Chapter 280
Chapter 280
Chapter 280 Keeping The Child
Leah sat unmoving at the table. “I’m quite tired. I’d like to rest,” she made herself clear.
Shawn's gaze fell on her belly. “Alright then, get some rest tonight. I’ll take you for your prenatal check- up tomorrow,” he informed Leah. Leah froze in panic upon hearing Shawn’s plans. She clenched her fists hidden under the table tightly. What did Shawn mean? Was he still unable to accept the child’s existence? The fall breeze kept temperatures cool at night, but Leah’s forehead began to glean with cold sweat. She instinctively brought her arms to her belly, hugging herself gently.
Shawn read Leah like a book. “What are you afraid of, Leah? What kind of person do you think I am?” he asked, but he knew what was on her mind. She was afraid that he would harm the child in her belly.
“Well, can you really blame me?” Leah retaliated. The notion that Shawn would allow this child to be born seemed ludicrous to her.
Shawn’s expression darkened. “You’re overthinking things. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs tomorrow morning,” he said before striding out of the dining hall.
The heavy tension in the air seemed to dissipate along with Shawn’s exit. Leah sat in her chair for the longest time before finally attempting to stand up but stumbled as soon as she got up.
“Ms. White, please be careful,” Lucy rushed to her side, noticing the color draining from Leah’s face. “Are you alright? You don’t look too good. Do you need a doctor?”
Leah shook her head, feeling weak and troubled. “I’m alright,” she informed Lucy, but she was plagued
by her own thoughts. If Shawn decided that he did not want the child, what could she do? She could not bear to lose the child! Her eyes steeled with determination as she decided she would do whatever it takes to protect her child.
Lucy had worked for the Fords and served Mr. Shawn for so many years now. She knew that Shawn was usually cold on the outside but had a warm heart to those he cared about. She tried to put in a good word for her employer as she helped Leah into her bedroom. “Ms. White, is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Mr. White?” Lucy asked. “He’s not a bad person at all.”
Leah pursed her lips and smiled wordlessly, unwilling to smear Shawn’s good image in Lucy’s eyes. Just as Lucy was about to help Leah turn her sheets down, Leah gently stopped her.
“It’s alright, Lucy. You get some rest too. I can do it myself,” she told the housekeeper. Leah always had an independent personality, even as a child. Even when she married Han, she never got used to being served by the maids and butlers.
“Alright then, Ms. White. Get some rest,” Lucy said before leaving Leah’s room and closing the doors. Still feeling paranoid, Leah made sure she locked the doors from the inside so no one else could come in the room. Leah was all alone in her ridiculously large bedroom now, accompanied by the sounds of her short, shallow breaths. She tried to sleep but Shawn’s words kept replaying in her head repeatedly and kept her up all night. It was close to midnight when she finally found sleep.
The next morning, Shawn was already dressed and waiting for Leah in the hall by the time she made her way downstairs. Breakfast was served on the table as usual, and Leah ate her food as slowly as possible. What was supposed to be a quick ten-minute breakfast took half an hour instead, but Shawn only waited patiently without rushing her at any point. It was only when Leah finished the last drop of
her milk when he finally spoke.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Leah’s face scrunched up into a frown. “Can we not go?” she pleaded.
“No,” Shawn gave her no way out. Running out of hope, she finally got up from her seat reluctantly. Shawn held onto her arm and led her toward the passenger seat of his car.
Along the way to the hospital, Leah cooked up various excuses to turn back and return to the villa, but Shawn shot down every single one of them. Her face was ashen as they pulled up at the entrance of the hospital, and she held on to the car door handle tightly, refusing to get down.
Shawn bent down to meet Leah at eye level and raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to carry you in?” he challenged. He was not opposed to the idea if Leah kept on dilly-dallying.
“No,” Leah finally caved and got out of the car by herself.
Shawn had already gotten his people to clear out the gynecology department prior to their arrival. Besides a few doctors and nurses walking up and down the aisle, there were no other patients around. One of the doctors came over to greet Shawn and Leah warmly and prescribed Leah a standard ultrasound procedure. The ultrasound procedure was quick and simple, and the scans were ready by the time Leah returned to the doctor’s office.
“The baby is developing well,” the doctor commented as he looked through the scans, much to Leah’s relief.
Even as they were about to leave the hospital, Leah was still in disbelief. Shawn regarded her dazed expression with amusement. “Are you planning on staying here the whole day?” he asked.
“Did you really just bring me here for a check-up?” Leah’s voice was full of distrust. C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.
“What do you think?” Shawn asked Leah in return. He knew how much this child meant to Leah, and even though he was not the child’s biggest fan, he was not inhumane enough to make her get rid of it. “How long have you gone without a proper check-up?”
Leah had been so occupied with taking care of Han that she had neglected to take care of herself and the baby. To her surprise, Shawn was the one who had remembered on her behalf. All of a sudden, the man did not seem as despicable as she had thought him to be.
“Thank you,” she thanked Shawn softly on behalf of her unborn child.
Just as Shawn and Leah were leaving the hospital, Leah caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. It was Alfred. What was he doing in the hospital? Did something happen to Han?
Leah stopped in her tracks. “I need to use the restroom quickly,” she said. Without giving Shawn any chance to respond, she turned around and headed back into the hospital. Instead of heading to the restroom, she hid in one of the hospital aisles until she spotted Alfred again.
“Alfred!” Leah half-whispered Alfred’s name, catching his attention. “What are you doing here? Did something happen to Han?”
Alfred let out a cold chuckle when he saw Leah and the concern in her eyes. “With all due respect, Ms. White, Mr. Howard’s affairs have nothing to do with you anymore.”
“I know that,” Leah's eyes filled with sadness. She was still worried about Han even though she knew she had no right to be.
“If you do, then you shouldn’t be asking me about him,” Alfred said harshly before side-stepping Leah and walking away. To Alfred, Leah was the woman responsible for leaving Han in ruins. He would never forgive her.
Dejected, Leah eventually made her way back to the hospital entrance. Shawn’s car was still parked in front of the entrance and the man was still waiting for her, leaning against his car.
“You went off for quite a while there,” there was a sharp edge to Shawn’s voice.
“I wasn’t feeling too well,” Leah spouted the first excuse that came to mind.
“To Empire Mall,” Shawn instructed the driver to drive them to the high-end luxury mall owned by the Fords themselves.
Leah thought of asking him to send her home first but held her tongue when she caught sight of his stony expression. Once the car arrived and parked at the mall, Shawn instructed his driver and bodyguard to escort Leah into the mall first. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.
“Find out why Han Howard is in the hospital,” he instructed the person on the other end of the call.
As Leah entered the mall with two burly men trailing behind her, she could not help but chuckle to herself. After everything that had happened, Shawn was still afraid of her running away.