Chapter 4

Declan hasn't been home for two days.

I thought about the list of items I made for Genevieve and chuckled bitterly, thinking he must be helping her with her renovations.

It's both sad and ironic that I'm indirectly decorating the home of the man I love with another woman.

Even so, I still took Grandmother to the hospital.

No matter how Declan treats me, I have to repay Grandmother's kindness.

Declan's Family has some influence in the city, and the hospital assigned a professional team to assist. I was just there for support.

Grandmother urged me, "Hazel, you should let the doctor check you."

She was being subtle, but I understood her meaning.

She wanted me to find out why I couldn’t get pregnant.

But there's no need for a check-up; I know the reason all too well.

After every time we were together, Declan would buy me birth control pills, saying that having a baby during his peak career would be a distraction, and he didn’t want me to suffer the pain of childbirth.

I once thought this was an expression of his love, but now I realize he did it to redirect all conflicts toward me.

Because of this, I frequently faced difficulties with my mother-in-law.

To avoid disappointing Grandmother, I wandered around for a bit.

Unexpectedly, I ran into someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Although we didn’t bump into each other, she was unsteady, her slender body almost falling. I instinctively reached out to help her.

She was as delicate as a butterfly, with simple yet exquisite makeup.

In stark contrast to my disheveled state.

For a moment, I wanted to hide in the darkest corner of the world.

But she recognized me and hesitantly said, "Hazel?"

Genevieve looked slightly awkward.

"What are you doing here?"

I avoided her gaze, clutching my clothes tightly.

I should have been the one asking her... Why is Genevieve in the obstetrics department?

Could it be... My eyes drifted to her abdomen.

Before I could probe further, a figure rushed over with a worried cry piercing my ears.

"Genevieve, are you okay?"

Declan’s tall figure pushed past me and embraced Genevieve. He didn’t care about me, inspecting her up and down.

"You scared me. Be careful when you walk, or you’ll hurt the baby..."

He said while glaring at me, the "passerby," with impatience and blame.

But the moment he saw my face, Declan fell silent.