Mercer frowned when he saw Calla's pale face, her expression haggard and weak. He wanted to approach her, but a voice in his head stopped him. He reminded himself that Casper's condition was still uncertain. Now was not the time for them to reunite. Besides, her fragile state would likely be unable to withstand any further emotional turmoil right now.Pierre carefully supported Calla as they reached the large glass window of the NICU. Pointing at a baby wrapped in a pink blanket, he smiled and said, "It's her, right here!"Following the direction of Pierre's finger, Calla saw the tiny baby with rosy cheeks and long eyelashes. If she weren't so tiny, she would be even more beautiful.Calla reached out to touch the glass as if she could already feel her daughter's cheek. Her eyes carefully took in every detail of the child, her heart overflowing with emotion.The last time she gave birth, she didn't even get a chance to see her son. Before she could, the doctor announced that the c
Standing in the corner, Mercer witnessed Calla stumbling.He took a step forward, wanting to rush over and support her. But his legs felt as if they were filled with lead. Reason warned him that his presence would only exacerbate Calla's distress and inflict further damage.So Mercer could only stand there helplessly, watching Pierre fuss over Calla. His chest tightened with conflicting emotions, his forehead creasing in a frown."My wound hurts so much!" Calla's lips trembled with pain.Seeing this, Pierre bent down and lifted Calla in his arms, hurriedly turning toward the ward. "You must have pulled your wound! I'm going to get the doctor to check on you right now!"Calla nodded weakly, lying in Pierre's arms.At this moment, Pierre had become Calla's strongest support. Though she felt guilty and burdened by his care, she had no choice but to rely on him. After all, she had no one else to turn to.Mercer stepped out of the corner, his dark eyes fixed on Pierre's receding figu
Calla was so weak after giving birth that her incision kept getting infected. She had two debridement procedures and more than two weeks of IV antibiotics during her stay at the hospital. Only then, did her health start to improve.Finally, they were both discharged. Calla and Clover stayed in the hospital for a total of 40 days. It could only be described as a brush with death.During those 40 days, Pierre came to the hospital every day. He took care of Calla and visited Clover regularly. He even hired a special nurse for Calla and had Fiona bring nourishing soups to the hospital daily.Calla was grateful for Pierre's kindness, so much so that words couldn't express it. Without Pierre, Calla and Clover wouldn't have recovered and been discharged so smoothly.On the day of their discharge, Calla held Clover as Pierre drove. Fiona carried all of Calla's bags as they escorted Calla back to Carol's home.Pierre parked his Range Rover in front of Calla's building and looked up worried
Calla was puzzled. "Wait, you didn't pay? So who did?"In an instant, Calla thought of someone, but now she only felt hatred for him. The mere thought of his name sent chills down her spine.If it weren't for Mercer, how could she and Clover have suffered so much? Those 40 days in the hospital were pure torment. Lucky for them, however, they at least made it out alive."It was Mercer," Pierre answered expressionlessly.This confirmed her worst fears. Calla's mind began racing a mile a minute.Pierre then said, "When I was notified, I immediately went to check. The nurse told me that someone had already paid the 200,000 dollars. I knew then that Mercer had sent someone to pay for the medical expenses."Although Calla felt uneasy, she remarked, "He's the one who caused all this. It's only fair that he pays the medical bill."After a brief silence, Pierre asked, "Was there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Mercer? Why did he force you to have Clover so early? I can't wr
At that moment, Calla suddenly fell to her knees before Carol."What are you doing?" Calla's action startled Carol, who stared blankly at her kneeling daughter.Calla knew how heartbroken and disappointed her mother would be. She had let Carol down again, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon this little life. With tears in her eyes, Calla said, "Mom, there is something I need to tell you. I haven't been working in Greendale for the past six months. I lied to you because I got pregnant. I was afraid you wouldn't accept it and would force me to get an abortion, so I hid it from you and left Riverford. "A little over a month ago, I finally gave birth to Clover. Now that I'm a mother, I realize how much you've done for me. Mom, I'm sorry. I know having a child out of wedlock brings you shame, but I couldn't give my baby up. I deserve to be punished, Mom. It's all my fault!"Cradling Clover, Carol was completely taken aback. She sank into the chair behind her, her gaze shifting
One fine day, Calla busied herself with feeding Clover from a bottle.After giving birth, Calla's health declined, leaving her with an insufficient supply of milk. As a result, Clover relied mostly on milk powder.Sometimes, however, Clover would spit up after being fed the milk, which made Calla very anxious. Spitting up could be a serious issue, as babies could choke to death from it.Calla fed Clover one sip at a time, but Clover still spat up. Calla held her close, patting her back continuously, but to no avail. Clover then began vomiting violently and coughing non-stop."Mom! Mom! Come quickly!" Calla shouted in panic when she realized something was wrong.Carol was in the kitchen cooking when she heard Calla's terrified scream. She had already forgotten she was angry. Still holding the spatula, she ran into Calla's bedroom."What's going on?" Carol saw Calla holding Clover, her face pale with fear. She couldn't help but feel panicked as well."Mom, Clover's vomiting. It se
That morning, Calla was playing with Clover in the living room when she suddenly heard the door lock turn.Carol had just left for the supermarket to buy groceries not too long ago. How could she be back so soon?The next moment, the door opened, but the person who entered wasn't Carol.An elaborately dressed woman walked in, wearing a pink lace dress. She styled her hair in a bun and adorned herself with gold jewelry on her ears, neck, and wrists. She looked completely different from the sweet, innocent girl she once was. Now, she appeared every bit like a young married woman.Seeing Zoey, Calla was taken aback—she hadn't expected her sister to suddenly return.According to Carol, Zoey rarely came home these days, choosing to occasionally call instead. She was now staying at home every day to take care of her child. Harlan treated her well, and although she didn't work, they had hired a nanny to help with the baby.It had been almost a year since that unpleasant incident. Yet,
"Stop being unreasonable. I didn't mean it that way." Calla averted her gaze, shocked at how Zoey had become such a shrew. Seeing her like this today really broke her heart."That is indeed what you meant. You think you're some kind of savior, don't you? Without you, I'd be in the same boat as you, struggling with a kid and getting judged by everyone. If it weren't for you insisting that Harlan marry me, he wouldn't have taken responsibility. "So should I be grateful to you? Or are you jealous because you see that I'm living well now? Does it irk you so much to see me thriving while you're struggling?" Zoey's words were a direct assault on Calla's heart.Zoey's sudden outburst startled Clover, causing her to jump frightfully in Calla's arms. Clover began crying uncontrollably.Angry, Calla stood up from the couch with Clover in her arms and snapped, "I don't want to argue with you!" With that, she turned to go back to her room.But Zoey stepped forward, blocking the bedroom door.