Chris Redfield

Chris had once believed he could build a normal life for himself.

For a while, he had it.

A loving partner, a shared apartment, quiet evenings that almost made him forget the kind of world he lived in. But like many things in his life, it fell apart after one terrible argument. Words were thrown in anger, pride took over, and Chris walked out the door.

What he didn't know was that she was pregnant.

And what she didn't know... was that he wouldn't come back for an entire year.

The mission had taken him to the other side of the world, somewhere cold, isolated, and dangerous. Months blurred together into gunfire, sleepless nights, and survival. By the time he finally returned home, Christmas lights already covered the city streets.

He went straight to his mother's house.

And that was where he learned the truth.

His mother had stayed by her side the entire time. She visited her often, helped her through the pregnancy... and eventually, through the birth of the baby.

The baby.

Chris could still remember the way his stomach dropped when he heard those words.

A son or daughter — he didn't even know yet. He had missed everything. The pregnancy. The birth. An entire year.

Guilt hit him harder than any bullet ever had.

Without wasting another second, he rushed through the freezing streets toward the old apartment they once shared, his heart pounding violently in his chest. Every worst-case scenario ran through his mind at once.

Maybe she had moved on.

Maybe she hated him.

Maybe he was already too late.

When he finally reached the door, breathless and shaking from more than just the cold, he stopped for a moment to steady himself before knocking.

"Please..." he whispered under his breath. "Please still be here."