When Brianna opened her eyes again, she found herself in a hospital bed.
"You're awake," the nurse said as she adjusted Brianna's IV. "How are you feeling? You looked terrifying when you came in. There wasn't a trace of color in your face."
From the nurse's explanation, Brianna learned that after the property manager brought her to the hospital, he had immediately contacted Xavier in the residents' group chat.
Xavier had only replied with irritation.
Xavier: Can't she handle this on her own? She's not a kid.
Then he hung up.
He had not even sent a single message afterward to ask how she was doing.
A bitter ache rose in Brianna's chest. Xavier had probably forgotten long ago that she suffered from claustrophobia.
And yet back in high school, when her bullies had locked her in a dark supply closet, Xavier had been the one who smashed the door open with his bare hands and held her in his arms even while his palms bled.
"Brianna, don't be scared. I'm here. I'll protect you..."
His voice had shaken so badly that day that she had never forgotten it, and the next day he had beaten the bullies until their faces were swollen and bruised.
"She has claustrophobia. She's terrified of the dark. Do you even know she almost went into shock when you locked her in there?"
Xavier had fought like a madman and received a severe disciplinary strike for it.
He had also made it known to the whole school that the orphan girl with no one to rely on was under his protection.
Brianna could not even remember when he had begun to forget.
She pulled the IV needle out of her hand, and the nurse cried out in alarm. "Hey, what are you doing?"
Brianna shook her head lightly and said, "I'm fine. I don't need the IV."
The nurse scolded her in frustration. "What do you mean you're fine? You're about to be a mother. You can't just act out like this."
Brianna's entire body went rigid, and she turned around in disbelief. "A mother? Me?"
The nurse looked at her with concern. "When you were unconscious, we ran some blood tests. Our department head personally reviewed your lab results. You're three months pregnant. Haven't you noticed anything?"
Brianna felt her mind go blank. The nurse's lips kept moving, but Brianna could not hear a single word.
She could not understand why she had to become pregnant at the very moment she was getting divorced.
She walked stiffly outside the room and stood in the hallway, trying to decide what to do with this unexpected pregnancy.
At that moment, Xavier came striding down the corridor.
Brianna stopped where she was, but Xavier passed by as if he had not seen her and turned into a consultation room around the corner.
Brianna froze for a second before following him.
The room belonged to gynecology.
A few minutes later, she saw Julie walk out with a medical report in her hand and tears in her eyes, while Xavier stayed close beside her.
The two of them stopped at the stairwell.
Julie cried as she spoke, "You heard what the doctor said. I kept having abdominal pain after the miscarriage, and I never thought it would turn out to be an endometrial tear. I really might have trouble having children in the future."
Then Xavier answered her.
"Julie, don't worry. We will have a child together."
He lowered his voice, and pain flickered across his face. "I still dream about the baby you gave up for me."
Julie sobbed harder. "If our baby had survived, that child would already be in elementary school by now. Promise me that you will only ever have children with me!"
Xavier pulled her into his arms with obvious tenderness.
"I promise," he said softly. "I will only have your children."
"What if your wife gets pregnant?"
Xavier hesitated for a moment, and uncertainty passed through his eyes.
Then Julie said, "Then after I get pregnant, you have to get a vasectomy for me!"
A sharp, tight pain shot through Brianna's chest.
She thought Xavier would refuse. She thought Xavier would be angry.
Instead, he only hesitated for a moment before answering in a gentle voice, "Okay. I'll do whatever you want."
Aksara