"Mamma..?" She shifted her embrace to her mother-in-law. "Forgive me," she said amidst her sobs. "It's all because of my mistake. If only I had refused everything from the beginning. None of this would have happened. Altezza wouldn't have treated you like that."
"No, dear. It's not your fault. It's all that woman's fault for not realizing her position. You're not to blame, dear. I'm the one at fault for involving you in all of this." Delila hugged her tighter.
"Mamma..." But suddenly, Adaline groaned softly. She held onto her stomach, which suddenly felt painful, while her other hand gripped Delila's arm for support.
"Adaline? What's wrong?" Adaline still held onto her stomach and even slowly sat down on the floor. Her hands gripped her mother-in-law's hand even harder until the middle-aged woman winced in pain.
"Mamma..." she said more softly. Adaline bit her lip to stifle her groans, ignoring her mother-in-law's calls. Her vision became blurry. Her chest felt tight, and her breath became short and labored. Cold sweat covered her forehead and temples. "Mamma... please... the baby... hurts..." and after that, she couldn't see anything but darkness.
Elsewhere.
Altezza sprinted up the final stairs that would lead him to the rooftop of the hospital building. Once again, Evans messed up. Jovanka escaped from her room and attempted suicide again. She stood on the edge of the rooftop's boundary wall, threatening to jump if they didn't call Altezza for her. Altezza caught sight of her when he parked his car earlier, and he wanted to curse everyone for their negligence.
Altezza stepped closer to the metal door when he heard Evans shouting, trying to persuade Jovanka to come down.
"Joe, come down!" Evans ordered coldly.
"I've told you I won't come down! It's either jump or Altezza." She shouted amidst the wind. "Tell Altezza to come here and fetch me then I'll come down!" She ordered again.
"I'm here!" Altezza shouted, making everyone turn their gaze to him as he just emerged from the emergency exit. "Come down, Joe. Don't commit more sins.
"You're like a human without God." He said coldly.
"Do you really not want me around, Al? You don't want to see me alive?" Jovanka appeared to wipe her tears roughly.
"Stop talking nonsense, Jovanka. Come down right now!" His command was harsh. Evans looked at him sharply, warning him to be gentler with Jovanka.
"I love you, Altezza. If you really don't want me anymore, I'd rather die." She took another step. And shouts of prohibition filled the otherwise silent floor.
"Don't be foolish, Jovanka. Suicide won't solve anything."
"I don't care!" She screamed. "I don't care about anything anymore, except if you promise not to leave again.
"I swear I'll change and improve myself. I promise I'll be a good wife to you. And I promise I'll give you as many children as you want. Please, come back to me..." She pleaded with a pitiful tone.
"You know I can't!" Altezza snapped.
"Altezza!" Evans snapped back.
Altezza was torn. He couldn't make any promises to Jovanka. But on the other hand, he didn't want to be the cause of the death of the woman he once loved. Jovanka's mental state was unstable. He knew that.
"Fine," he replied ambiguously. "Now, come down." Altezza approached Jovanka and reached out his hand.
"Say you love me. You can't live without me."
Altezza growled. "Yes, Jovanka. I love you and can't live without you." He said half-heartedly but was rewarded with a wide smile from Jovanka.
Jovanka accepted Altezza's hand and immediately hugged him tightly. The doctor approached, and without Jovanka's awareness, injected a calming drug into her.
They were now in Jovanka's VIP room. Evans, Altezza, and two doctors stood there. A man in his forties introduced himself as a psychiatrist. While the other man, not much older than Altezza, was the one who assisted in Jovanka's surgery earlier.
"Miss Lawrence can be said to have serious mental issues. From the lab reports, Miss Jovanka's blood results showed traces of Alprazolam. It's a medication for anxiety disorders and panic disorders. Usually, this medication is prescribed after consultation with a doctor, but it seems the patient obtained it illegally.
"The patient also shows signs of depression. Today, she has attempted suicide twice. There's a possibility she might try it again.
"Or she might choose self-injury or hurting herself. And that's one of the mental disorders. Or even worse, she might choose to harm others.
"She needs psychological therapy," the psychiatrist concluded. "My advice is, don't leave her alone for now.
"Until her wounds heal, you should provide strict supervision. After that, assist her recovery through consultations.
"There are many ways to heal if the patient truly wants to recover. But in mental health issues, the support of the environment plays a crucial role in healing," she continued.
Altezza and Evans remained silent, lost in their own thoughts even after the doctors left.
"Help her. At least until the doctor declares her mental condition stable," Evans finally spoke up.
"She's not my responsibility," Altezza replied flatly.
"She may not be your responsibility. But you're the reason why all of this is happening to her," Evans exclaimed, not accepting Altezza's response.
Altezza looked at him sharply. He saw the woman lying pale on the bed. Whether he liked it or not, Altezza had to admit that Evans was right. He was one of the reasons Jovanka ended up like this, and he had to take responsibility.
"Just until the doctor says her condition is stable," Altezza replied flatly. He truly felt defeated and had no other choice.
Meanwhile, in the same hospital, in a different room, everyone looked at Adaline in panic.
"The fetus is experiencing stress," the thirty-five-year-old female doctor stated.
Her eyes glanced at the patient and the two middle-aged women standing with panicked faces beside the bed.
"Fanie already said that Adaline shouldn't be under pressure. This is the result, Aunt," she replied in a more relaxed tone. "This time Adaline was lucky to receive prompt treatment. And Fanie hopes there won't be a second time. Because Fanie can't guarantee her condition if this happens again.
"Adaline's condition was already weak before. Her anemia hasn't been properly addressed. Plus, the twin pregnancy and stress." Stefanie shook her head, unable to find the words. "The bottom line is she needs to be kept away from anything that stresses her out. Because mental issues have a significant impact on pregnant women."
Violet melted. She squeezed her daughter's hand with affection. Her tears couldn't be held back anymore. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her daughter.
"I'll do everything to keep her calm," Delila replied with remarkable calmness. Stefanie nodded. Shortly after, she excused herself.
Delila looked at her sister-in-law. "We need to talk," she said. Violet nodded. She followed Delila out of Adaline's room, leaving Emma and the rest of the family to take care of her.
All the plans in Delila's head had been laid out. Violet simply nodded without intending to object. Afterward, there was only one sentence she uttered. "Whatever decision Adaline makes, I'll follow."