Chapter 583: Epilogue (10)

Chapter 583: Chapter 572: Epilogue (10)

After a few seconds, Zoe Ellsworth finally felt her breathing even out, and the discomfort subsided.

Once the baby was cleaned, the female doctor wrapped the child in a small blanket and carried it out of the operating room.

When the waiting crowd saw the baby being carried out, Mrs. Hawthorne rushed to take it.

Mrs. Ellsworth quickly asked, “Doctor, did everything go smoothly with my daughter?”

“Yes, it went very smoothly. She’s fine, ma’am.”

Mrs. Ellsworth finally relaxed and went to look at the baby in the bundle.

Herman Hawthorne also craned his neck to take a look. The baby was the spitting image of Zoe Ellsworth.

“Oh my, this little fellow looks exactly like Zoe.”

Mrs. Ellsworth smiled. “At first glance, he looks just like our Ellsworth did when he was little. And didn’t Zoe and Ellsworth both get their looks from me? With a handsome son and a beautiful daughter, my little grandson is sure to be a looker when he grows up.”

Herman Hawthorne was in no mood to dote on the baby. He couldn’t rest easy until he saw Zoe Ellsworth come out.

After another forty minutes, the operating room door opened.

A doctor came out. “She just had surgery and can’t get off the operating table by herself. We need a few of you men to come in and help lift her.”

And so, Ethan Ellsworth and Herman Hawthorne, along with two bodyguards, entered the operating room.

Herman Hawthorne’s gaze fell on the blood-soaked gauze under the operating table, and his pupils contracted. His heart clenched painfully.

He stepped forward. Zoe Ellsworth squinted her eyes and called out, “Honey.”

Herman Hawthorne took her hand, saying nothing.

They carefully carried Zoe Ellsworth to the VIP hospital room.

They covered her with a thin blanket.

Due to the significant blood loss, Zoe Ellsworth’s face was deathly pale.

Mrs. Ellsworth’s heart ached for her daughter.

After seeing Zoe Ellsworth drift off to sleep, Mrs. Ellsworth said, “I’m going home to stew some fish and chicken soup for her. It’ll help her milk come in.”

“Zoe’s Mom, she has to pass gas before she can eat anything.”

Mrs. Ellsworth nodded. “I know. I’ll cook it first and keep it warm in a thermal container.”

“All right, you go on home. Herman and I will be fine here.”

Mrs. Ellsworth turned and waved at Ethan and Mr. Ellsworth.

The family of three left the hospital room.

“See how much a C-section makes you suffer? Such a big incision on her belly.”

“A natural birth is painful, too. Both ways are hard,” Mr. Ellsworth said. “Back when you gave birth to Ellsworth, you were in so much agony you looked like you wanted to chop me into pieces.”

Mrs. Ellsworth shot him a look. “What do you know? C-sections are meant for when the baby is too big, or when its position isn’t right for a natural delivery. Now it’s become one of the first things doctors recommend. With a natural birth, it’s more painful during labor, but once the baby pops out, they’re perfectly fine and full of life. A C-section is different. It takes a huge toll on your body. Our Zoe must have lost so much blood. Her cheeks used to be so rosy, and now they’re waxy white. The wound is on my daughter’s body, but the pain is in this mother’s heart.”

“There was no other choice. Didn’t you hear the doctor say the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck several times? It was to prevent asphyxiation. The baby was full-term, and he’s already been born. Just let it go.”

Mrs. Ellsworth’s eyes welled with tears. “A real mother and a mother-in-law are just different. Don’t mind that Herman’s mother and I have been good friends for years; the moment of childbirth really shows the difference. As soon as they carried the baby out, she went straight for him, not a first thought for our Zoe. When they brought the baby out, I was in no mood to look at him. My daughter was still in the operating room! I wasn’t there when Chloe gave birth to Dorothy, but if she has a second child, I’ll absolutely wait for our Chloe to be out safe before I even glance at the baby. Don’t you think? If Chloe’s own mother were still alive, and if I were acting like Herman’s mom, she would feel the exact same way I do right now.”

Mr. Ellsworth put an arm around her shoulder. “Hey, why are you crying now? Besides, Zoe’s mother-in-law treats Zoe so well. Don’t let a little detail like this create a rift. You’re her real mother. Since she has a wonderful mother, why would you need her mother-in-law to be just like you?”

“That’s true.”

Standing to the side, Ethan Ellsworth laughed. “Mom, you’re acting like a child.”

“To your father, I’ll always be his little girl.”

“…”

“Ellsworth, in the morning, after I take the chicken soup to Zoe, go to the house and get some for Chloe, too. I’ll make extra. Chloe used to be so thin. Since getting pregnant, she’s finally put on a little weight, but it’s all gone to her belly. For being four months along, why is her stomach so big? Do you think she’s having twins?”

“Mom, don’t get your hopes up. It’s not twins. The doctor confirmed it. There’s just one piece of cargo in there.”

Mrs. Ellsworth nodded. “One is good, too. Chloe’s already suffered enough with this one; how would she survive two? Ellsworth, you should hurry and get back.”

“Okay.” Ethan Ellsworth turned and got in his car.

***

The car stopped at the gate of the Ellsworth Residence.

As he opened the main gate, Ethan Ellsworth froze in the doorway, feeling the blood in his veins run cold.

A figure was sitting on the balcony railing, waving its arms. Though it was pitch-black, he could tell from the silhouette—who else could it be but Chloe Marshall?

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He quickened his pace, rushed into the living room, and sprinted up the stairs to the bedroom door.

Ethan Ellsworth quietly slipped off his shoes at the door, crept barefoot across the floor to the balcony, and threw his arms around Chloe Marshall. “Chloe!”

“Hm?” She turned her head, looking perfectly normal. “Boss Ellsworth, you’re back?”

“What were you doing sitting on top of the balcony railing? What would you do if you fell?”

“Boss Ellsworth, I’ve just been standing here.”

Even though it was dark, Ethan Ellsworth knew his eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him.

A chill crept through him.

He put his arm around Chloe Marshall and led her back into the bedroom.

He turned on the light.

“Chloe, tomorrow I’m taking you on a trip to Zelkova.”

“Why are we going there again?”

“You’ll find out when we get there.” His expression was grim. “Zoe gave birth. It was a C-section. A boy.”

“Really?” Chloe Marshall smiled. “That’s wonderful.”

Ethan Ellsworth held her close. “Let’s get some sleep.”

Chloe Marshall nestled into his embrace and hummed softly in agreement.

Outside, the stars were blotted out by a vast sheet of dark clouds. The cool night was instantly plunged into an oppressive darkness.

Where before the starlight had been enough to make out the world outside, now when Ethan Ellsworth looked out the window, it was pitch-black. He couldn’t see a thing.

Ethan Ellsworth couldn’t sleep. The memory of what he’d seen upon returning home still made his heart pound with fear.

An avowed atheist, he now couldn’t help but consider seeking help from a spiritual master.

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a RUMBLE of thunder.

Soon, a torrential downpour began to beat against the window.

He held Chloe Marshall even tighter.

First thing the next morning, Ethan Ellsworth returned to the Ellsworth Residence.

Mrs. Ellsworth was just grabbing a thermal container, about to head to the hospital to deliver the soup to Zoe Ellsworth.

Seeing him, she said, “Son, I’ve ladled the chicken soup into a container. It’s on the kitchen counter. Just grab it and take it back for Chloe.”

Ethan Ellsworth nodded, his face impassive. “Mom, I’m taking Chloe to Zelkova in a little while.”