Anathea’s eyes brimmed with tears, their rims reddening. She bit her lip, trying hard not to sob out loud, as she didn’t want Gregory to notice.
Gregory put down his phone. He’d already seen a tear slide from the corner of her eye, leaving a faint trace down her cheek.
He reached out to wipe away her tears, pretending not to know anything. “Why are you crying?”
“Just got something in my eye,” Anathea answered.
Gregory didn’t press further as he asked, “When’s your prenatal checkup?”
“Tomorrow.” Anathea planned to hand Giselle the divorce petition during the checkup. Once the final verdict against Adam was passed, she could bring him back home.
Then, their family would reunite in Syntherra, far away from all this mess.
“I’ll go with you,” Gregory said, pulling her drifting thoughts back to the present.
Surprise filled Anathea’s eyes. But since things hadn’t fully settled yet, she couldn’t let anything slip. So, she just responded, ” Okay,”
Gregory offering to accompany her to the checkup was unexpected. It meant she would have to wait until after the appointment to find another chance to pass the petition to Giselle.
Anathea hadn’t expected to run into Charlotte at the OB/GYN department.
“Gregory? What a coincidence.” Charlotte greeted them first, stepping forward. “Are you here with your wife for her checkup?” She was smiling, as though everything that had happened at the Sinclair residence didn’t happen.
“What are you doing here, Aunt Charlotte?” Gregory asked coolly. Though he didn’t know exactly what had gone down between Anathea and Charlotte, his attitude toward the Sinclairs was always distant at best.
“I’m just here to see the doctor. I have to take care of my health a bit, and I hope to catch a bit of your good luck too.”
It wasn’t a secret that Charlotte and her husband had been trying to conceive for years.
Not saying anything more, Gregory wrapped an arm around Anathea’s shoulder and led her away.
Charlotte watched as they disappeared down the corridor, then picked up her phone and made a call.
“Eleanor, I’m at the hospital. I saw them. Got it. Don’t worry–I understand.”
The checkup required a blood draw. Anathea had disliked needles since she was a child She’d alwa felt an inexplicable fear just from seeing them.
When she was pregnant with Xander, Fiona had been there for her
She used to pout and complain to Fiona. “Mom, this hurts so much…”
Fiona would pinch her cheek and say, ‘You’re about to be a mom yourself. It’s time for you to be brave.”
Now, Fiona was far away in Syntherra and couldn’t come. Instead, Gregory was the one with her.
Gregory gently stroked the back of her head and tucked her face into his chest, whispering, “It’s okay. It’ll be over soon.”
Anathea had to admit that Gregory was somewhat useful to have around after all. But she didn’t dare depend on him too much. She was afraid she’d get used to it.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Fortunately, the nurse who took her blood was steady and skilled. Anathea barely felt any pain.
After the needle was removed, Gregory took a cotton swab and pressed it to the injection site to stop the bleeding. “Does it hurt?
Anathea shook her head as she stared at his concerned face. A complicated emotion flashed through her
eyes.
Then, the results came out.
“Mrs. Sinclair, several of your indicators aren’t ideal. There may be a risk of threatened miscarriage. You’ll need treatment to protect the pregnancy.”
Anathea froze, instinctively placing a hand on her abdomen.
Gregory frowned as well.
The doctor’s next sentence landed like a bombshell.
“The main issue is that you’re only ten weeks pregnant, and your progesterone levels are too low-”
“Ten weeks?” Anathea stared at him in shock.
That couldn’t be right!
She’d gotten checked three weeks ago at a hospital in Syntherra, and she’d already been ten weeks pregnant then.
This doctor was clearly lying.
Anathea turned to Gregory.
Gregory’s face changed in an instant. He shot up from his chair and grabbed the doctor by the collar. “Are you sure she’s ten weeks pregnant now?”
“Y–Yes, of course!” The doctor handed him the form. “It’s all written here. I–I wouldn’t dare lie.”
