Chapter 248 Why Didn’t You Tell Me

Chapter 249 Knocked Unconscious by Someone

As soon as the words left her mouth, a strong kick came from her belly, making Anna gasp.

Hopie clapped her hands and laughed: "The baby sister moved again."

Ethan was also startled by the kick, then lowered his head and chuckled.

The family of three spent a wonderful morning together.

It was Wednesday. Ethan had originally arranged to accompany Anna to her prenatal checkup, but early that morning, an emergency came up at the company. There was a problem with an overseas client's contract that required him to personally handle it via video conference.

He hung up the phone and looked at Anna apologetically.

"Go ahead," Anna said before he could speak. "The checkup isn't a big deal. I can manage on my own."

"I'll come over as soon as the meeting's done."

"By the time you get there, the hospital will be closed." Anna pushed him toward the door. "Go to the company, don't delay important business."

Ethan was pushed to the doorway, but still turned back worriedly to remind her several times to keep her phone on and call him immediately after the checkup.

Anna agreed to everything, and only then did he leave.

Anna arrived at the maternity hospital twenty minutes before her appointment.

She registered and sat in the waiting area, taking out her phone to send Ethan a message.

[I'm here, don't worry.]

Ethan replied instantly.

[I'll come pick you up as soon as the meeting ends.] She smiled and put her phone in her bag.

"Anna?"

Anna looked up.

Henry stood a few steps away, wearing a light gray sweater, holding a thermos, looking at her with some surprise.

"Henry?" Anna stood up. "Are you working the day shift today?"

"Yeah." Henry walked over and sat down in the chair next to her. "What are you doing at the hospital today?"

"Routine prenatal checkup," Anna said.

"How long until your due date?"

"A little over seven months."

Henry nodded and glanced at her belly. "You look great, much better than the last time I saw you. Looks like Ethan's taking good care of you."

Anna couldn't help but laugh: "He practically wants to put me on a pedestal. He even tests the temperature of water before giving it to me."

Henry laughed too: "That's good."

After chatting for a bit, a nurse called Anna's name.

Henry stood up and told her to go ahead with the checkup, and they could chat more later if there was time.

Anna nodded and followed the nurse into the examination room.

The checkup went smoothly. All the baby's indicators were normal. The little figure in the ultrasound was bigger than last time, with a strong and powerful heartbeat.

The doctor said she was in good condition and to keep it up.

Anna straightened her clothes and came out of the examination room, ready to call Ethan. Looking up, she found Henry still sitting in the waiting area. Seeing her come out, he waved at her.

"Why are you still here?" Anna walked over.

"My clinic just ended. I was about to take a break." Henry put his thermos in his bag. "Do you have anything else to do? If not, there's a nice café downstairs. Let me buy you a drink."

Anna thought about it. Ethan's meeting wasn't over yet, and going home would just mean being alone anyway, so she nodded: "Let's go. But I can't drink coffee—I'll have milk."

As the two walked out of the hospital entrance, neither noticed that across the street in a corner, a figure raised a phone and pressed the shutter several times in succession.

There weren't many people in the café. Anna and Henry sat down by the window.

Anna ordered a hot milk, Henry ordered an Americano.

Outside the window was a busy street. Sunlight slanted in, falling on the small daisies on the table.

They chatted about this and that for about half an hour. Anna finished her milk, and Henry's coffee was almost gone too.

He checked the time. "I have a meeting at the hospital this afternoon, so I'll head out. Be careful on your way home."

"Okay."

They both stood up and walked toward the door together.

As they pushed open the café's glass door, the sunlight outside was brighter than before.

Anna instinctively squinted. Not paying attention to the threshold, her body tilted forward. Henry reacted quickly and reached out to steady her arm.

"Careful." He let go as soon as she was stable. "The threshold here is higher than usual. Several people have tripped here."

"Thanks."

They walked outside and said goodbye on the street.

Henry walked toward the hospital. Anna stood by the roadside waiting for a taxi.

She lowered her head to get her phone to message Ethan. Before she could type, something struck her hard on the back of the neck.

The world lost its color in an instant. She didn't even have time to feel pain before her body went limp.

Her phone slipped from her hand and fell to the ground face-down. The still-lit message screen showed the incomplete text: Checkup done—

When Henry heard the dull thud behind him, he had already walked more than thirty feet away.

He turned around and saw two men dragging the limp Anna into a gray van.

He threw down his bag and ran back, shouting loudly, "Who are you? Let her go!"

The next second, he blacked out too.

When Anna woke up again, she smelled an unfamiliar odor.

Not the disinfectant smell of a hospital, nor the familiar scent of home, but an indescribable smell of dust and damp mustiness.

Anna struggled to open her eyes. The ceiling was unfamiliar. The lights were off, and the curtains were tightly drawn, with only a sliver of light leaking through the gap, shining on the opposite wall.

Her head hurt badly, and there was a dull aching sensation at the back of her neck, like she'd been hit with a club.

Anna tried to raise her hand to rub her neck, but when she moved, she realized something was wrong.

She wasn't wearing any clothes. Her mind went blank with a buzz, and her heart jumped to her throat.

Anna propped herself up to sit, clutching the blanket tightly around herself, and turned to look beside her.

Henry lay next to her, eyes closed, breathing steadily, his face showing an unusual flush. He too was like her—not wearing any clothes.

Anna's brain went blank for a full three seconds. The memories from leaving the café seemed cut out with scissors—she couldn't remember anything.

With trembling hands, she pushed Henry's shoulder and called his name.

After several pushes, Henry's eyelashes finally moved, and he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was unfocused for several seconds before it sharpened. Seeing Anna's face, he froze, then sat up.

The blanket slipped from his body. His expression turned deathly pale as he took in their situation.

"What happened?" Henry's voice was hoarse, like it was full of sandpaper. "We—"

"I don't know." Anna's voice was also trembling, but she forced herself to stay calm. "I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was here. Were you too?"

Henry closed his eyes, trying hard to remember, a rarely seen coldness in his eyes: "After you left, I heard a noise behind me. When I turned around, I saw you being dragged into a car. I tried to catch up, then everything went black. I must have been drugged like you."