Without warning, Evan's mother took Ayla's hand. "Can we talk for a moment?"
Ayla held her breath but finally nodded.
They walked away from Evan and Nathaniel William, searching for a quieter spot at the end of the hospital corridor. Evan stayed where he was, watching them with mixed feelings.
Once they were far enough, Evan's mother looked at Ayla with eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just found out about Raka. I just found out I have a grandchild…"
Ayla was silent for a moment, weighing her words. Then, with a flat voice burdened by years of pain, she said, "If only Evan had known earlier… maybe he would have done the same as before."
Evan's mother frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ayla took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "When I told him I was pregnant, Evan's first reaction was to give me abortion pills," she said calmly. "Without hesitation. Without caring how I felt."
Evan's mother froze.
"He didn't want the child," Ayla continued bitterly. "He didn't care if I was scared or wanted to keep the baby. He just wanted the problem to be over. I still remember his face when he handed me the pills… cold. As if it wasn't a big deal."
Evan's mother was silent, her face turning pale.
"I didn't take them," Ayla went on, her eyes watering but her voice steady. "I went abroad, left everything behind. My friends thought I was studying, but I gave birth to a child alone in a foreign place."
Evan's mother clenched her fingers tightly.
"I never expected him to acknowledge Raka," Ayla said again, her voice weakening. "I just wanted a quiet life, far from all that happened."
Evan's mother shook her head slowly, holding back tears. "Ayla… I'm really sorry. If I had known back then—"
"Nothing could be changed, Ma," Ayla interrupted with a bitter smile. "Raka is here now, and I will protect him. No matter what happens."
Evan's mother looked at her for a long moment. There were many things she wanted to say, but her tongue was tied. All she could do was repeat the same words, full of regret.
"I'm sorry… Sorry, Ayla…"
The Crushing Realization
Evan's mother looked at Ayla with a hard-to-read expression. There was guilt, sadness, and something resembling despair.
She knew.
She knew her son had been a jerk in the past.
And this wasn't the first time she had heard something like this.
Evan used to be uncontrollable. Naughty, indifferent to others, acting like the world was his playground. He often caused trouble, came home drunk, and flirted with women just to discard them later.
But hearing it directly from Ayla… hearing that Evan once gave abortion pills to someone he was supposed to love…
That hurt more than anything she had heard before.
"I know," Evan's mother finally said softly, almost a whisper. "I know Evan was a jerk back then."
Ayla raised her eyebrows, surprised by such an honest admission.
"I won't defend him," Evan's mother continued, her voice steadier now. "I won't make excuses. I know he's my son, I love him, but I also know who he was. And I know, if I were in your position back then, maybe I would have done the same."
Ayla fell silent.
"The accident at the end of 2015," Evan's mother went on, staring blankly ahead, "was a turning point. Since then, he changed. Suddenly calmer, more responsible. We thought maybe he finally realized after nearly losing his life. But… maybe there was something else."
Ayla frowned. "What do you mean, Ma?"
Evan's mother shook her head. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "But if that accident hadn't happened, I'm not sure Evan would be sitting in that room now, officially requesting leave to donate something to his child."
A moment of silence.
Ayla sighed. "I don't know who he really is now," she finally said. "And I don't know if he's truly changed, or if this is just part of a new act he's playing."
Evan's mother smiled sadly. "I don't know either," she said. "But if he's still the same jerk as before, I'll be the one dragging him out of your lives."
Ayla looked at her for a long time before nodding slightly. At least there was one thing she could appreciate about this woman—her honesty.
The Donation Process for RakaThe hospital room was quiet. Only the sound of medical machines running, occasionally interrupted by footsteps of passing nurses. Ayla stood in the corner, hugging herself, watching Evan and Raka both lying in hospital beds.
Evan took a deep breath. He wore hospital clothes, ready for the bone marrow donation procedure for the child he had just realized was his own. In the bed next to him, Raka seemed calmer than expected, though his eyes glanced repeatedly at the medical equipment with a little fear.
"Uncle, will this hurt?" Raka finally asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Evan smiled faintly, trying to hide his own nervousness. "No, it's like an ant bite… a giant ant bite," he answered half-jokingly.
Raka frowned, then chuckled. "There are no giant ants, Uncle."
Evan chuckled with him. "Okay, it's like a cat pinch. But I'm strong—no way I lose to a cat."
Raka looked at Evan as if considering his words, then nodded slightly. "I'm strong too," he said softly, though his grip on the blanket tightened.
A nurse came in, reminding them the procedure was about to start. Ayla approached, gently stroking her son's head.
"Raka, Mama will be here. Don't be scared, okay?" she whispered.
Raka nodded, but this time he looked at Evan. "Uncle, when I'm healed, can we play together again?"
Evan swallowed hard. Something ached in his chest. A strange feeling he had been rejecting but was slowly growing. Raka was a part of him—something he could no longer deny.
"Of course," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. "We can play anything you want."
The doctor came in, giving a brief explanation before they began. Evan was asked to lie on his side while a nurse prepared the local anesthesia on his lower back.
"This procedure will be a little uncomfortable, but we will do our best to minimize pain," the doctor said professionally.
Evan just nodded. When the needle first pierced his skin, there was a sharp pain, but not unbearable. However, when the needle reached his bone, the sensation changed. There was a deep pressure, as if something was being pulled from inside his body.
And at that moment, something else surged in his mind.
A flash of light. A loud bang. A stabbing pain in his head. Blood. Someone whispering in his ear, a voice from nowhere.
He felt déjà vu.
"Evan?"
A gentle touch on his arm brought him back to reality. Ayla stood beside him, her expression full of worry.
"It's done," said the doctor, drawing his attention back to the hospital room.
Evan exhaled slowly, trying to calm the sudden anxiety. He looked at Raka, who had just finished his procedure as well. The boy looked sleepy, the effect of the anesthesia.
"Thank you, Uncle…" Raka murmured softly before closing his eyes.
Evan looked at the boy for a long time. Raka's small hand still lay on the blanket, slightly open. Evan hesitated, then finally reached out and took the small hand.
Warm.
For the first time, he truly felt something real.
For the first time, he realized this child… was his blood.
And strangely, he wanted to protect him.
Ayla's FearAyla stood in front of Raka's hospital room window, looking out at the city covered in dusk. Her eyes watched the lights beginning to glow in the distance, but her mind wasn't really there.
Behind her, Evan sat on the sofa, still wearing his hospital clothes after the donation procedure. He looked tired but didn't move to leave.
Quietly, Ayla bit her lip. Her heart had been uneasy all along.
She knew this would happen.
Evan was no longer just a shadow from the past. He was here, in this room, with them. And even more frightening—he already knew about Raka.
Ayla took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions. But when Evan finally spoke, his voice soft but enough to make her heart pound, she couldn't ignore it.
"I never knew about him, Ay."
Ayla closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to look at Evan. "And I want to keep it that way," she answered quietly.
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Ayla crossed her arms defensively. "You've done your part. Raka will recover. That's what matters."
Evan stared at her for a long time. His eyes were no longer those of the old Evan. Not the look of a reckless young man who didn't care. That gaze was different—deeper, sharper—and it made Ayla even more afraid