Luna’s trembling voice cracks through the phone line as she gasps Bill’s name, her breath uneven and thick with panic, and in that instant everything inside him freezes before erupting into a surge of raw, unfiltered fear that propels him into action with a speed that borders on instinct, because the woman he loves is in danger, their unborn child is in danger, and every second that passes feels like a countdown he can’t afford to lose, so he races through Los Angeles traffic like a man possessed, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled desperation while Luna, miles away, clutches her belly as another sharp wave of pain twists through her, tears streaking down her cheeks as she struggles to describe what’s happening, her voice shrinking to a frightened whisper as she begs him not to hang up, not to leave her, not to let anything happen to their baby, and Bill, despite his usual steel and swagger, feels something inside him collapsing as he listens, because this isn’t a business deal he can dominate or a rival he can threaten—this is the woman who gave him hope after years of emotional wreckage, the woman carrying the child he never imagined he’d have again, the woman whose life has become woven so tightly with his that the thought of losing her feels like losing breath itself. Luna’s surroundings blur into chaos as she tries to stay conscious, sinking to the floor when her legs buckle, the room spinning while she clutches the phone like a lifeline, whispering Bill’s name through sobs that break his heart wide open, and with each mile he closes between them he grows more frantic, replaying every moment they’ve shared—her smile when she told him she was pregnant, the way she rested her head on his chest as they imagined their future, the soft certainty in her eyes when she told him she trusted him with her whole heart—memories that now feel like fragile glass he’s terrified might shatter if he doesn’t get to her in time. Meanwhile, Luna’s fear deepens as she feels something change inside her, a sensation she can’t name but knows isn’t right, and her tears fall faster as she confesses her terror that she might lose the baby, that she might not be strong enough, that the universe might be cruel enough to rip away the one miracle she never expected, and Bill’s voice, shaking despite his efforts to remain steady, pours through the phone in desperate reassurance, telling her again and again that she’s not alone, that he’s coming, that he will not let anything happen to their child, his promises fueled not just by love but by a fierce, primal protectiveness that seizes him with relentless force. When he bursts through the door moments later—after what feels like hours trapped inside a nightmare—he finds Luna crumpled on the floor, pale and trembling, her breath shallow and her hands shaking as she reaches for him, and the sight nearly drops him to his knees because he has never seen her look so small, so afraid, so heartbreakingly vulnerable, and as he gathers her into his arms, pressing her against his chest as though his embrace alone could hold her together, he feels an overwhelming wave of guilt crash through him for not being there sooner, for not preventing this, for not shielding her from whatever danger brought her to this breaking point. Luna clings to him, her tears soaking into his shirt as he lifts her with trembling strength, whispering over and over that she has to hold on, that their child is strong, that he needs her, that he loves her more than anything he’s ever loved in his life, and as sirens approach in the distance, Bill realizes with devastating clarity that this moment—the fear, the urgency, the desperate hope—has stripped him down to the truth he’s tried to avoid admitting even to himself: he cannot imagine a world without Luna or their unborn child in it. In the ambulance, with Luna lying on the gurney and Bill gripping her hand with an intensity that borders on desperation, she opens her eyes just long enough to whisper that she’s scared, her voice barely audible, her breaths shallow, and Bill leans close, his forehead touching hers as he swears he will fight with everything he has, that he will not let fate take anything from them, that he will walk through fire if that’s what it takes to protect her and their baby. The paramedics rush to stabilize Luna as Bill sits rigid beside her, feeling utterly powerless for the first time in years, his heart pounding with the terrifying possibility that he could lose everything he didn’t realize he still had the capacity to want, and as they race toward the hospital, Luna squeezes his hand with the last bit of strength she has left, whispering that she loves him and begging him to save their baby, a plea that lodges itself so deeply into Bill’s chest that he knows it will never leave him, not even if he lives to be a hundred. And in that moment, as the doors swing open and Luna is wheeled into emergency care, Bill Spencer—a man known for ruthlessness, power, and unshakeable control—finds himself transformed entirely, stripped down to the rawest version of love he has ever felt, waiting in the hallway with tears he doesn’t bother to hide as he prays with every part of himself that Luna and their unborn child will survive, because losing them is a reality he refuses to accept, not now, not ever, not as long as there is breath left in him to fight for them.