I placed my trembling hand on my flat stomach.

Pregnant?

The idea that there was a child — our child — growing inside me was almost unbelievable.

Throughout our year-and-a-half-long marriage, there had never been a time when I didn’t want a baby.

But no matter how many nights we spent together, the news I longed for never came.

I had always believed it was my fault.

Unlike Carlos, who was in perfect health, I had a weak physique and limited mobility.

I never let it show in front of Carlos, but secretly, I had hoped and despaired time and time again.

It wasn’t until after the doctor gave me my terminal diagnosis that I finally accepted the truth: that no new life could ever take root in a dying body.

And yet, against all reason, there was life within me now.

This was the child I had longed for more than anything, yet strangely, joy was not the first emotion I felt.

Instead, I felt sorrow and an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

No one had wanted a grandchild as much as Father did.

But he was gone.

And the child’s father, my husband, was missing.

How could I possibly rejoice in this?

I only had a year left to live.

Would I even be able to give birth safely?

Would this fragile little life fade away before it had even begun because of its unworthy mother?

Even if I managed to give birth safely, the thought of my child growing up without a mother filled me with sorrow.

I wished Carlos were here beside me, as I felt lost and afraid.

My gaze drifted unconsciously to the window, where I saw a crescent moon hanging in the dark sky, shining faintly.

“Carlos… where are you?”

The words never left my lips, but I sent them to him in my heart.

“They say there’s a baby growing inside me. Our baby, the one we longed for so much.”

If he could have heard the news, he would have been happier than anyone.

He would have wrapped me in his arms and spun me around the yard, laughing.

He’d wanted a child just as much as I had.

I slowly caressed my still-flat belly and made a quiet promise to myself.

“Wait for me. I’ll show you our child, no matter what it takes.”

That small, whispered vow gave me the faintest spark of strength and the desire to find my husband and put our child in his arms.

** ❋❋❋ ❋❋❋**

“Are you… feeling any better?”

Edwin came to see me first thing in the morning.

He seemed troubled, knowing that I had become pregnant after losing both my father, who was murdered, and my husband, who disappeared.

I forced a smile to ease his worry.

“Thanks to you, I’m managing.”

“You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you? I thought you might not have had time, so I brought some soup from home.”

He placed a covered bowl on the table and handed me a spoon.

I didn’t feel like eating, but I forced myself to do so out of gratitude for his kindness, and for the sake of the baby inside me.

By the time I’d finally finished, Edwin spoke again, his tone cautious.

“I’ve been thinking… If what you said is true and someone really did erase the memories of everyone around you—”

My hand froze midway to the table, the spoon clinking softly against the dish.

“Even if such a thing were possible, it still doesn’t add up.”

“Doesn’t add up?”

“You said that you and your husband had submitted your marriage documents to the city office, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Upon my affirmative response, Edwin stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Then that means whoever tampered with people’s memories also interfered with the official records at City Hall.”

He murmured the next words almost to himself.

“Which makes me think the culprit must be someone powerful enough to alter government documents.”

City Hall was a state institution, part of the great Asperian Empire that had united seven nations thirty years ago.

Who would dare tamper with the Empire’s official records?

While I was pondering this, Edwin spoke again, his tone careful.

“The trading company I work for doesn’t just buy and sell goods. We secretly deal in information as well.”

I’d heard rumors about such activities, that large-scale trading firms in the capital operated covert information guilds, buying and selling secrets behind closed doors.

“It’s risky, but if I take the initiative, I might be able to trace the forged documents.”

Was Edwin really influential enough within his company to do that?

Right now, there was no other way forward, no other hope to cling to.

“Would that help us find my husband?”

My voice trembled with desperate anticipation.

Edwin gave a faint, bitter shake of his head.

“For now, all I can do is check for traces of tampering in the records.”

“That’s enough. Even the smallest clue about him would be worth it.”

“In that case…I’ll need your help, Ms Sarah.”

“My help?”

In response to my puzzled look, Edwin gave a strained smile and explained.

“I’ll be acting alone, so I can’t count on the company’s support. While I’m searching the city hall records, I’ll need a distraction to draw their attention away.”

I understood immediately what he meant.

“So, you mean you need bait?”

I saw a faintly troubled look cross Edwin’s face as he realized what I meant.

“That’s right. But it has to be something big, something that will draw everyone’s attention inside City Hall.”

To them, I was nothing more than a poor, limping woman.

No matter how tragic or unjust my story was, I was just an inconvenience; a nuisance that wasted their time.

Could someone like me really capture their attention?

The timid, fearful woman I used to be could never have managed it.

But—

“I’ll do it.”

After losing my father and the man I loved, I could not hesitate.

The only fear that still bound me was the thought of my husband’s existence being erased forever.

If finding him meant giving up half of the life I had left, then so be it. Without question.

The timid woman was gone.

What remained was a woman consumed by a single purpose: to find her husband, no matter the cost.

** ❋❋❋ ❋❋❋**

At the appointed time, I entered the town hall.

No one gave the limping woman who stepped through the doors a second glance.

At most, a few people looked at me pityingly before returning to their errands.

I stood still in the center of the busy lobby, surrounded by the echo of hurried footsteps.

Soon, a security guard approached with a mildly annoyed expression on his face.

“What business do you have here?”

His eyes held the same look I had seen countless times before, the gaze that dismissed me because of my disability.

Meeting his gaze head-on, I replied in a calm, steady voice.

“I’d like to see the mayor.”

The guard snorted.

“The mayor isn’t someone that just anyone can see. Please direct simple complaints to the staff.”

His look made me smile thinly. I hadn’t expected to actually meet the mayor, if that had been possible, I would have done so on the day I first came to ask about my husband.

Today, my goal was simple: to hold everyone’s attention while Edwin searched the records. I was prepared to play the part of a madwoman if necessary.

“It’s not a simple complaint.”

I said, carefully drawing something from my sleeve.

It was a dagger.

The moment the security guard recognized it, he drew his own weapon and screams rose around the room. They must have thought I was about to go on a rampage. Instead, I looked at them and laughed, pressing the dagger to the side of my neck.

The guard went pale.

“What are you doing?!”

I met his gaze and spoke each word clearly.

“Let me see the mayor right now. If you don’t, I can’t promise what will happen.”

Some people screamed and ran outside. Meanwhile, a few employees formed a ring around me, their faces straining with effort.

“Calm down and put the knife down,” one staff member urged gently.

While everyone’s eyes were fixed on me, I caught sight of Edwin in the crowd. He looked startled, I doubt he expected me to go this far. I gave him a quick signal, and he moved through the cluster of staff and slipped away at once.

Of course, I had no intention of actually slitting my throat. It was just a ploy to grab their attention. Once I had seen Edwin disappear safely into the building, I warned the surrounding employees.

“You wouldn’t want to see this spotless City Hall floor stained with blood, would you?”

While Edwin searched for clues, I had to buy him more time.

With nothing left to lose, I couldn’t afford to hesitate or be afraid.

I felt something warm trickle down my neck where the blade had grazed it.

I was startled by how far I was willing to go and by how calmly I could hold a knife to my own throat.

To anyone watching, I must have looked completely insane.

Perhaps I was.

If it meant finding even the slightest clue about Carl, I was prepared to throw everything away.

I only had a year left to live.

Before my life burned out, I wanted to meet Carl again and show him the child growing inside me.

That was my only wish, the one thing still anchoring me to this world.

Then—

“I’m the mayor.”

A man stepped forward through the line of trembling employees and introduced himself.

“Let’s talk somewhere private.”

For a moment, I froze. I hadn’t expected the mayor to appear at all.

“You wanted to ask about your husband, didn’t you?”

He said, his tone heavy with meaning.

“About Mr. Carlos Romolo.”

At the mention of that name, which should never have been uttered, my eyes widened and trembled helplessly as they met his.