Chapter 4

"I..."

Serena froze, momentarily forgetting to respond.

Nicholas frowned deeply and scooped her up without warning, striding rapidly toward the estate entrance.

His steps were long and urgent, yet Serena felt no jarring motion whatsoever.

By the time she registered what was happening, Nicholas had already settled her smoothly into the back seat.

"Are you alright, Serena?"

A gentle voice drifted from the front. Serena looked up to see Clara's worried face.

She was seated in the passenger seat, with Nicholas behind the wheel.

"If I'd known you weren't feeling well, I should've told Aunt Bianca not to call you over. This is all my fault."

"Why didn't you speak up earlier if you weren't feeling well?" Nicholas glanced at Serena through the rearview mirror. Once he confirmed her seatbelt was fastened, he floored the accelerator.

"I... I'm fine, really. There's no need to go to the hospital."

It was just her monthly period—she didn't want to make a fuss.

More importantly, she couldn't bear the thought of being escorted to the doctor by Nicholas and Clara together. Just watching them interact was painful enough.

"What are you being stubborn for? Don't you know your own condition?" Nicholas shot Serena a cold look through the mirror.

Clara chimed in sweetly, "Exactly, Serena. Nicholas mentioned you were in a car accident the other day. What happened? Could your discomfort be related to that?"

What happened?

Serena found the question almost laughable. Her lips trembled for several seconds, but in the end, she said nothing.

Was she supposed to admit out loud that she'd gotten into an accident while delivering chicken soup to Nicholas?

Clara and Nicholas had been together that night. Asking about it now felt deliberately cruel.

"It's all my fault..." Clara suddenly looked guilty, but before she could finish, Nicholas cut her off.

"Hospital first. And for the next few days, you're staying home. No going anywhere. Rest properly."

Serena stared down at her shoes, a bitter smile tugging at her heart.

Clara truly was Nicholas's unforgettable first love—he couldn't even bear to let her finish an apology.

The car fell silent. They arrived at the hospital quickly.

As Serena moved to get out, Nicholas lifted her into his arms instead.

Her body stiffened. She assumed he was simply impatient, annoyed by how slowly she moved.

The three walked wordlessly down a long corridor.

A doctor was already waiting.

After conducting a basic examination, the doctor's expression turned serious. "Let's do an ultrasound."

"Alright."

Serena agreed obediently, though inwardly puzzled.

Why would a simple period require an ultrasound?

The results would take half an hour. Serena sat in a chair waiting when a pained gasp sounded beside her.

She turned to see Clara's face drained of color, her body slumped against the chair back, hand clutching her calf.

Her dress fell just below the knee, revealing a large, startling bruise on the exposed skin.

"I'm fine. I must've bumped it earlier when we were rushing to get Serena into the car." Clara sucked in a sharp breath as she explained.

"Your leg needs immediate attention, or it'll hurt for at least two weeks," the doctor said, pointing toward an adjacent department. "That's orthopedics. You should get it checked for possible hairline fractures."

"Okay."

Clara rose unsteadily to her feet.

"Nicholas, you stay with Serena. I'll go see the doctor."

Nicholas's gaze fell on Clara's leg, finally settling on her knee—where an old, long scar marked her skin.

The scar Clara had gotten years ago saving his life.

After staring for several seconds, Nicholas stood up.

"Call me when the results come in."

"I'll go with you."

Serena sat frozen, watching the pair head to the adjacent department together. It took her several seconds to realize that first sentence had been directed at her.

How kind of Nicholas to pretend to hesitate.

She waited a full half hour.

When the doctor emerged holding her report, his expression was grave.

"Your pregnancy is unstable. There are signs of threatened miscarriage."

"I'll prescribe medication to help stabilize the fetus..."

Serena's mind went completely blank. She couldn't process anything else the doctor was saying.

She was pregnant? How was that possible?

They'd used protection every single time.

Unless... Serena's mind flashed back. Last month, Nicholas had come home drunk once.

They'd been too rough that night. Forgot to take precautions.

She never imagined she'd actually conceive.

What was she supposed to do now?

"Ms. Windsor? Ms. Windsor?"

The doctor's voice snapped Serena back to reality. She quickly snatched the report away, her voice urgent. "Please! You absolutely cannot tell anyone about this!"

"Are the results in?"

Nicholas's voice suddenly came from behind her.

Serena's body jerked violently, her blood seeming to freeze for an instant. Almost instinctively, she blurted out an explanation.

"It's nothing serious. Just some uterine coldness. Medication will fix it."

"Mm."

Nicholas responded coolly, then glanced at Serena again. Seeing her face even paler than before, his brow furrowed tightly.

"Get on."

He walked over to Serena and crouched down, his tone commanding.

Serena's lashes fluttered. She stood rooted in confusion.

Was he... offering her a piggyback ride?

Was she really walking that slowly? Couldn't he spare even a moment's patience?

"Ah!"

Just as Serena hesitated, Clara suddenly cried out.

Her body swayed unsteadily, as if she might collapse.

Nicholas, who'd been crouched before Serena, rose without hesitation and rushed to Clara's side, reaching out to steady her arm.

"What's wrong?"

"My leg's useless. It started hurting badly after just a few steps. Must be the old injury acting up." Clara smiled gently through the pain.

Serena remained seated, a mocking twist forming at the corner of her mouth.

She'd almost forgotten—Clara wasn't just Nicholas's first love, but also his savior.

Years ago, Nicholas had nearly drowned. Clara had jumped in to save him without regard for her own safety.

She'd rescued him successfully, but a steel rod in the water had pierced through Clara's knee. She'd nearly lost her life.

With that double bond, Nicholas's deep devotion to Clara made perfect sense.

And what was she in comparison? This position should've been Clara's all along.

Serena placed her hand over her still-flat abdomen and let out a heavy sigh.

This baby's timing couldn't have been worse.

Nicholas carried Clara to the car. Serena followed behind.

Once inside, Clara ventured tentatively, "Nicholas, I remember Samuel has excellent massage techniques. My old injury's flaring up—could you have her help me with it?"

Nicholas agreed immediately.

"Sure."

He glanced at Serena sitting in the back seat, then turned the steering wheel toward home.