Chapter 486 William and Hayden （87）
After just a few hours of this fitful sleep, she was abruptly awoken early the following day by Cassius knocking on the door.
Struggling to rise, as she got out of bed to wash up and brush her teeth, the unease in her stomach churned like raging waves. Hayden could no longer hold it in; she crouched over the bathroom sink, retching, until even the yellow bile had been expelled. Only then did she start feeling somewhat better and stopped vomiting.
Staring at her pale reflection in the mirror, even Hayden, who was reluctant to believe it, couldn't help but suspect that she might be pregnant.
She was pregnant with William's child.
Under different circumstances, this news would have been a cause for joy.
He would surely be elated if William knew she was carrying his child.
But now...
Raising her hand, she touched her unusually flat belly, which bore no sign of pregnancy, and slowly bit her lower lip.
...
After breakfast, Hayden and Jocelyn joined Finn in visiting Daniel at the hospital, while Sophia stayed overnight there caring for her beloved son.
Because Hayden had cautioned Jocelyn, she had learned to be more innovative. When they arrived at the hospital, Daniel verbally abused Jocelyn, even throwing things at her, but Jocelyn didn't talk back. Instead, she stood there with tears in her eyes, a picture of sorry, trying hard not to let her tears fall.
That pitiful sight moved Finn, her father, and the hospital staff who witnessed it.
Blood is thicker than water, and Finn, despite any favoritism, had a hard time watching this unfold. He scolded, "Daniel, Jocelyn is your family, don't you know?"
"What family? My mother only had me, hmph!" Daniel snapped back without thinking, hurling even more hurtful words.
"What did you say?"
"Daniel, what nonsense are you spouting? Apologize to your sister this instant!" Sophia's yell followed Finn's angry shout as she realized the gravity of the situation.
"I won't—she..." Daniel began to retaliate.
"Smack!"
Out of fear that Daniel would say something even more outrageous and anger Finn further, Sophia's hand flew out and slapped him across the face.
That slap stunned everyone in the hospital room, not just Daniel.
"Wah... waaaah..." Daniel burst into tears once he came to his senses.
Hayden watched the unfolding scene and couldn't help but smile to herself.
Sophia was tough, indeed. Her son, whom she usually treated so delicately, was getting a taste of her stern hand this time.
"Finn, how could you hit your son like that?" Initially upset because of Daniel's mischief, Finn's expression changed instantly as he looked at the inconsolably sobbing Daniel and sat beside him on the bed, coaxing, "Alright, alright, stop crying. You're too big to be crying like this!"
"Mom hit me; it hurts so much, was... it hurts!" Daniel, like a drama king, started to make a scene.
Sophia had struck her son and was indeed feeling terrible about it. Seeing Finn's countenance soften, she joined in on the effort to comfort her son.
Observing the situation, Hayden offered some soothing words. Finn waved his hand, indicating that the sisters should leave now.
As Hayden drove Jocelyn back, they passed a newly opened dessert shop with a pleasant ambiance. Deciding it was a good spot to make amends for the ordeal at the hospital, Hayden parked and took Jocelyn inside to treat her to some sweets.
But the dessert wasn't the only thing on Hayden's mind.
After ordering their treats and taking a few bites, Hayden excused herself to the restroom.
Approaching the restroom, she saw a cleaner in her fifties tidying up and asked with a friendly smile, "Ma'am, do you know if there's a pharmacy nearby?"
Touched by Hayden's respectful address, the cleaner was all too happy to help. "There's a pharmacy in the shopping mall," she explained. "Just take a turn outside, and it's a three-minute walk straight ahead."
With a grateful smile, Hayden pulled out some cash from her purse and offered it to the cleaner, saying, "Ma'am, these heels are killing my feet, and I can't bear to walk any further. Could you possibly go to the pharmacy and grab something for me? I'll wait for you right here."
The cleaner, concerned by the sight of Hayden's shoes, readily agreed to run the errand. Within five minutes, she returned with an early pregnancy test.
Following the instructions, Hayden applied a few drops of urine on the test strip, and the result area quickly displayed one red line, then another.
Staring at the two glaring red lines, Hayden felt her heart and breath stop momentarily as if the entire world had come to a standstill.
She was really pregnant with William's child.
Sudden emotion brought tears to her eyes.
Suddenly, her phone started vibrating in her purse—buzz, buzz. Recovering her senses, she quickly fetched the phone.
It was Jocelyn asking why she hadn't come back yet.
After hanging up, Hayden hurried to compose herself and return to Jocelyn, not daring to delay any longer.
After she left, she didn't linger for long, having only a few bites of dessert before departing.
Once she returned home, she sat alone on the small upstairs living room balcony, gazing vacantly at the estate's garden. Only heaven knew how much, at that moment, Hayden yearned to call William and tell him about her pregnancy. And even the heavens were more keenly aware of how desperately she wanted to throw herself into William's arms and confess her desire to abandon everything associated with the Smith family to be with him.
But would William be willing to risk the Queen's Avenue Dining Group going under and the potential for his own Bennett family being pushed out to the suburbs, all to be with her, with no regrets, for a lifetime?
No! The cost was too great; it wasn't worth it, not at all!
Gradually, Hayden closed her eyes, feeling the warmth welling up but stubbornly holding back the tears from falling.
She couldn't bear the thought of giving up on her child; she couldn't let go.
She was determined to cling to all that should belong to her from the Smith family: William and the child she and William would have. She wanted it all.
