Chapter 134

Kingdom of Aftermoon

Sandy York

It was night in Aftermoon, and Sandy York, the foreign relative of Cateline and Lucinda, slept soundly in her room. She was alone in a double bed, still living with Lucinda and her family.

The night was calm, but something disturbed the pregnant woman's sleep. Her belly was huge; she was around nine months pregnant, the baby preparing to be born.

The woman tossed and turned in the uncomfortable bed, moving countless times but not waking up. She seemed trapped in her dream. Sandy tried to scream something, but nothing came out.

After a few minutes, she suddenly sat up as if she had almost drowned in her dreams. She began to breathe and regain her breath.

The woman placed her hand on her head, trying to think about everything she had seen. It was another one of her dreams, which she hadn't had in a while.

A flash came to her mind; she saw a distant wolf... howling sadly. It suffered for something; an immense pain consumed its heart the moment she remembered the scene. She heard a baby crying in the distance, fading away with the strong wind blowing alongside the falling snow.

"Cat...?"

When Sandy tried to say her friend's name, with whom she exchanged letters frequently, an immense pain pierced her as if something were passing through her.

The woman let out a scream of pain, and then, as if by instinct, she pulled back the blanket covering her, revealing the wet bed. But it wasn't just that; there was blood there. Her baby was about to be born.

She tried to calm herself and remember the dream again. She felt her heart ache just thinking about what she had seen. It was as if the loneliness and pain of the wolf were inside her; it was inexplicable.

The contractions returned, and the woman couldn't bear it. She began to scream in pain; she needed help.

"Josefa?... Dirce?..."

She shouted, squeezing the child. Her memories faded with the pain; she tried to hold onto them so they wouldn't be lost in her consciousness, but it was difficult.

Dirce came running because of the noise, and upon opening the door, she was startled by the state of the woman. She was completely disheveled and sweaty in bed. Dirce approached to help the woman and noticed that the sheet was completely wet and covered in blood; it was time for the child to be born.

"Dirce... please... tell Lucinda... and Cat..."

Sandy almost screamed as she cried; the contractions were strong, the woman could hardly breathe. She needed to tell someone about what she had seen in the dream, but she couldn't.

"Ma'am! My God! Calm down, I'll call the midwives... please, stay calm..."

Dirce panicked at seeing the woman in that condition.

But Sandy pleaded, even feeling the pains; it was something hard to describe...

"Please...! Tell Lucinda... about Cateline.."

She screamed more and more in pain; tears streamed down her face, anguish consuming her. But it wasn't because of her child's birth; it was the feelings of the wolf she had seen there; it was asking for help.

"Calm down... Poor thing, she must be delirious because of the pain... hold on, I'll be back with the towels..."

Dirce said, running out of the room, calling for everyone; she needed help, Sandy wasn't well.

Lucinda woke up with the screams, as did Milenna, and they went to see what was happening. They already suspected it was the birth of Sandy's child.

They ran to the woman's room and found the midwives already there around her; it was a difficult birth. Sandy couldn't focus on the contractions.

"Come on, woman! Push, your baby needs you to push!"

The older midwife said anxiously. It had been a while since she'd seen a birth, but it was not something she could forget.

Sandy was still clinging to memories, and upon seeing Lucinda, she reached out her arm, beckoning her with a gesture. The pregnant woman was sweaty, almost powerless, trembling with pain, but she wanted to warn her before she forgot...

Lucinda glanced at her mother and went to the woman; Lucinda's belly was already visible; she was about five months pregnant.

She approached and, when beside Sandy on the bed, she pulled her close. She needed to tell her soon before she forgot.

Sandy whispered a few things in Lucinda's ear, causing her to jump back, covering her mouth in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Sandy turned back to the front without saying anything else.

Tears streamed down her face as she began to scream again, this time for her baby who was being born.

She focused on her baby, her legs were open, and the midwives were right in front. A sheet covered part of her body, leaving only her legs exposed for the birth. She held onto the bed rails, and as the midwife asked her to push, she did. She screamed in pain, thinking she couldn't bear it, feeling the baby tearing her from underneath. More blood stained the sheet; it was sticky, and the smell of blood was strong. Some maids wiped her brow, cleaning her sweat.

She felt the baby moving in and out; she didn't know if she could endure it. She pushed hard and then rested. She was exhausted, her strength dwindling. She closed her eyes, and the maids continued to wipe her sweat, trying to encourage her, giving her strength...

"Come on, you can do it, Sandy... Just a little more."

The woman made a crying face; it was hard, but she would be strong. She bit her lips and pushed, holding onto the rail again...

Hours later…

After exerting so much force and feeling so much pain, Sandy was exhausted; she had lost a lot of blood. The baby was about to be born; just a little more, the midwife told her to push harder during the next contraction. She prepared to give her best, her eyes almost closed. She just wanted to rest for a moment, but she couldn't... The time had come; she felt the contraction intensifying, she gritted her teeth and screamed in pain, using all the force her body could muster. She squeezed her hands hard on the rails, feeling them burn. Sandy screamed with all her might, almost losing her voice.

She felt something burning intensely in her parts and felt the baby coming out completely. The woman cried emotionally and relaxed her head back, feeling exhausted. She felt terrible, all covered in blood, but she had succeeded; her baby had been born.

Lucinda didn't understand what all that meant, if what Sandy had told her was real, but she needed to make sure. Lady had left as soon as Sandy whispered in her ear; she hadn't even stayed to see the birth. She had to go to her husband to tell him what had happened; Sandy's forceful cries echoed throughout the castle.

Lucinda rushed into her room, and Joaquim was sitting on the bed, rubbing his eyes awake.

She jumped on the bed and hurried to her husband's ear to tell him.

"Are you sure?"

Joaquim turned startled, asking his beloved, who nodded several times, desperate.

"But isn't she eight months pregnant?"

The lord asked, confused, as he stood up.

"Yes... but I have a bad feeling... we need to go see what's happening."

Lucinda said, frowning.

Joaquim sighed deeply and began to change his clothes.

"Alright... tell everyone that we will prepare to leave as soon as the baby is born."

Lucinda nodded in agreement. She went downstairs, informing everyone. Sandy cried bitterly, causing Lucinda to worry. Before long, after an intense scream, the baby's cry could be heard. Joaquim and Lucinda smiled at each other and embraced, moved with emotion. They hurried to the room to see how Sandy and her baby were doing.