CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER 63: HE WANTS ME TO BECOME A TEST-TUBE BABY!

When Victoria Monroe awoke, the carriage was dim, and she couldn’t tell where she was or what time it was.

She just felt her legs were somewhat numb, and her body was a bit uncomfortable.

She moved slightly, why was the pillow not soft at all? It was so hard.

Something’s wrong.

She rolled over, and a hand pulled her back, drawing her into its embrace.

A man’s deep voice emerged from the darkness, "You’re awake?"

Victoria was startled as if she had seen a ghost; if not for half her body being numb, she would have jumped up in fright like a koi fish.

"Don’t move, if you move again, you’ll fall," the man lowly cautioned.

He must have just woken up too, his voice carried a grainy hoarseness, tinted with a touch of intimacy in such an atmosphere.

Victoria glanced around, the driver had already left the car, it was parked in a corner of the garage, with dim lighting.

A suit jacket belonging to Rhys Hawthorne covered her body; just now, she had been sleeping on the man’s lap.

Perhaps Rhys had also fallen asleep while waiting for her.

Victoria’s face flushed, "Why didn’t you wake me?"

"You looked very tired, so I didn’t bother. I just didn’t expect to fall asleep myself," he admitted, helpless.

Seeing she hadn’t moved away from him, he guessed something was up, "Do you need my help with anything?"

Victoria was a bit embarrassed to look at him.

With the distant light, she could only see the strong, handsome contours of his face, unable to discern his facial expression.

She whispered, "My body and legs are numb."

"Understood."

He didn’t let her go, just held her like that.

After being in the confined space for so long, they had absorbed each other’s scent.

In the quiet car, she heard Rhys’s heartbeat, so strong and powerful.

After resting for a while, she slowly moved her body away, rubbed her leg to make sure it wasn’t a big issue, "Sorry."

"It’s okay."

She glanced at the time, "It’s already seven, I can’t believe I slept for so long."

"Pregnant women tend to be sleepy, it’s normal."

"Do you have urgent matters? I’ve delayed you for quite some time."

"No, I’m quite free. But it’s already dinner time, I know a restaurant nearby that has pretty decent food."

Having unlocked the bonds of childhood, their relationship improved compared to before, Rhys didn’t need to find excuses to invite her, they were like old friends quite naturally.

Previously, when she saw him advising her to keep the child and not to abort, Victoria was further convinced Rhys’s feelings towards her were not romantic.

What man in the world who had an interest in you would advise you to keep your ex-husband’s child?

So she didn’t feel burdened in her interactions with him, feeling more at ease.

"No need, Ms. Hayes prepared soup for me, she just left, the food is still hot. If you don’t mind..."

"I don’t mind."

Rhys replied quickly, this was her new apartment, not the marital home she shared with Julian Fordham.

Her invitation, he wouldn’t refuse.

This was Victoria’s first time bringing a friend home, even without Julian, she inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought.

That person really had a deep impact on her, even if he was no longer by her side, she still habitually did things according to his preferences.

This apartment was a standalone, with only one family on each floor, so there was usually no need to worry about encountering neighbors.

Rhys stood at the doorway, "Thank you for having me."

Victoria took off her slippers, pulled out a pair of men’s slippers from inside, noticing Rhys’s attention, she proactively explained, "Prepared by the landlord for her son, they’re new, no one has worn them."

So Julian Fordham hadn’t been here, Rhys was the first.

A subtle smile appeared at the corner of Rhys’s mouth.

Victoria served two bowls of rice, "Finally have a chance to treat you, our Ms. Hayes has excellent culinary skills."

Rhys’s gaze was somewhat profound, "She’s been with you for a long time?"

"Two years or so, she’s always been dependable and a diligent lady, very kind to me."

Victoria used public chopsticks to push a large rib into his bowl, really treating him like a younger brother, "Don’t be shy, eat more, back then a little pickle was all I could offer, now your sister can afford to serve you meat."

The term ’sister’ made Rhys a bit uncomfortable, she treated him as a junior.

But now wasn’t the time to argue about it.

Without revealing his emotions, he lowered his eyes and softly said, "Thank you."

After the meal, Rhys voluntarily helped her clean up the dishes before he spoke of leaving.

Victoria chuckled, "Little master, you’re still the same as before, haven’t changed a bit."

Still so polite and well-behaved.

Facing her smiling countenance, Rhys unexpectedly pulled her into his embrace.

Victoria was dumbfounded, her smile froze.

His sudden hug startled her into stillness, but soon she felt his embrace was gentlemanly, without any further action.

Rhys Hawthorne’s low voice came through: "I’m sorry, I broke my promise, I should have come back to find you sooner."

He thought that ten million was enough for her to live well, but he didn’t know she was still struggling in the abyss.

Years later, he saw her again while filming at a Hawthorne Group hotel chain.

She had become an actress, and he recognized her at a glance as the girl from back then.

Back then, Victoria Monroe was still an unknown side character, and because she refused to play by unspoken rules, the director had her film a diving scene.

It was very cold that day, she jumped into the water over and over again.

Anyone with eyes could see the director was deliberately making things difficult for her, yet she still persisted in performing each scene well.

Rhys Hawthorne didn’t know when he started liking her, maybe that one look was a lifetime.

Victoria Monroe didn’t know either why that drama suddenly changed investors and directors, leading to a diligent new director and her quick rise to fame.

From then on, her acting career went more smoothly, and she never had to film a single intimate scene again, all thanks to Rhys Hawthorne.

Victoria Monroe thought of that beautiful glass jar of candy, the last candy she gave to Julian Fordham.

She patted his back like a big sister, "Isn’t it good you’ve come back now?"

The two separated as soon as they touched, without any ambiguity.

What they felt was a release from the promise of their childhood.

"Victoria, if anything happens, you can tell me. No matter what happens, I’m always on your side."

Victoria Monroe met his serious gaze and smiled, "Such impudence, call me sister!"

"I won’t." He abruptly turned and left the room.

The moment the door closed, he heard a sentence.

"It’s so nice, now I have a friend."

The elevator had already arrived, Rhys Hawthorne pressed the button for the previous floor as the elevator doors closed.

The indifferent smile on his face suddenly changed, replaced by arrogance and burgeoning ambition.

Ms. Monroe, a sister is not what I want.

Victoria Monroe’s mood shifted abruptly, she sat in front of the piano and played a piece, "Flower Dance."

After a few days of rest, the scab on her wrist wound didn’t affect her piano playing.

This time she played very fluently, but she didn’t expect that after she struck a few notes, a violin started accompanying her from upstairs.

Victoria Monroe found it novel, it was the first time she had felt this way.

Julian Fordham walked downstairs and saw the light on in Victoria Monroe’s room, and just knowing she was there made him feel a bit better.

Back at home, he casually loosened his tie and faintly heard the sound of music.

He opened the window, and it became clearer.

The sound of the violin and piano blended seamlessly, yet it left him unsettled.

Victoria Monroe realized halfway through her playing that a cello had also joined from downstairs.

Even though they had never practiced together, the three seemed like old friends.

With the piano at its center, the cello and violin, one melodious, one deep, created a unique melody.

Victoria Monroe felt a strong curiosity towards her two neighbors.

She moved her wrist a little, refraining from exerting too much force, and stopped appropriately.

She stood up and touched her abdomen, as if to aid digestion.

Gazing alone at the moonlit sky, the heavy snow had stopped, and today’s moon was big and bright.

She longed to watch the moon with her baby.

The thought of having to abandon it soon was an unbearable pain that tore through her insides.

"My poor child, in your next life, you must find a good family, don’t choose a selfish mother like me again."

Before sleep, Victoria Monroe received a call from her grandmother, who asked her to accompany her for a medical checkup the next day.

The next morning, Victoria Monroe took her grandmother to the hospital.

Her grandmother’s mental state was okay, but the visible aging on her face was evident.

Victoria Monroe secretly blamed herself; she had been so focused on improving her health and preparing for pregnancy that she had ignored her grandmother’s health.

"Grandmother, let’s go for a blood test first."

"No rush, dear, accompany me somewhere first."

Victoria Monroe thought she was taking her to see her regular doctor, so she didn’t give it much thought. Little did she know her grandmother was taking her not to an office but to an examination room.

It was a check-up room, and after years of preparing for pregnancy, how could she not recognize a B Ultrasound room?

"Grandmother, since you’re fasting, let’s do the blood test first, so you can eat afterward," she suggested.

Her grandmother held her hand, "Dear, I’m not important. You haven’t been pregnant for so many years; Grandma wants to see your test results. Just cooperate with the doctor for a B Ultrasound examination."

Upon hearing this, Victoria Monroe immediately understood whose idea it was.

It was Julian Fordham!

He had just asked Rachel Hayes to terminate the child, and with their divorce proceedings ongoing, he now placed all his hopes on a child.

He wanted her to undergo artificial insemination!