Chapter 14

Sunlight streamed through the window when Sophia Laurent opened her eyes.

She realized with a start that she'd slept slumped over the hospital bed all night.

A dull ache radiated from her stiff neck as she slowly straightened up.

A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her abdomen.

She froze.

The recent chaos had almost made her forget she was pregnant.

Sophia instinctively glanced at Alexander Valdemar lying motionless on the bed.

The man remained unconscious, his breathing steady.

She exhaled in relief.

The doctor and nurse entered for routine checks.

Alexander's external injuries had improved, but his consciousness showed no signs of returning.

Sophia quietly stepped aside.

Her hand resting on her stomach, she turned and left the room.

The office restroom mirror reflected her pale face.

After freshening up, she headed straight back to the hospital.

"Ms. Laurent, your test results show some abnormalities."

The female doctor adjusted her glasses, expression grave.

Sophia's grip tightened on her purse strap. "What's wrong?"

"We recommend running more detailed tests."

Two hours later.

The doctor spread a thick stack of reports across the desk.

"Do you plan to keep this pregnancy?"

Sophia shook her head. "No."

The doctor hesitated, fingers trembling slightly as she flipped through pages.

"Your uterus has congenital abnormalities. Getting pregnant was already medically improbable."

"This conception is nothing short of a miracle."

"If you proceed with termination..."

The doctor took a deep breath. "Not only might you become permanently infertile, the procedure itself carries extreme risks."

Sophia's nails dug into her palms.

The antiseptic smell in the examination room suddenly turned suffocating.