"What’s wrong? Did our daughter kick you again?" Eric asked nervously, noticing the fine sheen of sweat on Ella’s forehead. He was genuinely worried she was overexerting herself.
Ella couldn’t help but laugh. "I can’t really tell if they’re kicking or not. I just felt them move a little."
"Let listen!" Eric said excitedly, completely ignoring the room full of friends. He crouched down and pressed his ear against Ella’s belly.
"Eric, do you really have to show off your love like this?"
"Co on, guys, don’t be so sour!"
"Oh my gosh, the world’s most perfect and loving dad is about to be born!"
...
Ti flew by.
In the blink of an eye, Ella’s belly had grown noticeably bigger. She was now six and a half months along.
Neither Ella nor Eric had stepped out of the house during this ti. Fortunately, their friends visited often to keep her company, so she didn’t feel too bored.
Besides, the seaside estate was vast, with plenty of artificial scenery behind the villa.
Whenever Ella felt restless, she’d take a walk in the hills behind the villa, and with Eric accompanying her, the days weren’t too hard to endure.
One day, Henry and Lauren ca over to visit and brought along a wedding invitation. They were planning to get married, hosting a small and low-key celebration with family and close friends.
Ella was overjoyed. Lauren had finally found her happiness, and as the matchmaker, she couldn’t be prouder.
"Ella, if you weren’t pregnant, I’d have made you my bridesmaid for sure!" Lauren said with a smile, her eyes brimming with excitent and gratitude.
Ella’s laughter rang out brightly. "Too bad you’re getting married a bit late. If we’d walked down the aisle together, wouldn’t that have been lovely?"
Henry smiled faintly but didn’t say anything, while Lauren excused herself to take a phone call outside.
Eric was in his study reviewing docunts. Whenever Ella had friends over, he used the opportunity to catch up on work.
John and the others would send important docunts to his email or fax them to him, and unless it was urgent, Eric would handle them in the evenings or when Ella had company.
For a mont, only Ella and Henry remained in the living room.
Ella smiled at him graciously. "Henry, I’m so glad to see you’ve moved on from the past."
Henry’s heart, however, felt conflicted. He had indeed moved on, but sitting here now, looking at Ella—the woman who had once been his guiding light during the stormiest days of his life—stirred complicated emotions.
If he hadn’t fallen for Ella back then, he might have directed all his hatred toward Eric after Grace’s tragedy.
One wrong step would have led to more, and Henry knew that because Ella was his sister-in-law, he had held his ground and remained steadfast, unaffected by his mother’s turmoil.
"Sister-in-law, I moved on a long ti ago. Without Lauren, I might never have woken up."
Henry’s smile was calm and thoughtful, his eyes filled with emotion. "She gave the strength to wake up and the desire to repay her kindness."
Ella’s expression softened. "I’m glad to hear that. I wish you both a happy marriage and many children!"
"Thank you, sister-in-law," Henry replied with a smile as gentle as a breeze. He truly felt at peace now. Even though, during his coma, it had been Lauren playing Ella’s voice recordings that helped him fight to wake up, Lauren’s devotion could never be overlooked.
If he couldn’t marry the woman he loved most, then marrying a woman who loved him wasn’t such a bad ending.
Henry lowered his lashes, his handso features softening as he sank into cherished mories.
The two sat in a comfortable silence, both feeling as though they’d returned to the beautiful monts of the past.
On the university campus, he always hid in the shadows, secretly watching Ella. He would quietly take pictures of her every smile, every expression, and gaze longingly at her back, wishing she could spare just half of her love for him.
But ti had flown by so quickly. In what felt like the blink of an eye, she was preparing to beco a mother, and Lauren was about to beco his wife.
"Henry, thank you for standing up for back then, for risking your life to save twice. I hope you and your brother can get along. Even if you can’t... with here, he won’t treat you the way he used to. And... please take good care of your father," Ella said softly after a mont of thought.
Although Jas didn’t visit often, Ella knew he desperately wanted Eric’s forgiveness.
Unfortunately, Eric was incredibly stubborn. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t forgive Jas easily.
"I will, Sister-in-law. You don’t have to apologize to . This is my debt to my brother, and now that I’ve repaid it, I feel at peace," Henry replied with a faint smile, though a trace of sadness flickered in his eyes.
Ella said nothing more. Lauren returned, sitting beside Henry with a radiant smile. She wasn’t suspicious or jealous, her cheerful deanor like a blossoming flower.
Lauren was exactly the kind of woman Henry needed.
That evening, Eric pressed his ear against Ella’s belly again. "By the way, what did Henry say to you?"
"What would you like him to have said?" Ella asked with a smile, her hand brushing through Eric’s hair.
His short, neat hair felt so good to the touch. Ella often thought that their future son would probably have the sa handso hair as his father.
"I don’t care what he said. In fact, I’d prefer if he said nothing at all," Eric scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.
"I thanked him for risking his life to save twice. He said it was what he owed you," Ella replied, her voice calm and soothing, like a gentle spring. It slowly eased Eric’s irritation, washing it away bit by bit.
Unable to hear anything from the babies, Eric sighed and sat down next to Ella. "Our daughters aren’t saying hi to anymore. How much longer until the next ultrasound?"
"About two weeks."
"Two weeks? That feels like forever..." Eric groaned, turning Ella’s face toward him. As he stared at her flushed cheeks, his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. Without warning, his lips descended onto hers.
Ella let out a soft gasp, her face growing hot. "Be careful... don’t press on the babies!"
"I will, my love," Eric murmured.
Soon, the room was filled with soft, intimate sounds, while the bright moon outside cast its silver glow over the city like a delicate veil.
...
"Mr. Scott, what do you think of the collaboration proposal I ntioned earlier? If our two companies join forces, we can definitely crush Nelson Group!"
A lean man stood before Mason, his eyes sparkling with excitent. He had long since discovered that Mason had stayed in Country S for so long specifically to deal with Eric.
But Eric was like an indestructible cockroach—no matter how hard Mason tried to bring him down, he always bounced back.
In a recent project, Mason had suffered a silent loss to Nelson Group.
That bold move had, of course, been orchestrated by Eric.
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