Chapter 193
It hurt so much.
My hands clutched my abdomen as I curled into a ball.
The excruciating pain seemed to squeeze in from all directions, threatening to tear me to pieces.
Chaos erupted around me.
Various sounds blended together.
Through it all, I thought I heard someone calling my name.
But the pain consumed every one of my senses.
I couldn't hear clearly at all.
"Mr. Guise!"
Just then, Ethan's security team rushed over.
I forced my mouth open to call for help.
"Save... my baby..."
But they all rushed past me, running ahead.
I struggled to get up but failed.
Slowly, my head began to spin, and my consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
I don't know how much time passed, but I felt so cold.
In a haze, I thought I heard someone calling my name over and over.
"Cindy!"
"Cindy..."
But I couldn't open my eyes or make out whose voice it was.
Then my world went completely black.
"Mommy."
Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice came from beside me.
I turned my head and saw a little girl with pigtails, looking like a doll, calling out to me.
Seeing my silence, she lifted her chubby little hand and tugged at my clothes.
"Mommy, you couldn't play with me this time, but next time you have to, okay?"
"Let's pinky promise. A hundred years, no changing..."
I gently raised my hand and hooked my pinky with hers.
The moment we did, she shattered into fragments before my eyes.
"Baby!"
My heart seized with pain as I desperately reached out to catch the pieces.
But the fragments disappeared the instant they hit the ground.
I couldn't gather them at all.
"Lucinda!"
Hearing someone call my name, I looked up to see Leopold walking toward me, his eyes bloodshot, his face twisted with fury.
"Why won't you stay by my side? Why did you abort my child?"
"Everything you said before was a lie. You don't love me, and you don't love the baby..."
"Lucinda, you liar. I hate you. I hate you!"
I shook my head frantically, trying to explain.
But in the next second, Leopold's hands clamped around my throat.
His eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The suffocation crashed down on me.
I struggled desperately.
Until my eyes caught a flash of bright light.
I forced my eyes open.
The suffocating feeling around my throat hadn't faded. I had to gasp for air.
"Cindy, you're awake."
Ethan's voice sounded beside me.
I stiffened involuntarily and turned toward the bedside.
Ethan was looking at me with visible relief. After confirming I was truly conscious, he immediately said, "Don't move. I'll get the doctor."
Just as I was catching my breath, the doctor rushed in.
After examining me thoroughly, he finally said with relief, "The patient is out of danger now. She just needs careful rest and recovery moving forward."
"Thank you, Doctor." Ethan quickly expressed his gratitude, then asked, "Could you please prepare a dietary plan? That way I'll know how to help with her recovery."
"No problem. I'll have the plan ready for you shortly."
Seeing the doctor about to leave, I quickly spoke up. "Doctor, what about my baby..."
The doctor didn't answer me. He deliberately glanced at Ethan.
"Cindy." Ethan returned to the bedside, gently explaining, "The baby didn't make it. You lost a lot of blood and were in critical condition. You've been unconscious for three full days."
Hemorrhaging?
Unconscious for three days?
I was stunned. No wonder my whole body felt so weak.
Then the reality hit me—the baby was gone.
My heart clenched violently, moisture flooding my eyes.
"Really? The baby's... gone?"
Seeing my reaction, Ethan seemed at a loss for words.
The doctor quickly tried to comfort me. "You're still young. There will be other children. Right now, the priority is getting your health back."
I didn't say anything. I just lay there, tears silently streaming down my face.
Even though I'd mentally prepared myself that I couldn't keep the baby, now that it was really gone, the grief overwhelmed me.
It was an indescribable pain that squeezed through my flesh with every breath, pulling at my nerves until everything ached.
"Cindy, please don't be sad. You did everything you could to protect it."
I shook my head gently. "I think I had a dream just now. I dreamed of a really cute little girl. She called me Mommy."
"She said that even though I couldn't play with her this time, I had to promise I'd be there next time."
By the time I finished speaking, my voice had choked off completely.
Ethan looked at me deeply.
After a moment, his voice came out low. "That's actually a good sign. It means the baby cares about you too and agreed to the promise you made earlier."
"So you need to pull yourself together and get well soon."
I drew in a breath, trying to suppress the grief in my heart.
"Okay."
I'd promised that little girl. I couldn't break my word.
Thinking of it that way eased some of the pain.
My back was starting to ache from lying down.
Ethan noticed and said gently, "You've been lying down for so long. Are you uncomfortable? Let me adjust the bed angle for you."
"Thank you." When it reached a comfortable position, I told him to stop.
Then, remembering Leopold appearing at the end of my dream, I asked, "Ethan, while I was unconscious these three days, did Leopold come by?"
Ethan's expression visibly stiffened.
But worried I'd notice, he quickly turned to pour water.
When he looked at me again, his expression was neutral as he handed me the glass.
"He came once."
I took the glass and moistened my lips before asking, "What did he say?"
Ethan pressed his lips together, as if unsure how to respond.
I gripped the glass tighter and pressed him. "Ethan, whatever he said, please don't hide it from me."
Only then did Ethan sigh. "Actually, he didn't say much."
I was surprised. That didn't make sense.
Leopold must have figured out that everything I'd done before was to mislead him so I could successfully leave Silverlight City.
So how could he have nothing to say?
Just then, Ethan added in a low voice:
"When he came, the doctor had just come out to tell me that we couldn't save the baby."
"After Leopold heard that, he didn't say anything. He just turned and left."
My heart jolted. Hearing the baby was gone, Leopold had left without looking back.
Seeing my silence, Ethan quickly tried to salvage the situation.
"Cindy, don't overthink it. Maybe Leopold had something urgent and didn't want to discuss it with me."
I shook my head gently. "No, he only ever cared about the baby. With the baby gone, naturally, he doesn't care whether I live or die."
When he'd kept me confined at Pansea Heights, he'd made the doctor examine me every single day.
Each time, the first thing he asked was whether the baby was okay.
His concern for me had only started after learning I was pregnant.
He really did care deeply about that child.
"Cindy, Leopold might not think that way. Maybe..."
Hearing him try to make excuses again, I raised my hand to stop him.
"Don't bother. I know perfectly well how things are."
Ethan sighed softly and lowered his eyes, saying nothing more.
The next day, after the doctor finished examining me, I persuaded Ethan to go check on Victoria.
The moment he left, the hospital room door swung open.
Thinking Ethan had forgotten something, I was about to speak when I found myself looking into a pair of cold, desolate eyes.