Chapter_197
Olivia’s body trembled as she vomited up the soup she had just forced herself to swallow, struggling to catch her breath. Her chest heaved, each sob wracking her frail form.
Tyler’s hand gently cupped her face, his touch tender yet firm as he tried to offer comfort. “Are you feeling any better now?” His voice was soft, filled with concern, though his eyes betrayed the anxiety gnawing at him.
Olivia, lost in a daze, couldn’t immediately respond. Her eyes were glazed, distant. Tyler observed the distress on her face, his heart sinking further with each labored breath she took. He softly wiped the vomit from the corner of her lips, his hand lingering as he caressed her pale face.
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him as her sobs echoed in the silence of the room.
Olivia’s tears fell freely, mixing with the warmth of his hand against her cheek. She sought refuge in his embrace, feeling the weight of everything press down on her.
“You’ll start feeling better soon,” Tyler murmured, though his voice wavered with the pain of seeing her like this. His words were meant to soothe, but inside, he was tormented by the sight of her suffering.
Pregnancy, she had thought, would be a beautiful experience—something that would bring joy. But no one had told her it would be so hard, so physically draining. She cried harder, seeking solace in his warmth, her body growing weaker with each passing moment.
Tyler tightened his hold on her, his hand resting lightly on her still-flat abdomen. He could feel the helplessness radiating from her, and the weight of the situation began to press down on him as well. How much longer could she endure this? How long would she suffer in silence?
As Olivia clung to him, lost in her own emotional turmoil, Tyler’s mind turned cold, calculating their situation. He had done everything he could think of to help—he had arranged for a nutritionist, and had enforced a vegetarian diet for her, hoping that it would ease her nausea. But despite all that, Olivia’s condition didn’t improve.
After several more days in the hospital, Olivia was discharged and returned to Sandalwood Palace. Yet, her illness clung to her, unrelenting. Her appetite remained nonexistent, and each meal felt like an insurmountable task.
The maid, ever insistent, continued to urge Olivia to eat more, but Olivia could only force down a few bites to appease her.
The afternoon passed in a haze. Olivia slept until 4 pm, her body exhausted from the toll of the past few days. When she woke, the maid entered cautiously, clearly concerned. “Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
Olivia shook her head, her voice faint. “No.”
The maid hesitated. “Then perhaps something to drink?”
Again, Olivia declined, the thought of food or drink making her stomach churn.
Her gaze fell to the side, and in a quiet voice, she asked, “Where’s my phone?”
The maid went to retrieve it from a drawer and handed it to her, sensing the young woman’s desire for solitude.
“You may leave. I’d like to be alone,” Olivia requested softly.
Reluctantly, the maid nodded and left the room, leaving Olivia in the silence of her thoughts.
Once alone, Olivia turned on her phone. The screen lit up with a flood of text messages—classmates, friends from the club, all wondering where she was and asking about her sudden absence. The messages made her feel more isolated, and the weight of her reality hit her with full force. Tyler had arranged for her leave of absence from school after learning about her pregnancy, but she hadn’t realized how much it would change her life.
Her stomach turned at the thought. The baby—this child—meant the end of her university life. The end of everything she had been working toward.
She locked her phone for a moment, trying to steady herself. But the thought of facing the world, the questions that would inevitably come from her friends and classmates, was too much. After a few moments of contemplation, she unlocked her phone again, her finger hovering over the screen.
A missed call from Claude appeared, a reminder of another life she no longer felt part of. She was about to call him back when her phone rang again, this time displaying Sophie’s name.