearby sand slope, and threw the ring into the distant desert with all her strength.
Logan froze for a second before scrambling toward it, his voice breaking.
"Give it back… that's mine…"
But he was too late. The ring arced through the air and fell into the yellow sand, disappearing instantly.
He clawed desperately at the sand, but the shifting grains swallowed it completely.
Maya looked at his back and said coldly. "Forever united in heart? Do you really deserve that?"
After saying that, she turned and walked away.
When Serena woke on the soft bed, she felt a moment of confusion.
Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, scattering colorful patterns across the wooden floor.
She stared blankly at the shifting patches of light for a long moment before realizing that she was actually still alive.
Serena thought of her baby.
She suddenly sat up, her hands flying to her abdomen in panic.
The familiar curve of her belly was still there. Through the fabric she could feel the faint movement of the baby. Serena let out a long breath and collapsed weakly against the headboard.
As long as the baby was still safe.
"Miss, you're awake?" A bright, clear female voice rang out.
Serena turned her head and saw a girl with honey-colored eyes sitting beside the bed.
Two glossy braids hung over the girl's shoulders, and when she smiled, two small canine teeth showed.
"My name is Nadia Kirby."
The girl handed her a cup of warm water, moving with careful gentleness.
"Mr. Kingsley asked me to take care of you. You've been asleep for three days. We were finally able to see you wake up."
Only after taking the water did Serena realize how thirsty she was.
She drank in small, careful sips while quietly observing the room around her.
It was clean, even comfortable.
The walls were packed earth, but they had been whitewashed. The window was intact and fitted with stained glass.
The bed was soft, the sheets were clean cotton, and there was even a faint scent of soapberry in the air.
