Goodbye, My Mate

Chapter 263

Leah's POV

I walked into the clinic, its low-key luxury pressing against me like a velvet glove hiding claws. The air bit at my skin, cool and sterile, a frail shield against the chaos clawing inside my chest. The place reeked of money - polished wood, soft lighting - but it couldn't drown out the stench of my own fear.

I was halfway through the door when this security guard stepped in front of me, all stiff like he'd caught me trespassing. "Ma'am, may I ask who you are and why are you here?"

"Leah Winters, coming for Dr. Aspen Monk," I replied.

He squinted at his clipboard, flipping pages like it was some top-secret file. "Uh… I don't see your appointment listed."

Before I could answer, another guard - older, salt-and-pepper mustache - grabbed his elbow and jerked his chin toward the wall. "Winters Clinic," he muttered, like it was obvious. "This is Mrs. Winters. Her clinic."

Kid turned beet red. "Oh, shit. I mean, sorry, Mrs. Winters."

I waved him off. "Relax. I only bought the place yesterday. You're just doing your job - can't fault anyone for that."

Dr. Aspen Monk walked stood at the end of the corridor, white hair glowing like a damn beacon, a ghost from a past I couldn't shake. He wasn't just the royal physician, old professor to my brother Leo - he was the one who'd patched me up when I was a kid, when a scraped knee was the worst of my scars. Now, those scars ran deeper, branded into my flesh, my soul. I wondered if he could patch that up.

I grabbed his hand, his warmth seeping into me, steadying the tremble I refused to let show. "Dr. Monk, thank you for coming to the human world to meet me," I said, voice tight, holding steady like a thread about to snap.

He smiled, eyes crinkling, soft as ever. "Your Highness, it's always been a pleasure to serve you. Please tell me, what can this loyal old servant do for you?" His tone was formal, but it carried that old affection, a tether to a time before everything went to hell.

I sucked in a breath, the words heavy as lead. "I'm pregnant. I want to do a prenatal examination." They dropped between us, jagged and raw, slicing the air.

His eyes went red, tears pooling fast. He swiped at them, voice cracking like brittle bone. "You used to come to me crying even when you had a small wound on your hand. Now you are about to have your own child. You can imagine how great the joy is for an old folk like me. I will let the nurses prepare the examination for you." The words shook, but he turned away quick, hiding the wetness on his face.

I lay on the bed, the sheets cold against my scarred skin, prickling where the old marks burned. Dr. Monk moved with that practiced ease, but his brow furrowed, his face twisting into something dark. My heart hammered, a frantic beat against my ribs.

"Doctor, is there anything wrong?" I asked, forcing the calm, though my throat felt like it was closing.

He paused, then met my gaze, hesitant. "Your Highness, I know it's very inappropriate to ask this, but I need to know if the father of this child is present?"

I frowned, a slow burn starting in my gut. "If you have any doubts, please tell me."

He sighed, heavy and burdened. "The current situation is quite complicated. You are currently suffering from disseminated intravascular coagulation. Forcibly giving birth to this child may lead to coagulation dysfunction in you. In other words, if you give birth to this child, you may die due to heavy bleeding during the delivery process."

The words slammed into me, a fist to the chest. I froze, stunned, the echo of death rattling in my skull. Death. Bleeding out. But the life inside me - his life - pulsed stronger than the fear. I couldn't let it go.

Dr. Monk pressed on, voice careful, like he was stepping on glass. "I'm just saying there is such a possibility. Because you are currently pregnant, I cannot give you any other medication to relieve or eradicate symptoms. Well, when the fetus threatens the mother's life, we generally recommend protecting the mother instead of the fetus. So I suggest you discuss with the father of the child whether it is possible to terminate the pregnancy."

"Termination of pregnancy" hit me like a lash, sharp and bloody. "No! No!" I snapped, voice cutting through the room, raw and jagged.

He flinched, eyes wide. "Your Highness, I'm not sure what you mean…"

"I need to give birth to this child no matter what," I said, each word a nail driven deep. "You cannot tell anyone about this." My chest heaved, defiance burning through the panic.

He nodded slow, worry carving lines into his face. "Yes, Your Highness. If this is your decision, I will do my best to protect your privacy due to the sensitive nature of this issue. But as your loyal servant, an old man who has watched you grow up since childhood, I hope you can change your mind. I have witnessed the death of at least ten members of the Lycan family. I can no longer bear the pain of sending off black-haired people with white hair. I cannot lose you again, Leah..."

He wiped off tears off his cheek and said, "When you think about it, this world is full of pain, and sometimes not letting children suffer any pain is the greatest love parents can generate for them."

I gripped his hand, hard, my warmth pressing into his skin. "Dr. Monk, please help me keep this secret no matter what. I have no one to trust anymore." My voice cracked, just enough to betray the ache.

He squeezed back, firm. "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I give you my words."

Before I left, he hesitated, words hanging like a noose. "Your Highness, I don't know if I should ask this, but… Don't you want to know about His Majesty's current condition?"

I didn't answer, thoughts snarling. Lucian. Love twisted with cruelty, protection laced with chains. What illness could he have? I thought, bitter as bile. He had a heart disease caused by my presence. If I die, his heart disease will naturally be cured.

Dr. Monk pressed on, soft. "His Majesty has regained his mobility and can get out of bed and walk."

I arched a brow. "Did he say anything to you?"

He shook his head. "When I was treating His Majesty, Beta Jalin was always by his side. His Majesty never said anything to me. Only once, when Beta briefly left us, His Majesty asked about my child's condition. I told him that my youngest daughter had passed away. As a doctor, I couldn't save my own child, and the pain was unbearable. His Majesty then looked at me and said, 'A father would do anything for his child. You have done your best.' And that broke my heart. I was weeping like a child. His Majesty has always been so kind and considerate... Your Highness, I wonder if you could just go back to him and..."

I gestured and made him stop. His words clawed at me, dragging up memories - Lucian's gentle hands, concerns in his eyes. My eyes stung, but I locked the tears down. Jalin, that snake, still coiled around him, poisoning everything. Lucian's good was a lie, drowned in greed and power, but the ghosts of his kindness haunted me still.

I shoved it aside, voice steady. "So, is it a boy or a girl?"

Dr. Monk's smile was faint, tired. "It is a very strong boy."

I left the room, the weight of it all crushing me, but I stood taller. This child would live. Even if it was trying to kill me before he was born. Even if he tore me apart.