Thelma thought he was apologizing for everything that had happened, and she remained silent.
She then heard him say, “I’m really sorry that thinking of me makes you feel sick, but this is how my mother brought me into this world, and I can’t change it.”
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving her alone in the room filled with a heavy silence.
Thelma felt she had to be a bad person; aside from her sister, she shouldn’t have any compassion for anyone else. The terrible experience of kindness not being reciprocated had already exhausted her. She thought that since they would eventually divorce, she didn’t want to have any emotional ties with him. It would be better to tear the facade apart from the beginning. Yet, inexplicably, hearing his earlier words made her heartache, and she felt an indescribable sadness.
However, she quickly brushed off this sadness; there was nothing to be sad about. He was just an unrelated person, so it was fine.
From then on, he still came to see her from time to time, but he deliberately kept his distance, asking about her situation and whether she was comfortable. If he had to go on a business trip, he would always bring her gifts—delicious food, fun things. He would buy her new clothes and bags every season, but Thelma never paid attention to them. She would toss aside whatever he gave her, not looking at it, eating it, or asking about it.
He knew her attitude, yet he continued to buy things for her.
As time passed, Thelma noticed her mindset gradually changing.
At first, she just wanted to give birth quickly and return to school, but as her belly grew day by day, she developed a strange affection for the child. She found it increasingly hard to part with the thought of separating from him after giving birth, which made her heart ache indescribably. Sometimes, she would be so sad that she couldn’t sleep and would even cry.
She felt ridiculous for being so sentimental, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t understand why she felt this way; it was like an instinct she couldn’t control.
With this anxiety, the due date finally arrived.
Thelma was sent to the hospital a few days early. A few days before the due date, Noah canceled all his work to accompany her at the hospital. Thelma gave birth a day earlier than expected, but fortunately, the doctors were always on standby.
Perhaps because Thelma often exercised, her physical condition was quite good, and the delivery went smoothly; she didn’t suffer too much.
However, it was still exhausting. After giving birth, she felt completely drained. Noah walked over and asked her, “How are you? Are you okay?”
“Where’s the baby?”
“The baby has been taken for cleaning. If you’re tired, you can sleep for a while.”
Thelma sighed in relief and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was the little pink bundle wrapped in soft swaddling in her arms.
So small and tender, with closed eyes and slightly parted lips, sleeping peacefully. The moment Thelma saw him, her heart felt like it had turned into a soft ball of cotton. She carefully picked him up, her gaze fixed on him. After a long time, she suddenly smiled, feeling incredibly happy, as if she had suddenly gained the best thing in the world.
“Baby? You are my baby?”
She couldn’t believe it; this adorable little thing was born from her. He was so cute, so fragile, needing protection. She wished she could turn herself into a hard armor to protect him tightly.
The little pink bundle suddenly opened his eyes. Perhaps it was because he had just been born, but his eyes were a bit swollen, looking at her with a dazed gaze.
Thelma felt her heart melt at his look.
But he only stared at her for a moment before suddenly pouting and crying. Thelma panicked, unsure of what was wrong. Seeing him cry made her heart twist, but with no experience, she was at a loss for what to do.
“He might be hungry; you need to feed him.”
Noah, who had appeared behind her at some point, suddenly reminded her. After he spoke, he reached out to take the baby to feed him, but before he could, she unexpectedly lifted her shirt and brought her b****t to the baby’s mouth.
Noah’s body stiffened, and he silently turned his head away.
The little guy was indeed hungry; as soon as the milk reached his mouth, he stopped crying and began to drink eagerly.
