Chapter 2
At Riverbend Manor, the large room was in complete disarray, with ceramic shards scattered across the floor as if it had just been hit by
a bomb.
There were many people standing in the room. But as Derrick’s expression darkened more and more by the second, each of them held their breath, afraid to make a sound.
Derrick furrowed his brows, his cold face holding back an intense rage, mixed with a hint of barely perceptible anxiety and concern.
The doctor put away his equipment and stood up, only to suddenly feel a chill down his spine. He hadn’t realized it, but by now his shirt had already soaked through with cold sweat.
“How is she?” Derrick asked in a deep, hoarse voice.
The doctor trembled slightly. “The patient’s condition is stable for now, but…” As he spoke, the doctor instinctively glanced at Derrick.
Derrick’s eyes were fixed on Katherine lying on the bed, her face pale. His gaze moved slowly from the bloodstains on her wrist to the splotches on her white nightgown.
Continue,” Derrick said, his voice making the doctor’s heart race.
www
The doctor quickly responded, “Mrs. Graham’s health has been deteriorating over the past two years. Pregnancy has been very difficult for her, and if this continues, it’s very likely…”
The doctor swallowed hard, struggling to continue, “It’s very likely that we could lose both the mother and the child.”
A sharp, cracking sound broke the heavy silence in the room. Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
There stood Derrick, the owner of Riverbend Manor, his right hand clenched into a fist, blood flowing steadily from the gap between his fingers. In his hand was a shard of broken porcelain, which he must have picked up from the floor at some point.
“Mr. Graham,” Henry Woods, the butler, cried out in shock. The doctor instinctively reached for Derrick, but Derrick lifted his head, halting him.
“It’s fine. You all leave,” Derrick said, turning his gaze to the doctor. “I’ll need your help these next few months.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow, too stunned to respond properly. “Anything you need, sir. It’s my duty,” he spoke.
Derrick’s expression remained terrifyingly cold, yet his demeanor was eerily calm as if nothing had happened..
If it weren’t for the fact that he had just lost control and cut his palm, one might have thought that the woman lying on the bed, barely clinging to life, had no relation to him at all.
“Henry, take the doctor to the small villa to rest,” Derrick ordered coldly. The others didn’t dare linger and quickly exited the room.
Henry was the last to leave, casting a brief glance at Derrick, who stood motionless by the bed. Henry then sighed as he closed the door behind hirn, thinking, ‘This is truly tragic.‘
With everyone else gone, the room fell silent again. There were two people in the room, yet it was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, Derrick finally spoke, “Do you really want to die this badly?” His voice was even hoarser than before, like he was holding back some deep, simmering anger.
He took a step forward, leaning down, his eyes locked on Katherine’s tightly shut ones. “I’ll give you what you want.”
Derrick’s hand slowly rose, hovering just above Katherine’s slender, fragile neck.
But after saying those words, Derrick froze, his eyes slowly blinking. His lips then twisted into a bitter smirk. “After all this, you still won’t wake up?
“Do you really hate me this much? Just because you’re carrying my child, you want to die? Katherine, you can’t be so selfish.”
Derrick’s eyes were stormy, devoid of light, hiding a ferocious beast within. But the beast had its claws clipped, relying only on growls to assert its power.
I’ve. Derrick’s breath caught in his throat. When he spoke again, there was a slight choke in his voice.
1/3
7:50 PM PP
Chapter 2
He muttered, “I’ve allowed you to love someone else. I’ve tolerated you helping that guy over and over. Can’t you just give me one chance? You’re really driving me crazy.”
20
Hearing this familiar voice, this familiar anger, Katherine felt a sharp pain in her head, her body feeling heavy as if it had been weighed down by lead.
“Derrick.” Katherine, lying on the bed, suddenly frowned, her pale face scrunching up in distress.
Derrick quickly pulled his hand back, kneeling beside the bed on one knee, his gaze fixed anxiously on Katherine. “Katherine?”
“De…” Katherine furrowed her brows, and her hand, which was hooked up to the IV, suddenly twitched. It trembled as she slowly lifted it.
Derrick looked at her arm, marked with numerous scratches, his gaze lowering for a few seconds as he seemed to be lost in thought.
“Derrick, wait for me.” Katherine’s voice grew clearer from the bed.
Hearing her soft words, Derrick stopped hesitating and quickly took her fragile wrist in his hand.
As though finally finding a steady point to hold onto, Katherine placed her hand in his warm palm, her fingers instinctively brushing jover
over the inside of his wrist.
Next to the most prominent vein, there was a subtle bump, just about one inch long, but it nearly cost Derrick his life.
“Derrick, you idiot,” Katherine said, her voice thick with tears, a mix of sadness and anger.
Derrick kept kneeling on one knee, listening to her softly scold him. He replied, “Yes, I’m an idiot.”
He loosened his grip, gently placing her hand back down, careful not to touch the blanket so it wouldn’t brush against the IV. “But I won’t be anymore.”
Derrick stood up, and all the emotions from before seemed to vanish in an instant. He stared at Katherine, who was falling back to sleep, and whispered, “Give birth to the child, and I won’t force you again. Do whatever you want from now on/
He turned and left, his steps quick, yet there was a faint unsteadiness to them. Derrick feared that if he slowed down, he would regret it. He thought, ‘I’ve already made her hate me enough. I can’t break my word again.
As the door closed softly behind him, tears rolled down Katherine’s cheek. One by one, they fell, round and clear, like transparent pearls.
When Katherine woke from the endless void and haze, two days had already passed.
She was jolted awake by a sharp pain in the back of her hand, her vision blurry às she could only make out a figure in white in front of her. Her hands were immobile, and she blinked hard, trying to focus.
“Are you an angel?” Katherine asked.
The doctor paused for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. He quickly pressed a cotton ball soaked in alcohol to the needle hole where blood had begun to seep. “Mrs. Graham, I’m not an angel. I’m your doctor, Ethan Bell,”
“Ethan Bell,” Katherine repeated the name, her gaze unfocused as they drifted elsewhere,
Suddenly, she froze, her eyes widening. “What did you just say your name was?”
Katherine knew Ethan; he was the family doctor for the Graham family. But she remembered clearly that after her obstructed labor, Ethan had been dismissed.
“I’m Ethan Bell,” Ethan replied, emphasizing again. Seeing Katherine’s wide–eyed disbelief, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
He continued, “You’ve been unconscious for two days. No matter how mad you are at Mr. Graham, the child is innocent.”
Ethan couldn’t help but add, his nature as a doctor kicking in, “And Mr. Graham has promised you that if you give birth to the baby, he’ll agree to anything.
“Once the baby is safely born, you can do whatever you want. Just bear with it a little longer
2
2/3
7:50 PM P P
Chapter 2
Katherine watched Ethan’s lips move, but his words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. She thought, ‘What’s Ethan saying? The baby?‘
Her hand moved down to her abdomen, now flat. But as she pressed gently, she clearly felt a hard lump that didn’t quite match the surrounding softness. This sensation was all too familiar to her.
“Dr. Bell, what year is it?” Katherine asked.
Ethan was surprised by her question. He glanced at her hand resting on her stomach and understood immediately.
“2024,” he said. “You’ll probably give birth to the baby by the end of the year.”
Katherine’s heart skipped a beat. She thought, ‘2024? I’m alive again? Or have I returned to the year I regret the most?‘
Katherine suddenly laughed, her body shaking slightly, and tears streamed down her face.
“Mrs. Graham, what’s wrong?” Ethan stood by, flustered and scrambling.
At the door, Henry heard the commotion and immediately entered. “What’s going on?” He looked at Katherine, who was crying and laughing at the same time, and turned to Ethan for an answer.
I’m not sure,” Ethan replied, bewildered. “She just suddenly started acting like this.”
Katherine was still laughing, thinking, ‘The universe has truly been kind to me, giving me another chance to fix the mistakes I made and make amends for the man I’ve hurt.‘
“Mrs. Graham, you need to avoid extreme emotions during pregnancy. It’s not good for the baby,” Ethan advised from the side.
From the way Katherine had asked about the year and gently touched her stomach, Ethan could tell she likely wanted to keep the baby.
Henry, seeing this, also chimed in, “Yes, Mrs. Graham, even if it’s not for anything else, think about the baby.”
At this moment, they didn’t dare contact Derrick. They feared that his presence would only upset Katherine further.
Katherine suddenly stopped, her hand gently caressing her stomach. She thought, “That’s right, I can’t let myself be too emotional. My baby needs to be healthy.
‘In my previous life, it was because I refused to carry Derrick’s child and kept causing trouble during my pregnancy that things turned out the way they did.‘
Thinking of her son, who was still crawling on the floor at the age of fiye, Katherine struggled to control her emotions. Her movements were filled with tenderness.
She thought, ‘Sweetie, this time, I will shower you with nothing but love. I’ll make sure you’re born safe and sound, healthy and strong.
3/3
