Chapter 4

I had thought about getting an abortion the moment Anthony and the others suspected me, but the baby had done nothing wrong. I had waited five years for this child, and it didn't deserve to suffer because of what the grown-ups had done.

I received word from the paternity testing agency that non-invasive testing could only be performed once the fetus reached four months.

I remained at my parents' place during that time.

Mom cooked nutritious meals for me every day, while Dad brought the most comfortable recliner from the living room into my room. Even my little brother Henry did his part, keeping his gaming headset draped around his neck. He claimed he didn't want to disturb my rest with all his gaming.

Yet, the man I had waited for all along, the father of the child growing inside me, never showed up. He didn't even send me a single message.

It wasn't until I tripped over the doorstep and slammed my knee into the concrete that everything shifted. I cried out in pain, but that was nothing compared to the fear that washed over me when a dull ache radiated from my lower abdomen, followed by the sensation of warm blood dripping down my leg.

Mom, Dad, and Henry weren't home, so I quickly took out my phone and called Anthony. "I tripped and fell. My stomach is hurting really badly, Anthony…"

Anthony asked hurriedly, "Where are you, Madison? I'll come over right—"

Emily's voice cut in from the other end before Anthony could finish speaking. "Isn't that too much of a coincidence, Madison? You actually tripped and fell right before the paternity test? You couldn't possibly be trying to get rid of the baby now, right?

"You should keep in mind that we don't even know if that baby is yours yet, Anthony! She wouldn't be pulling these kinds of stunts if she didn't have something to hide!"

Anthony remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "You'd better call an ambulance or have your parents take you to the hospital, Madison."

It was then that the call disconnected, leaving only the dull beeping in my ear, and my phone screen faded to black, reflecting my pale, expressionless face. It held no anger, no indignation—and not even sorrow anymore. I closed my eyes, thinking to myself that Anthony was the one who drove me to this.

Thankfully, Mom and Dad made it back just in time and rushed me to the hospital.

I actually refused the suggestion when the doctor told me that the baby was in danger and urged me to stay in the hospital to try to save the pregnancy.

It wasn't long before the day of the paternity test arrived. I completed the sampling under the Johnson family's watchful eyes from beginning to end. Anthony asked why my complexion was so pale, but I never even acknowledged him with a glance.

I went straight to the hospital after leaving the testing center. The procedure to induce labor was far more painful than I had expected. The doctor noted that the fetus was over 16 weeks old and that the bones had already formed. He even told me that it was a boy.

I was crying uncontrollably by the time I left the operating table.

It was a week later when the testing center's official digital report confirmed that Anthony was the biological father of the unborn baby.

It wasn't long before Anthony called me, sounding absolutely thrilled. "The results are in—the baby is mine, Maddie! The baby is ours! The doctor said my situation made having children impossible, so this unborn baby is truly a blessing! The Johnson family won't be without an heir!"

It was exactly as I had learned from my previous consultations—spontaneous recovery of semen quality in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia was exceptionally rare—a phenomenon known in medicine as sporadic spermatogenesis—and it was typically a singular, non-repeatable occurrence.

Thus, getting pregnant this time had already been a miracle; there was no telling when—or if—it would ever happen again. That meant that the child I had been carrying would be the only child Anthony would ever have. There would be no second chance if anything were to happen to the unborn baby.