Standing in front of the noodle restaurant, Nana smiled bitterly. She knew she had nowhere to go and was ready to leave the alley and take a taxi back home.
After all, the baby was more important than anyone or anything else.
Now, the alley became even quieter, and Nana felt a bit scared subconsciously, walking hurriedly.
But even though she was cautious, danger suddenly struck without warning.
Just when Nana was less than twenty meters away from the mouth of the alley, a group of unruly hooligans came rushing towards her.
Nana could tell that these people were not good guys, intentionally hugging the wall.
But the hooligans, seeing Nana alone, had wicked thoughts before passing by.
“Hey, beautiful, wait a moment!”
The leader of the hooligans blocked Nana’s path, smirking, and signaled his companions to join him.
Being intercepted by thugs, Nana felt a shock in her heart.
In the blink of an eye, five or six people surrounded her tightly.
“What… What do you want?”
Nana felt her heart pounding and had no idea what these people wanted.
Initially, the hooligans were trying to hit on her, but as they got closer, they noticed Nana’s protruding belly, and disappointment appeared on their faces.
“Such bad luck, encountering a pregnant woman in the middle of the night!”
The leader of the hooligans complained, then reached out to Nana with a fierce expression.
“Hey, according to the saying, encountering a pregnant woman at night brings bad luck for three years. Shouldn’t you compensate us for our losses?”
The unreasonable demand made Nana annoyed. Wasn’t this equivalent to robbery?
“Fine, I’ll give you money, just let me go.”
For the sake of her child, Nana didn’t want to confront them directly.
She obediently agreed and took out all the change from her wallet.
Little did she know, as the hooligans took the money and examined it under the dim light, their faces were filled with disappointment.
“Just this much?”
The hooligans frowned and noticed that the necklace Nana was wearing around her neck seemed valuable.
Since they had already taken the money, it didn’t matter if they took another necklace.
The greedy hooligan laughed and reached out to grab it.
Nana didn’t understand their intentions and, seeing the hooligan trying to make physical contact with her, she suddenly pushed him away and ran for her life.
Unexpectedly, as Nana took the opportunity to escape, the hooligan became furious, yelling at his accomplices.
“Chase her! Don’t let that pregnant woman get away!”
Hearing the angry shouts behind her, Nana felt terrified.
Out of her innate protective instinct for her baby, she ran desperately regardless of everything else.
However, being pregnant, Nana’s speed and endurance were greatly reduced, and she was caught up by several hooligans not long after.
“Smack!”
The leader of the hooligans slapped Nana in the face, grabbing her collar and menacingly asked, “You dare to run, huh? Are you planning to call the police?”
With no way to escape, Nana was at a loss.
Repeatedly subjected to stimulation and fright, she blacked out.
At the same time, Carl finally finished shooting close to ten o’clock.
He didn’t have time to go out for supper with the crew and drove straight back home.
Entering the front gate of the villa, as soon as Carl stepped inside, he found the living room empty.
“Weird, everyone’s sleeping so early today?”
Carl murmured in confusion. Just as he was about to climb the stairs to check on Nana in the bedroom, he saw his mother coming out of another room.
“Mom, you’re still awake? Why aren’t you downstairs watching TV?”
Carl greeted his mother with concern, as usual.
Hearing that her son had returned, Mrs. Waters finally found an outlet for her pent-up emotions.
“Don’t even mention it! Why would I be watching TV? I’m more concerned about Nana’s complexion!”
Mrs. Waters took the opportunity to gossip, not only exaggerating the situation but also revealing the most important thing.
“It’s really outrageous. Nana is always sulking, and she left home without a word in the evening and still hasn’t come back…”
“Mom, what are you saying? Did she really run away from home?”
Before the words could even fall, Carl looked shocked.
Seeing his mother’s disdainful expression, Carl turned and went to the bedroom to check.
The room was indeed empty.
At that moment, Carl couldn’t stay still. Without even greeting Mrs. Waters, he immediately rushed outside to look for Nana.
After being robbed by the hooligans, Nana woke up again and found herself in the hospital.
The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and the sheets were so white that they were a bit blinding.
She opened her eyes, her gaze dazed and confused.
At that moment, a doctor walked over and, seeing Nana awake, smiled and informed her, “Miss, you’re awake. A young man brought you to the hospital just now. He is quite young, but he limps a bit.”
A young man with a limp?
Lost in confusion, Nana froze, suspecting that the person who brought her to the hospital was William.
Could it really be William who saved her?
While feeling surprised, Nana also felt a bit uneasy.
“Doctor, did he say when he would come back to the hospital?”
Nana couldn’t help but ask, not knowing where William had gone or if he would reappear.
“I don’t know about that…”
The doctor finished a brief examination of Nana’s body and then turned and left the ward.
The surroundings were quiet, and Nana lay on the hospital bed, involuntarily lost in her thoughts.
Since the last time William left without a word, Nana hadn’t heard anything from him.
Today, he appeared silently but disappeared again before she woke up.
Nana couldn’t figure it out. Was William intentionally avoiding her, or was there something he couldn’t talk about?
Had his leg not completely healed after all?
After pondering for a long time, Nana still didn’t have an answer. She could only temporarily put aside her thoughts about William’s whereabouts.
Letting out a sigh, she caressed her swollen belly, feeling the baby’s slight movements.
“As long as you’re fine, that’s all that matters.”
Nana muttered to herself, finally finding some comfort in her heart.
Thinking back to the thrilling scene in the alley, Nana still felt lingering fear. If she hadn’t been taken to the hospital in time…
She couldn’t imagine what the consequences would have been.
With a faint smile on her lips, Nana closed her eyes, intending to sleep a little longer, when suddenly Carl’s face appeared in her mind.
Until now, it seemed like he hadn’t realized that she wasn’t at home.
Nana thought, guessing that Carl must be with Grace.
Did they spend the night together?
With these thoughts in mind, Nana felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she were being pricked by needles.
Especially after Grace’s arrogant provocation on the phone, it was a sign that Carl had already changed his mind.
Intense feelings of loss enveloped Nana, making her feel suffocated as if trapped in a tightening net.
If that was the case, did she still need to return to the Waters family?
Nana’s mind was in turmoil, lost in random thoughts as she drifted into sleep.
Not long after, there was suddenly a commotion in the corridor.
Nana opened her eyes, vaguely hearing the voices of nurses and Carl conversing.
The outside sky was still dim, and she didn’t know if she was dreaming.
Just then, someone pushed open the door to the ward.
Nana suddenly woke up, and she saw Carl walking in, covered in dust.
So it really was him!