“What?” Carter’s gaze was sharper than ever. “I may not be in good health, but Laura and I have been trying for in vitro fertilization for years. Aren’t you aware of this? From the first day you started dating Cameron, you knew about my relationship with Laura. Even if she couldn’t conceive naturally, we could still have a surrogate child. Remember when you accompanied her to the hospital?”
“So what are you doing now?” Carter slowly approached her. “Publicly humiliating Laura, and indirectly humiliating me as well?”
Queenie stood rooted to the spot, speechless.
“The child is mine. Laura may have been with Cameron in the past, but that’s all in the past. I don’t care about it, and I won’t bring it up again! I hope you can be more magnanimous and stop clinging to the past. Laura has no connection with Cameron now, and she won’t be carrying Cameron’s child! Please remember this and don’t bother Laura anymore!”
The entire hall was filled with people, but no one dared to speak up.
Carter led me out of the building and found a quiet place. He sat across from me, his expression indifferent, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.
“Why did you help me?” I couldn’t help but ask him.
He just chuckled.
“Didn’t you think about the consequences of publicly claiming the child as yours?”
“What consequences? Will Cameron come after me?”
“Why did you say the child is yours?” I pressed on.
“You shouldn’t be worrying about that now, Laura,” he said seriously. “You should be thinking about how to make Cameron spend more time in prison!”
“What does it matter whose child it is?” He looked at me. “As long as we’re married, if you give birth to the child, it’s mine!”
“Carter…”
“Do you want to abort him?”
I stared into his eyes, sensing something frightening within.
“Don’t abort him,” he said firmly.
“To tell you the truth, this child is useful to us,” he continued. “With Cameron’s consecutive troubles, my father is extremely disappointed in him. He won’t inherit anything from The Lynch Group or the family fortune. But there’s no guarantee that my father won’t still have some pity for him, so what we need to do is ensure that he won’t get a single penny from The Lynch Group!”
“And I’ve consulted with the doctor,” he glanced at me, “Your body is absolutely not suitable for an abortion. It would be dangerous for you.”
“So, you want to use my child?” I took a deep breath.
At this moment, Carter was no longer the same person as before; he left me astonished.
“Don’t say ‘use,’ Laura,” He smiled. “I will love him as my own child.”
“With a grandson, Dad will naturally shift his attention away from Cameron,” He said. “By then, do you think it’s more important to have a son who’s a failure or a son who can do things for him, plus a lively grandson?”
“Carter,” I sighed bitterly, “You really are playing a long game.”
“That’s how competition works. It’s always a matter of life and death, never mutual benefit! Win-win? That’s for deceiving children!”
“Laura, if you’re determined to seek revenge, you have to be thorough in your retaliation, and you mustn’t show any mercy to the enemy, understand?” he looked at me.
I looked into his eyes, understanding every word he said, yet feeling my heart drift further and further away from its original path. Do I really want to treat Cameron this way? Why does it hurt to see Cameron refuse to beg for me, even if it means he’ll go to jail for Daniel Scott? Why do I feel a pang of distressed when Queenie proudly claims that her child is Cameron’s?
Carter poured me a glass of lemon water. “Pregnant women need to supplement vitamins,” he smiled. “From now on, give up coffee and soda. I’ll have someone take care of your diet and daily life.”
I took it. I could only temporarily accept Carter’s advice. I had no other choice. I had no home, no real family. The world is cruel to those without a home. I had to find a shelter, a place to safely give birth to the child. Perhaps he would be my only child in this lifetime, the only blood relative I had in this world.
I still lived in The Lynch Family mansion. Carter handled the outside affairs properly. There were no more rumors or suspicions about my relationship with Cameron, nor about the paternity of my child. Queenie didn’t cause any more trouble. I almost thought that those past storms were just my illusions. Carter would come back every day to accompany me, even if it was just sitting in my room for a while and talking. Our relationship had eased considerably.
But Melissa still hadn’t agreed to our marriage.
I could understand her. A woman who had harmed her son, and now carried the child of another man, no mother could possibly accept such a daughter-in-law. However, the news of the marriage had already spread, and it could not be changed for the time being. She could only adopt a delaying tactic. By delaying until people forgot about this matter, perhaps our engagement would naturally dissolve. However, if I didn’t marry Carter, he wouldn’t be able to inherit the estate as quickly as he wanted. So Mellisa’s dilemma lay there.
Her attitude towards me was very contradictory. In daily life, she had taken care of me meticulously, from prenatal check-ups and contacting obstetricians and gynecologists, to details like diet and clothing, she had handled everything personally.
Sometimes I even wondered if she had considered the child in my belly as her own grandson. But she had rarely spoken to me. She had only taken care of me, but had been very cold towards me.
Cameron went to prison. That day, I saw him on TV, the judge sentenced him to three years in prison. Because it was an open trial, almost all the media reporters from Jerez State went to the scene. People probably wanted to see how this arrogant rich boy would become a prisoner.
He had lost weight. His hair had grown, and he had grown a beard. Dressed in coarse prison clothes, with a number on his chest.
He didn’t bow his head, facing the flashing cameras with a calm expression. His clear eyes were as stubborn as ever. He had always been a proud and unbending man.
My heart hurt, it hurt a lot, and I almost fell off the chair. Yasmin hurried over to help me up, turned off the TV, and whispered to me, “Don’t watch TV, the doctor said you need rest.”
I knew what she meant, she was telling me not to look at Cameron.
“Miss Campbell,” She smoothed my hair, “Many things, once they happen, cannot be reversed. It’s no use thinking too much about them. We have to focus on the present!”
“Okay,” I touched my belly.
“Am I really going to give birth to him?” I murmured, “Cameron ruined everything for me, and I ruined everything for him… But this child came too unexpectedly. If I give birth to him, how am I going to explain the relationship between his parents when he grows up? Am I supposed to tell him that his father and mother were enemies, destroying each other’s lives and leaving nothing behind? What is his purpose for existing? While other children are the product of love, is he merely a pawn in a game of interests?”
“Miss Campbell!” Yasmin spoke with sincerity. “You’re pregnant now, your emotions are unstable, and you’re only going to overthink things! Let me tell you, there’s nothing more important than life. This child, he is a life, he is your flesh and blood. He is your child, whether you see him as a symbol of love or a sacrifice? He is real, he is your child!”
I stared at her blankly, a sense of melancholy flooding my heart.
At that moment, the fetus suddenly moved, as if silently protesting with tiny fists. My heart softened instantly, filled with boundless courage once again.
No matter what, my first identity is that of a mother!
Mother, such a sacred term… I have never received love from my biological mother, and I certainly won’t let my child go down the same path as me.
I smiled at Yasmin, feeling a sudden clarity…
Time passed quickly, it was already almost eight months. I started to have difficulty moving, with severe swelling in my hands and feet, and frequent back pain. I felt tired all the time, and I slept a lot every day.
The fetus also became lazy, moving less frequently. The doctor said he was very healthy, now just conserving energy, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
During these months of staying at home, I felt restless and decided to freelance for a newspaper to earn some extra income. Surprisingly, after a few months, I had some gains to show for it.