A month had passed without any incidents, and it was time for Nina’s prenatal checkup. After breakfast, she asked Orion to go upstairs and pack her things for the hospital, giving him instructions on what to bring. Being heavily pregnant made everything a challenge, so Nina sat on the couch, using her phone to guide Orion step by step.Nash had been tied up with work lately, wanting to be there for her but unable to. Nina understood, which was why she decided to head to the hospital on her own.Half an hour later, Orion came running downstairs with a small backpack. "Mom, I’m grown up now, right? I can help you with things."Nina smiled and patted his head gently. "Yes, our Orion is really growing up."Beaming, Orion slung the backpack over his shoulders, grabbed the wheelchair, and helped Nina into it. Fortunately, the wheelchair was electric. Otherwise, Orion’s small frame wouldn’t be able to push it.The driver spotted them and immediately got out of the car to assist. "Ma’
Joe silently cursed Nina in his heart a hundred times over. He had his reasons for bringing Yvonne to the hospital, and as the one taking care of her, who was she to interfere? Outwardly, though, he kept his smile, explaining smoothly, "Nothing happened. I just happened to have some free time today, so I brought her in."After that, he turned to Yvonne and asked gently, "Are you hungry? Let’s go get something good to eat."Yvonne immediately nodded, eagerly repeating that she wanted something delicious."Mr. and Mrs. York, let’s catch up another time. I’m going to take her to eat," Joe said before walking off with Yvonne. Nina, however, wasn’t fooled by Joe’s act. As soon as he left, she turned to Nash, voicing her suspicion that Joe was up to something. She insisted that Nash use his connections to find out Joe’s true motives. It was finally her turn for the check-up, so Nash wheeled her into the examination room. While she was inside, Nash called the hospital director. He kn
At an outdoor bar on the outskirts of the city, Nash poured a drink for Joe. With a slight smile, Nash asked, "As a man, I have to say I don’t understand you. There are so many women in the world. Why are you so fixated on Yvonne?"Joe sneered, "Then why are you so obsessed with Nina?"Nash met his gaze, speaking each word deliberately. "Because she feels the same about me."Joe fell silent, unable to respond.Taking a swig of his drink, Joe let out a cold laugh. "Cut to the chase, Nash. No need to beat around the bush."Nash set his glass down, his face turning serious as he locked eyes with Joe. "Removing Yvonne’s uterus. Is your plan to keep her mad for the rest of her life?"Joe shook his head, not answering directly.A cool breeze blew through, and Joe glanced up at the sky. Suddenly, he heard Nigel’s voice nearby. He turned to see Nigel sitting with a beautiful woman. She was likely his new love interest, judging by the way Nigel looked at her.Joe scoffed. "Honestly,
Yvonne nodded. She knew that as long as she went along with whatever Joe wanted, he would not get mad at her. Nervously and awkwardly, she pressed her lips to his, mimicking what he had done before by giving a small bite. But that was it, she did not know what else to do.Joe, in a great mood, pulled her close and let things escalate. Afterward, he brought her a pill and a glass of water, watching as she swallowed it. Yvonne was curious, wondering why she had to take medicine after every encounter. However, she was too scared to ask and just did as she was told. Once she finished, she obediently lay back down. After Joe left the room, she snuck to the door and listened. She heard him standing outside for a while before he finally walked into his study. Relieved, she climbed back into bed and fell asleep.The next day, after lunch, Joe took Yvonne to the hospital to discuss the surgery again. When they were told it could not proceed for the time being, Joe immediately suspecte
Awoken from her nightmare, Yvonne sat dazed for a long time before she crawled off the bed. She then huddled in the corner, crying softly.Worried that Yvonne might not be adjusting well on her first night, Nina went upstairs to check on her. Hearing the sound of crying from inside the room, she immediately opened the door.When she turned on the light and saw Yvonne curled up, Nina was startled. She gently wrapped her arms around her. "Did you have a bad dream?"Yvonne nodded.Nina, out of habit, rubbed Yvonne’s forehead. Yvonne paused, confused."Did we know each other before?" Yvonne asked softly.Nina nodded. "Yes, we did. We were very close friends."Yvonne tilted her head, trying to remember. "We were friends, and you used to rub my forehead like this?"Pointing to her forehead, she looked at Nina with innocent curiosity.Nina forced a smile and nodded, tears almost spilling from her eyes. Back when Yvonne was upset, Nina would comfort her this way. Now, Yvonne couldn’t
Pharaoh sighed, "That explains it. Medically speaking, it’s complicated. The point is, she shouldn’t be staying here any longer, even if she doesn’t know why herself."Nina glanced back at Yvonne, her heart aching. "Then I’ll leave it to you to take care of her, Father."Pharaoh didn’t see this as too difficult. As long as Yvonne was willing to go with him, once they reached the tribe, things would be much easier to handle.After learning about Yvonne’s condition, Pharaoh set up a separate place, designed like a small garden, just for her. Besides regular room cleaning and three daily meals, there would only be one attendant to take care of her. This peaceful environment would help Yvonne find some tranquility.They arrived at the tribe around dusk. Yvonne seemed uneasy, almost fearful of the darkness, and her overall state wasn’t good.Sensing this, Pharaoh had the attendant take her to her quarters. While she was getting settled, he made sure food was delivered to her room.Whe
Hannah handed her the storybook, pointing at the illustration. "Here it is, the blue sun. I think the little girl did a beautiful job."Yvonne repeated softly, "The blue sun, it’s beautiful."She kept repeating the words until she drifted off to sleep.The next morning, Hannah woke up and, not seeing Yvonne, started to search for her. She finally found her in a corner of the courtyard, drawing on the ground with a stick. The drawing was abstract and hard to interpret, but Hannah didn't interrupt her. Instead, she quietly informed Pharaoh and arranged for some art supplies to be brought over.She figured that since Yvonne used to be an artist, reconnecting with something she once loved could help her heal.Days passed, and Yvonne became engrossed in painting. The walls of her room on the second floor were soon covered with her drawings. Hannah had them framed and displayed throughout the other rooms on the second floor.Back in Birkham, Nina heard about Yvonne’s progress and fel
Orion nodded and, while the adults were distracted, quickly tore open the gift box. Inside was just a piece of paper with a single sentence written on it.The little girl read it aloud, “If you want more presents, come to the front gate.”She pouted and huffed, “It’s a trick! We shouldn’t believe it. My mom says if someone wants to give a gift, they should do it openly. Playing games like this means they’re not sincere.”But the other kids weren’t so sure. They teased Orion, saying he was too scared to go to the gate.Frustrated, Orion turned to the girl. “Lily, do you want to come with me? If we find anything, you can pick whatever you want. It’ll all be yours.”Before Lily Frank could answer, another kid chimed in with a laugh, “Girls are always scared. I bet Lily wouldn’t dare go with you.”Neither of them could back down from a dare, so Lily immediately grabbed Orion’s hand and they headed outside.It was quiet by the front gate. Other than the parked cars of the guests, the