Chapter 178 Their Past

Chapter 178 Their Past

Thinking of how Silas had been avoiding her lately, Astrid quietly put the test results into her bag.

"You're pregnant. Feeling sleepy is normal. If you want to keep this baby, remember to come back for regular checkups and make sure you get proper nutrition."

The doctor's voice was calm to the point of being cold. "If you don't want it, you must come back within a month for the procedure; otherwise, it will be very harmful to your body."

Astrid's mind went blank as she listened to the doctor's instructions.

It wasn't until she got home that she gradually snapped out of her shock.

She was going to have a baby.

She wasn't alone anymore.

At this thought, Astrid went from feeling lost and helpless to feeling happy.

However, given Silas's unsatisfying behavior lately, she decided not to tell him yet.

Christopher called to invite her to dinner, and Astrid agreed right away.

When she arrived at the restaurant, Christopher was already waiting there. Seeing her, he smiled, ordered Astrid's favorite dishes, and the two began chatting and laughing.

"I heard about Rolf. How have you been lately?"

"Pretty good," Astrid answered.

Rolf had fought and competed for everything, even kicked Astrid out of the company. Who would have thought that after drawing all the conflict onto himself, he would turn around and give everything to Astrid?

It definitely wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. From the start, he had wanted to avenge Lillian, clear his own name, and remove all obstacles for Astrid.

The Prescott family members tore into each other so viciously that only this way could Astrid leave most easily.

They both felt emotional about it.

The waiter had just finished serving all the dishes when an uninvited guest appeared at their table.

The smile froze on Astrid's face, her hands not knowing where to rest, while Silas, as if oblivious to the changed atmosphere, greeted Christopher on his own.

Silas came home every day, yet Astrid never saw him. She hadn't expected him to show up here.

Christopher raised the water glass in front of him, his expression calm. "We're all friends here. Let's use water instead of wine as a farewell toast for me."

"What do you mean?" Astrid's eyes widened slightly as she looked at him in disbelief.

"I've looked into it. Calista manages the company responsibly, and the Prescott family already has a well-established legal team. As for my company, I've handed it over to colleagues to manage. I'm planning to go abroad for further studies." Christopher's tone was flat. "I've had this idea for a long time. Now that I've let go of my obsession, I can leave here with peace of mind."

Astrid listened to his explanation, not quite understanding.

Beside her, Silas sat expressionless, showing no reaction to Christopher's words.

"Silas, as a fellow alumnus, I wish you and Astrid eternal happiness." Christopher's face darkened a bit.

"Alumnus?" Astrid couldn't hold back anymore, her eyes moving back and forth between Silas and Christopher in surprise.

She and Christopher were in the same department but different years. Christopher and Silas were alumni, which meant Silas was also her alumnus.

"Don't you remember at all?" Christopher asked with a helpless laugh.

Astrid thought to herself, was she supposed to remember? Had something happened that she didn't know about?

Silas's narrow eyes silently swept over her, making Astrid feel a bit guilty, before he slowly raised his water glass to symbolically respond to Christopher's toast.

"Thank you. You too—take care of yourself when you're abroad," Astrid replied, not wanting to spoil the mood.

The dinner for three wasn't boring, but it wasn't exactly harmonious either.

Astrid ate absentmindedly. Christopher went along with her, and when it was about time, everyone put down their utensils almost simultaneously.

At the parking lot, Christopher waved goodbye to them.

Silas stood beside her, watching Christopher's car leave, then opened the car door for Astrid with an expressionless face.

Astrid got in.

On the road, Silas's well-defined hands gripped the steering wheel as he focused on the traffic.

Astrid sat in the passenger seat, her head gently resting against the window, slowly closing her eyes. When she woke up, the car had just stopped.

Silas closed the car door and walked straight inside. Astrid wanted to say something to him, but found she couldn't keep up with his pace.

Once in the room, Silas went to shower. When he came out, he lay directly on the bed, closed his eyes, and looked tired and sleepy.

Astrid thought he simply wanted to keep his distance from her. She tried several times to say something to him, but only gave up when she heard his steady breathing.

She read some jewelry design books in the room, but before long, drowsiness swept over her again.

Astrid turned off the bedside lamp, preparing to sleep.

Suddenly, there was light in the dark room.

Astrid turned her head and slowly propped up her upper body, seeing the source of the light—Silas's phone.

What Calista had said circled in her mind.

Since the two of them had known each other, immersed in their sweetness, she had never thought about looking at Silas's phone.

Thinking of his recent deliberate avoidance, Astrid gathered her courage, quietly got out of bed, walked around the foot of the bed, and picked up Silas's phone.

The woman on the lock screen looked about eighteen years old. She was sitting in a lecture hall, with scattered light falling on her, looking young and vibrant.

The composition of the photo was a bit strange—the sitting woman's body was slightly tilted.

This was a secretly taken photo.

Astrid couldn't remember ever encountering such a thing. But during school, she did often sit in on classes by a professor who had unique insights into design.

Some past events gradually surfaced in her mind.

After Lillian died, she had been immersed in grief for a while. Later, abused by Catherine and ignored by Arthur, her life had completely fallen into a dark vortex.

During school, there had indeed been a handsome classmate who had shown her care.

For instance, he would quietly give her beloved dolls or appear on the scene when everyone was laughing at her, scaring the students into not daring to be so bold anymore.

That person had an aura that kept people at a distance and had never actively spoken a word to her.

Back then, she thought he was just like everyone else, there to laugh at her, too.

Because of her rebelliousness and unwillingness to accept her situation, Astrid lived like a hedgehog, resisting everything around her, with no courage to look directly at others.

Not to mention that person was the object of many girls' affection.

How could the most popular guy in school possibly notice her?

She hadn't expected that person to be Silas.

Later, Arthur arranged for her to marry Oliver in a business alliance. Oliver was sweet-talking, knew how to please girls, was good-looking, and came from a good family. Her attention was completely drawn to Oliver.

At that time, she felt Oliver was a ray of light in the darkness, pulling her out of the mud. She thought then that she must hold onto him tightly and never stay in that dark, damp place again.