novelraw Chapter 364 - 365: The Danger of Having a Second Child
Chapter 364 - 365: The Danger of Having a Second Child
Chapter 364: Chapter 365: The Danger of Having a Second Child
With tears welling in her eyes, Sienna Johnson quickly explained to the doctor, "When I had my first child, I suffered a severe hemorrhage, and my body hadn’t fully recovered. The doctor told me it would be difficult for me to conceive again, so my husband and I didn’t use any contraception. I never expected to be pregnant again so soon... If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so reckless."
Adrian Desmond, seeing Sienna on the verge of tears, hurriedly patted her back reassuringly. "Don’t overthink it. Isn’t there a chance it’s an ectopic pregnancy? The doctor also said it’s too early to be sure, so that might not be the case."
He continued, "You need to take good care of yourself for the next few days. Don’t go to the company. We’ll come back for another prenatal checkup in a few days."
"Okay."
After they left the hospital and got into the car, Sienna was still struggling to compose herself.
Adrian had known Sienna for many years. When they first met, she had been courageous and resourceful. Under adverse circumstances, she had assumed a false identity and nationality to strategically plan her escape. Now, however, she was completely flustered.
"You’re pregnant now," Adrian said gently. "Try to control your emotions. Breathe slowly, in and out. Don’t dwell on work or the possibility of the baby being unhealthy. Things aren’t as serious as you imagine."
"Yes, I understand," Sienna replied.
"Can you drop me off at the company? I have a meeting this afternoon," she said a moment later.
Adrian glanced at her, his expression stern. "Sienna, I was trying to reassure you by saying the baby is fine, but you can’t just assume everything is alright. You are pregnant, after all. You’d better stay home and take care of yourself during these first three months."
"But what about the company? I still want those shares from Frederick Pharmaceutical Factory... How can I..." Sienna couldn’t continue. She knew she wasn’t in the right state to go to the company and handle business. She had to wait until the pregnancy was stable.
"I’m sorry, I just..." Sienna trailed off, sighing as she leaned against the passenger seat, feeling frustrated.
"You still have me, don’t you?" Adrian said softly. "Don’t worry about the company anymore."
"Then I’ll leave the company matters to you." Sienna knew she had to prioritize at this point and didn’t dare overexert herself. Everything else would have to wait until the baby passed the critical stage.
"There’s a park nearby; let’s go sit there for a bit."
"Okay."
Sienna was very compliant today, doing whatever Adrian suggested.
It was an open-access park and very quiet, as it was still working hours. Most of the people there were elderly or children.
Adrian thoughtfully bought her some dessert. Sienna hadn’t eaten lunch, so her stomach was still empty. She took a few bites and, surprisingly, didn’t feel nauseous.
She laughed. "Could it be a girl? She already likes sweets!"
After eating several pieces of cake, Sienna’s mood improved somewhat.
"I hope it’s a boy!" Adrian declared.
Sienna became displeased. "Adrian, I didn’t expect you to favor sons over daughters so much! When I was pregnant with Curly, we didn’t even know the baby’s gender, yet you kept calling out ’Son! Son!’ to my stomach..."
"And you favor daughters over sons?" Adrian retorted. "You already have Curly, and you still want another daughter?"
"I didn’t say I definitely wanted a daughter," Sienna clarified. "I just think sons and daughters are equally wonderful. Unlike you, who only wants a son."
"Adrian, let me tell you..." Sienna was about to lecture him and try to change his biased thinking, but before she could even open her mouth, a wave of nausea returned.
Sienna rushed to the edge of the lake and vomited for a while. Adrian grew extremely anxious. "Are you alright? Why is it so severe?"
Sienna shook her head weakly.
"What’s wrong? You weren’t this sick when you were pregnant with Curly, were you?"
"With the way this one is tormenting me, it’s probably a boy this time..." Daughters are a mother’s sweet comfort, while sons are little rascals.
After that, Adrian took Sienna to a farmhouse in the suburbs. There, she was confined to bed, feeling nauseous with the slightest movement. Anything she ate, she would immediately vomit.
Her adoptive mother moved into the farmhouse as well, dedicating all her time to caring for Sienna.
Adrian, on the other hand, became incredibly busy. Cloudscape Security Company had just opened, and numerous matters required his attention. He also took over all affairs at Eastminster Group. Sometimes, Adrian was too busy to return and could only call to check on her.
Pauline Briggs also visited the farmhouse frequently, often bringing homemade soup. Despite so many people fussing over her, Sienna couldn’t appreciate their warmth. She was experiencing continuous light bleeding, similar to her period. Although the amount was minimal, it terrified Sienna.
Adrian hired the best obstetrician for her, who then stayed at the farmhouse. The doctor performed daily checkups on Sienna, constantly monitoring her condition.
Sienna was physically and mentally exhausted. The psychological pressure was immense, leading to nightmares every night. All sorts of strange dreams haunted her. In one, she dreamed her child was unhealthy, born a monster.
Her most frequent dream, however, was of losing the baby.
One evening, rain lashed down on the farmhouse. Amidst the booming thunder and the oppressive darkness of the night, Sienna sank into a terrifying nightmare.
In her dream, it was the day of her delivery. The delivery room was filled with butterflies. But these butterflies were strange; they were all damaged, each with only one wing.
As she struggled to give birth in her dream, she felt as if she had returned to that small, snow-isolated village in Bonraca where she had once hemorrhaged badly. She was surrounded by strangers in black masks. Their eyes, devoid of pupils, were dark and terrifying.
Suddenly, a blood-red, limbless child jumped out from her belly. The child’s eyes also had no pupils. It laughed sinisterly, "Mommy, give me back my limbs..."
"AH..."
"Sienna, you’re having a nightmare! Wake up..."
Adrian had rushed over through the rain in the middle of the night. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Sienna thrashing in her nightmare. He urgently patted her face, then slapped her cheeks, which reddened from the impact, but Sienna still didn’t wake up.
"Sienna! It’s a dream! It’s just a dream, none of it is real! Wake up..."
"Baby..."
Sienna looked at the frightening child, her heart filled with fear. Yet, it was her child. Despite her terror, Sienna wanted to reach out and hold it.
It’s so cold on the ground; what if he freezes?
But as soon as she touched the child, it dissolved into a pool of blood.
"AH..." Sienna felt an unbearable, gut-wrenching pain, as if all her internal organs were being twisted together. She started to wail.
"Sienna!"
Adrian, at his wit’s end, delivered a sharp slap across Sienna’s face. This time, she finally woke up. Her eyes fluttered open. She looked at Adrian, her gaze clouded with confusion, clearly still unable to distinguish dream from reality.
"Sienna, you’re awake?" Adrian pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Adrian?"
"It’s me!"