Chapter 2

I looked up to see Angela standing there in a loose maternity dress.

One hand rested protectively over her stomach, while the other was tightly held by Gary.

Back then, Gary had treated Angela with cold disdain, acting like he was above everyone else.

But now, his eyes were full of tenderness.

"Slow down. Don't rush around like that. What if you bump into something?"

Angela smiled and lightly patted his hand.

"I'm fine. It's not like I'm that fragile."

Then she turned toward me, concern flickering in her eyes.

"Cassidy, what are you doing at the hospital? Another checkup?"

I quickly hid the test tube report behind my back and answered flatly.

"Yeah. Just finished."

At that moment, my parents walked out from a nearby consultation room.

The moment they saw me, the smiles on their faces froze briefly.

Then their attention immediately shifted back to Angela.

"Angela, you're pregnant with your second child now. You have to be careful about everything."

Gary quickly chimed in, his tone respectful.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll take good care of Angela. She's the hero of our family now."

Ever since Angela gave birth to a daughter for Gary despite his fertility issues, her status in the Cardone family had skyrocketed.

Mrs. Cardone bragged to everyone that Angela had a naturally fertile body, and that the second child was definitely going to be a boy.

Even the Miller family had landed several business projects because of it.

The guilt my parents once felt toward me had long disappeared. Now they practically revolved around Angela.

My mother held Angela's hand, the more she looked at her, the more pleased she seemed.

"Angela is truly blessed. She's the pride of the Miller family."

Then she turned toward me, her tone noticeably colder.

"Cassidy, how were the test results? Still no news?"

My chest tightened. I gripped the medical file harder and lowered my voice.

"No."

My mother frowned, undisguised disappointment in her expression.

"Honestly, your health is perfectly fine, so why can't you get pregnant? Are you even trying properly?"

My father sighed as well.

"Cassidy, stop being so stubborn. Take care of your health properly. The Lester family is still waiting for a grandson."

Angela quickly stepped in to smooth things over and hooked her arm through mine.

"Oh right, Cassidy, did you drink the herbal fertility medicine I gave you before? It's supposed to help a lot with conception."

The moment she mentioned that prescription, irritation surged through me.

My tone sharpened before I could stop myself.

"I drank it. It didn't help."

Not only did it not help, it also left my face covered in breakouts.

I touched my cheek unconsciously. The swelling and redness that had finally faded suddenly seemed to burn again.

The smile in Angela's eyes deepened slightly before she spoke in surprise.

"How could that be? It worked really well for me. Even my pregnancy became more stable afterward."

I had no energy left for polite conversation. I made up an excuse and walked away.

Without realizing it, I ended up outside the nursery room.

I stopped and stared through the glass at the pink-cheeked babies inside, my heart filling with envy.

I had loved children ever since I was young. I always thought they were the cutest thing in the world.

But now, I could not even have a child of my own.

"What are you doing?!"

A sharp female voice suddenly rang out.

A woman in postpartum clothes rushed over and shoved me away, glaring at me fiercely.

"Who are you? Are you trying to steal my baby?"