Chapter 199 Unexpected Premature Birth
Chapter 199 Unexpected Premature Birth
One week later, a highly anticipated grand wedding was held at the Wilson family's private estate.
The grounds had been transformed into an ocean of flowers, with white roses woven through green vines, bursting with romance and life.
The guest list read like a who's who of political and business elites—mutual friends of Michael and Emily, along with a carefully selected group of media representatives.
Natalie came too. She sat quietly in the audience, watching her daughter Emily's radiant profile.
To the soaring, majestic wedding march, Emily, dressed in that exquisite wedding gown, slowly made her way down the petal-strewn aisle toward the man waiting for her at the altar.
Michael wore a perfectly tailored black velvet suit, standing tall and straight as a pine.
His usually stern features had softened incredibly, and those deep eyes, from the moment Emily appeared, never left her—filled with love and tenderness that seemed ready to overflow.
Before the priest and all the guests, they exchanged their vows.
Michael's voice was steady and powerful, each word carrying weight like the most solemn of promises.
During the ring exchange, Michael carefully slipped the one-of-a-kind diamond ring onto Emily's finger.
Emily placed the matching men's band on his in return.
"You may now kiss your bride."
The moment the priest finished speaking, Michael stepped forward, gently lifted Emily's veil, and leaned down.
Amid the applause and cheers of blessing from all the guests, he tenderly kissed his beautiful bride.
The kiss was filled with love, devotion, and anticipation for an endlessly beautiful future together.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting colorful patterns of light on them, freezing this moment of eternal happiness.
The grandeur and joy of the wedding still felt vivid, yet in the blink of an eye, seven months had quietly slipped by in peaceful, warm days.
Emily's belly had swelled considerably, and her movements had grown increasingly awkward, but she looked radiant, her face always glowing with the soft luminescence of impending motherhood.
Michael had canceled almost all unnecessary social obligations, devoting most of his time to being with her.
They attended prenatal classes together, pored over baby books together, and marveled together at the wonder of feeling the baby move.
That afternoon, warm sunlight poured into the nearly finished nursery.
The room was decorated in soft shades of pale blue and cream, with adorable animal wallpaper on the walls. In the corner stood an elegant white crib draped with soft gauze, and beside it was a shelf stocked with various toys and picture books—every detail brimming with love and anticipation.
Michael was half-kneeling on the floor, carefully assembling an adorable cloud-shaped storage cabinet, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Emily sat in a cushioned rocking chair nearby, holding a thick baby name book, softly reading aloud names with beautiful meanings, occasionally glancing up at her busy husband with a tender smile playing at her lips.
"Michael, what do you think of 'Felicity Wilson'?"
Emily stroked her belly, asking gently.
Michael paused his work and looked up at her, his gaze tender. "That's beautiful, and the meaning is perfect. If it's a boy, how about 'Julian Wilson'?"
As they were quietly discussing, Michael realized he was missing a specific size screwdriver. He stood up, heading for the toolbox.
"I'll get it for you—you take a rest."
Seeing the sweat on his forehead, Emily instinctively started to stand up to help.
"Don't move, stay put. I'll get it myself." Michael quickly tried to stop her.
But Emily had already pushed herself up using the chair's armrests. Perhaps she rose too quickly, or maybe her center of gravity was off from the pregnancy—her foot caught on the edge of the tasseled blanket draped over the rocking chair!
Emily cried out as her body instantly lost balance, pitching heavily forward!
"Emily!" Michael's face went white, his heart nearly stopping. He lunged forward, trying to catch her, but was a split second too late.
Emily fell sideways onto the floor with a sickening thud!
Immediately, a tearing pain shot through her abdomen, making her curl up instantly, her face going deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down.
Even more terrifying, a warm liquid gushed uncontrollably from below, quickly soaking through her light-colored maternity dress and spreading across the floor in a pool of shocking, vivid red.
"Blood... Michael, the baby..."
Emily clutched her belly, moaning in pain, her voice filled with absolute terror and helplessness.
Seeing that pool of blood, Michael's mind went completely blank, unprecedented panic washing over him like ice water from head to toe.
He forced himself to stay calm, his voice strained and distorted from sheer fear. "Don't be scared! Emily, don't be scared! Look at me! It'll be okay, everything will be okay!"
Not daring to move her carelessly, he rushed to the landline, his trembling fingers dialing 911 and the driver, rapidly but clearly giving the address and situation.
Then he rushed back to Emily's side, removing his jacket to cushion her head, gripping her ice-cold hand tightly, repeating over and over.
"The ambulance will be here any second, hang in there, Emily..."
His voice trembled with desperation.
The ambulance arrived with blaring sirens, paramedics quickly loading Emily onto a stretcher and rushing her to Harmony Hospital.
Michael followed closely the entire way, never releasing Emily's hand, his eyes bloodshot, like a man whose soul had been ripped from his body.
The operating room lights came on, separating Emily from him.
Michael paced the corridor like a caged animal, fists clenched, nails digging deep into his palms without feeling any pain.
His mind kept replaying Emily's agonized expression when she fell and that pool of shocking blood. Fear wrapped around his heart like a vice, nearly suffocating him.
After what felt like an eternity, hurried, somewhat unsteady footsteps approached.
It was Lyanna, supported by the butler.
Lyanna's face was also etched with worry, but seeing Michael's devastated, nearly shattered state, she suppressed her own anxiety, stepped forward, and gently patted Michael's rigid arm.
"Michael, you need to calm down."
Lyanna's voice carried the steady strength of someone who had weathered many storms. "Emily is a strong girl, and the baby is resilient, too. With modern medicine being so advanced, everything will be fine.
You have to believe in the doctors, believe in Emily, and believe in your child. A miracle will happen."
Lyanna's words were like a gentle stream, slightly soothing the violent anxiety in Michael's heart.
He stopped pacing, took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, his eyes fixed on that tightly closed operating room door, praying silently.
Inside the operating room, the shadowless surgical lamp cast cold, harsh light.
Under the anesthesia, Emily's consciousness gradually blurred, sinking into an endless, soft sea of white clouds.
It was eerily quiet around her, with only a warm breeze gently blowing.
She walked aimlessly, not knowing where she was, her heart full of worry for her baby.
Suddenly, she spotted not far ahead a little girl in a pink dress with two braids, her back turned, crouching curiously on the ground as if looking at something hidden in the clouds.
The little girl seemed to sense her gaze and slowly turned around.
She was adorable, with big eyes remarkably like Michael's, but her button nose and slightly pouting lips vaguely resembled Emily.
Seeing her, the little girl wasn't afraid. Instead, she tilted her head and asked in a sweet, childlike voice, "Who are you? How come you're here too?"
Emily's heart was instantly filled with an indescribable tenderness. She crouched down to the little girl's eye level, her voice unconsciously becoming extremely gentle.
"My name is Emily. What about you? Why are you here all alone?"
The little girl shook her head, her eyes pure and innocent. "I don't know what my name is. There's only me here. It's boring."
She reached out her small hand, pointing toward the seemingly endless sea of clouds in the distance, her tone carrying a hint of loneliness and longing.