8. Signs of Pregnancy

Ghea’s pregnancy had now reached two months. Having found a solution and decided on her path forward, the girl regained her usual cheerful spirit. The only difference was that she took on as many endorsements as possible, aiming to stash away savings before stepping back from the entertainment industry. She had even recently bought a plot of land to build rental houses.

Everything Ghea did was guided by Jenny’s advice. Her manager truly steered her in the right direction; they had even partnered up to open a souvenir shop in Jogja. Jenny also promised Ghea that she would not take on any other artists while Ghea took her hiatus from the entertainment world.

Ghea went about her activities with renewed energy. She read extensive pregnancy resources online, firmly believing that a fetus understands what its mother feels and says. Because of this, every night Ghea stroked her still-flat belly while talking to it, asking her baby to cooperate.

"Mama needs to earn money for our future, so don't make Mama nauseous, okay? Once everything is wrapped up, we'll go to Jogja, and Mama will buy you a cow."

"Mama has a gig to perform. After this, Mama will treat you to some delicious cake."

Such was Ghea's routine when speaking to her unborn child. And while Ghea was happy and had made peace with her condition, Daniel appeared to be quite the opposite. Lately, the man frequently felt nauseous and even vomited whenever he caught strong scents.

Just like that morning, Daniel, who usually preferred coffee for breakfast, pushed away the dark brew Jamilah had prepared for him.

"You look so pale, Niel. Are you sick?"

"I don't know, Ma. My head is throbbing. For the past few days, I've felt naus—blegh..." Daniel bolted to the sink, retching violently.

"Good grief, did you catch a cold? Don't go to the office today; just rest at home. Your face looks like a corpse," Nova said anxiously.

"But I have to pick up Richie at the airport. I miss him."

"Let Mama pick that boy up. Just rest. Do you need me to call a doctor?" Nova stood up and massaged her son's temples.

"No need. I'll just ask Jim to bring a doctor from the company clinic. That way, he can bring some report files to the house at the same time."

**

 

Ghea sat wearing a mask in the airport waiting area, preparing to fly out of town for an event. Little did she expect that her die-hard fans there would recognize her. Swarming around Ghea, they clamored for photos. Jenny, left on her own, struggled to hold them back and had to ask airport security for help escorting her artist to safety. She really should have hired bodyguards for Ghea.

The security staff eventually escorted Ghea into a private lounge.

"Please wait here, Miss," the officer said.

Ghea nodded. She sat on the sofa and checked her phone. Finding nothing urgent, she slipped the device back into her bag, leaned back, and absentmindedly blew at her bangs. Without Ghea realizing it, a man sat watching her, smiling at her little habit.

Before long, however, the man stood up and wheeled his luggage while speaking into his phone. "Yes, Ma, I’ve arrived. Okay, I’ll wait outside."

"Did you eat something bad?" asked the corporate clinic doctor Jim had brought over to examine Daniel.

"No! I ate normally. So what’s your diagnosis? What’s wrong with me?"

"Hmm... if you were a woman, I might ask you to take a pregnancy test, because your symptoms mirror those in early pregnancy."

The doctor's joke infuriated Daniel. "Not funny."

"It seems you just need some rest, Sir," the doctor quickly added.

After the doctor departed, Jim handed several documents to Daniel. His secretary then passed along a message, which was met with complete indifference by his boss.

"Miss Isabel is returning to Indonesia today."