Part 94

94

The journey Vano had to make was quite long, not only because it was a considerable distance but also due to traffic congestion, which made it take even longer than expected.

"Such bad luck!" he cursed as he parked his car in the hospital parking lot. He looked at his wristwatch. It had taken him over two hours, an incredibly long time.

He called Carlos, inquiring about his wife's whereabouts because he couldn't find her in the emergency room.

"Alexa has been moved to a regular ward. Just head to the fourth floor, Dahlia Room."

"Alright, Dad," he replied and hurriedly looked for an elevator. He was genuinely worried now.

"What happened? How is Alexa?" he immediately asked Carlos, not realizing that in the room, there were not only Alexa but also Chelsea.

"Wait a moment; is Mama also sick?" Vano questioned, impatiently waiting to find out what was wrong with his wife and stepmother.

Carlos nodded. "Yes, both of them are sick, and their illnesses are the same."

"W-what do you mean, Dad?" Vano's mouth hung open, shocked by Carlos's statement. "Both of them are three weeks pregnant."

"W-what?" Vano exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't believe what Carlos had just said. "Three weeks pregnant?"

"Yes, I don't know when you processed it with Alexa, but somehow their gestational age is the same. Maybe we printed them in a similar time frame," Carlos joked before moving to sit beside Chelsea.

Fortunately, his wife had been quickly brought to the hospital, so there were no unwanted complications.

"Chelsea had some spotting earlier, but she needs to be on bed rest because she had some bleeding. So, after this, Alexa can go home first, while your mother will be under observation for a few days."

"Why did Mama bleed?" Vano asked, now more concerned about Chelsea's condition.

 "It's none of your business. You just take care of your wife and your soon-to-be child; don't divide your focus and attention among others. Although I'm your stepmother, your father is still strong enough to protect and look after me. Understand!" Chelsea's eyebrows furrowed as she emphasized once again that Vano should not interfere in taking care of Alexa because they were about to become parents.

Chelsea genuinely didn't want to be a disruptor in Vano's marriage, even though she didn't have any feelings for him. Chelsea still felt guilty about Alexa, who always seemed to be ignored.

Realizing that Chelsea was indirectly criticizing her for always being jealous and overthinking things about her husband, Alexa turned away. She also felt guilty for being too suspicious of her husband when, in reality, Vano had tried to be fair and bridge the gap among them all.

Despite Vano's efforts, Alexa still failed to see that he was merely a son to Chelsea.

"W-what? Alexa is pregnant?" Celine exclaimed upon hearing the report sent by her spy. In her already unpleasant mood, she learned that Vano's wife was expecting.

This was a blow to her hopes of reuniting with Vano. "So Vano and Alexa are really married?" Celine hung her head dejectedly as memories of her time with Vano flashed through her mind.

"Should I destroy that cheap woman?" she muttered, imagining the dire consequences that would occur if she dared to disturb the Carlos Wijaya family.

Realizing how hard Alexa fought to preserve their marriage had indeed made Vano realize that he had been neglecting his wife. So now he tried to suppress the feelings that had once grown in his heart for Chelsea.

He redirected all those emotions towards his wife, who was carrying their child. Fully aware that he was going to be a father, Vano focused more on his little family than on his father and Chelsea's marriage, which had had no problems thus far.

Their lives had become even more peaceful since Amber's departure. She had vanished without a trace, as promised by her father back then. He had pledged to resolve the issue without involving anyone else, and now Amber had indeed left without causing trouble for anyone.

Their happiness was further complete when Vano was about to attend his graduation ceremony for his master's degree. Today, he would be accompanied by Alexa directly as his wife. However, it was highly surprising to Chelsea because her husband had stated that he couldn't attend the ceremony alongside them.

Instead, he delegated all his duties to Chelsea. She couldn't help but wonder why Carlos had disappeared when it was the highly anticipated day of Vano's graduation. Chelsea had seen firsthand Vano's struggle to complete his thesis and go through the graduation process. They had waited several months for the graduation schedule, and now it was finally here. Vano had successfully earned his master's degree, and Alexa was 33 weeks pregnant. With all his strength, Vano had managed everything on his own, amid the ongoing marital issues with Alexa. However, Carlos seemed to prioritize his other work over attending his son's graduation ceremony?"

Chelsea was indeed annoyed because she had to take on the role of a parent accompanying Vano to his graduation without Carlos's presence. However, one thing Chelsea never realized was that Vano didn't mind at all coming to the campus without being accompanied by his father. He appeared happy and calm, occasionally joking with Alexa and herself to alleviate nervousness because the event was very festive, given that their campus was well-known in the city.

Upon arriving at the venue, Chelsea was shocked to discover the fact that Carlos was the dean of the campus. Her mouth hung wide open as she gazed at her husband sitting among the campus officials.

"I-Is Daddy the dean at this campus?" Chelsea asked Vano, who was now beside her.

"Mama didn't know that Daddy is the dean at our campus?"

Chelsea shook her head. "Swear to anything, I never knew that my husband is the dean at this campus."

"Mama is serious," Vano tried to hold back his laughter. "Lex, just look at your mother-in-law here. She didn't even know that her husband, who has been accompanying her all this time, is the dean of her own campus. If a student doesn't know who the dean is until graduation, it's a common thing, but a wife not knowing that her husband is a dean, that's a big problem," he teased, causing Chelsea's lips to pout in surprise.

All this time, Chelsea felt that Carlos had been hiding his true identity.

"You shouldn't be like that. Maybe Mama didn't know that Daddy is the dean because Mama never asked. Besides, Mama has been on leave from the campus for a long time, so it's understandable that she doesn't know much about the campus structure," Vano tried to defend Chelsea.