Chapter 355

Olivia

The clock in the waiting room seemed to tick slower than usual, and my stomach felt tightly wound like a cord waiting to snap.

I kept replaying all the ‘what if’ scenarios in my head, from the worst-case ones to the somewhat bearable. Everything had seemed fine during my last visit, but knowing that the witch had something to do with all of this made me uneasy.

If she found out we were still scheming to stop her, what would she do to my unborn child? What would she do with Elliot and Aurora?

“Olivia?” the receptionist finally called out, her voice pulling me back to reality.

“That’s me,” I said, standing up and shoving the mountain of ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ and other parenting magazines back onto the table.

“The doctor will see you in Room 3,” she said with a kind smile, as if sensing my unease.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, gathering my kids and making my way down the hallway.

In Room 3, a cheerful nurse greeted us. “Hey there, Olivia. Wow, you’ve got your hands full, don't you?”

“You have no idea,” I chuckled nervously, trying to get Elliot to release his death grip on a squeaky duck that he somehow grabbed from the waiting room.

“He can keep that,” she laughed, jotting down some notes on her clipboard. “Let’s get your vitals. Blood pressure first.”

As she wrapped the cuff around my arm, I took a deep breath, trying to shake off my nervousness. The machine hummed and then beeped, and I noticed her eyes narrow a bit at the numbers.

“Little high today. Are we stressed?”

“Who? Me? Never,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just another day in paradise.”

She laughed, jotting down the numbers. “Okay, well, the doctor will be in shortly. Just make yourself comfortable.”

The nurse left, and I was alone with my twins and my thoughts. I kept checking my phone for any messages from Nathan, although I knew he was swamped at work.

Finally, the door opened, and the doctor walked in, flipping through my medical chart. “Olivia, how are we today?”

“A little nervous,” I admitted. “But Elliot and Aurora are in high spirits, so that’s a plus.”

She smiled at the twins, who seemed taken with the plethora of medical instruments on the counter. “They’re growing so beautifully. But let’s talk about you and the new little one. How have you been feeling?”

“Fine, I guess. A bit tired and nauseous but nothing crazy.”

“That’s normal,” she assured me. “Especially given that you’re juggling these two as well.”

The routine checks started after that. Heartbeat, measurements, the works. And then, the part I had been both dreading and looking forward to—the ultrasound.

“As you can see, everything is looking great,” the doctor said, pointing to the fuzzy black and white image on the screen. There wasn’t much to see except for a tiny blob on the screen, but it was there.

A wave of relief washed over me so powerful it almost made me dizzy. “Really? So, everything’s okay?”

“Everything’s more than okay,” she confirmed. “In fact, given your minimal morning sickness and how well the baby is doing, I would say this one’s going to come out fighting.”

I laughed. “Well, they’ll fit right into the family, then.”

“But there is one thing,” she said, her tone shifting slightly. “Your blood pressure was a little high. Is everything okay at home?”

I paused. Everything at home? How could I begin to explain the weirdness that was my life at the moment? Edward, his unexplainable energy, couple’s therapy with Nathan, and of course the witch—not exactly standard pregnancy concerns.

“Um, yeah,” I said finally, not wanting to delve into my insane life. “Everything’s fine. Just a lot going on, you know?”

The doctor looked at me, her eyes searching for something more. “Olivia, stress isn’t good for you or the baby. You need to find a way to manage it. I can recommend some specialists if you want.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said, avoiding her gaze.

“Alright,” she said, not entirely convinced. “But do think about it, okay? For your sake and your baby’s.”

As she left the room, I sat there for a moment, my eyes lingering on the ultrasound image. My baby was healthy, and yet it was like there were these invisible threads of unease, pulling me in all different directions.

I had the responsibility of ensuring not just one life, but now four, including my own.

And how the hell was I supposed to do that if I felt like I was drowning all of the time?

…

The drive to the Council building was a short one, filled with Elliot and Aurora’s laughter from the backseat and the occasional babbles. Their happiness was infectious, lifting some of the weight that had settled on my shoulders after the doctor’s appointment. Right now, that was enough.

When I parked, I took a deep breath before unbuckling Elliot and Aurora from their car seats. “Who wants to see daddy?”

At my mention of the word, Aurora clapped her hands while Elliot looked quizzically at me. They were beginning to make sense of words, and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they were forming their first words and eventually entire sentences.

As I made my way into the Council building, the receptionist beamed at me from over her desk.

“Luna!” she called out, grinning at me and waving at the twins, who waved their tiny hands back. “How nice to see you!”

“You too, Martha,” I said with a smile. “Is Nathan around?”

Martha pointed down the hall toward Nathan’s office. “He’s just in his office.”

“Thanks.” I headed toward Nathan’s office, where the door was cracked open.

That was when I saw him—Nathan—sitting at his desk, and next to him was Edward. They were both engrossed in some sort of important document, their eyes darting back and forth between the papers and each other.

It was almost surreal, seeing Edward in this setting, right by Nathan’s side, deeply involved in the matters of our complicated world. To think that he was coming to this town as a complete stranger only a week ago filled me with a sense of bafflement.

I hovered in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt but feeling increasingly awkward. Elliot chose that moment to throw his squeaky duck across the room, creating a loud, distracting squeak. Edward and Nathan jerked their heads up.

“Olivia! What are you doing here? And you brought Elliot and Aurora!” Nathan hurried over to us, taking Aurora in his arms and booping Elliot on the nose.

“I thought I’d drop by after my appointment,” I said, avoiding Edward’s gaze. “Sorry for interrupting.”

“No, no, it’s a welcome interruption,” Nathan insisted. “Edward, let’s take a short break and reconvene in twenty minutes.”

Edward stood up, casting me a look that I couldn’t quite read. He had a pair of wire-rimmed glasses sitting on the end of his nose, which he tucked into his jacket pocket as he walked past.

Once we were alone, Nathan lowered his voice. “So, how did the appointment go? You look relieved.”

“It went well. Really well. The baby is doing great, and I’m fine too, mostly.”

“Mostly?” His eyebrows shot up in concern.

I sighed. “Well, my blood pressure was a little high, but the doctor said it’s probably stress.”

He looked at me seriously. “You need to take it easy, Olivia.”

“I will, I promise,” I said, avoiding his eyes. “It’s just hard, you know? With everything going on.”

He nodded, cuddling Aurora who had now fallen asleep in his arms. “I know, but you’re not alone in this.”

I smiled weakly. “Actually, Edward was a big help today. He helped me handle the twins and made sure I wasn’t late to my appointment.”

Nathan looked surprised but then his eyes twinkled. “See? I told you not to worry about him.”

Yeah, I thought to myself, my gaze sliding over to the hallway where Edward had disappeared. I knew I shouldn’t be worrying, especially not after today… but why did I still feel so uneasy?