Chapter 3

"Look at me. My whole body hurts, especially my inner thighs. It hurts so much I don’t even want to walk."

Cassian walked in carrying two glasses of milk, handing one to me and one to Sabine. "Drink up. We’re going to the hospital together afterward."

Sabine tilted her head. "If Kaelith is getting checked, why do I have to go?"

Cassian flicked her nose. "Dummy, counting the dates, you should be about ready, too. I promised I’d give you a Thorne child as well."

They behaved shamelessly in front of me, completely uninhibited.

I rose silently without touching the milk. Cassian looked displeased and lifted the glass, trying to force it to my lips.

"What are you sulking about now? I didn’t come back last night because Sabine kept having nightmares. You know she lost Pluto. I…"

As I struggled, the entire glass of milk splashed across Cassian. His fists clenched as he fought to restrain himself.

Sabine screamed and scrambled around looking for tissues. "Kaelith, how can you be so violent? Cassian was only worried about me. If you need to vent your anger, take it out on me. He’s only doing this for my sake!"

So it was all for her.

My eyes burned as I glared at them, about to explode, then I suddenly remembered Lennox’s warning.

Adric would not return from abroad for three more days. Until then, for the children’s sake, I couldn’t afford to provoke them.

Seeing that I had fallen silent, Cassian studied me suspiciously for several moments before dragging both Sabine and me to the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Cassian’s five friends were craning their necks. They crowded around me. "Kaelith, hurry in. I can’t wait to know the results."

"Same here, same here."

Their gazes stripped over me nakedly, as if they wanted to tear my clothes off on the spot. Rage and humiliation surged through me.

However, I couldn’t react. I had to endure.

An hour later, the results came out. As expected, Cassian’s friends hid in the stairwell, buzzing with excitement.

"Three. It really is three."

"I won, hahaha! Everyone owes me $50 million. Pay up!"

"Three babies… Kaelith really does have incredible fertility."

Cassian, however, looked disappointed. He stared at my ultrasound report, his expression dark and unreadable.

At that moment, Sabine walked over, clutching her own report.

"Cassian, I’m pregnant too. Look, I'm four weeks along. Almost the same time as Kaelith." Then she cast him a pitiful glance. "My God, how could Kaelith get pregnant with three babies at once? Her body must be incredible. Unlike useless me, who can only carry one for you. I’ll never measure up to her. Never."

Cassian pulled her into his arms. "It’s not about quantity. No matter how many there are, if they’re not mine, I won’t keep them. Sabine, I can finally face Pluto now. You must take good care of yourself and give birth to the first heir of the Thornes as soon as possible."

Cassian stepped out of the stairwell, looking at my stomach with pure disgust. "Abort them, Kaelith. Sabine is pregnant now. Let her give birth first. Pluto is already dead…"

Yes. He was dead. Pluto had been gone for a year. Everyone knew whose child she was carrying. No one had simply torn away the thin veil of pretense.

I stared straight into Cassian’s eyes. "What about these three children? You don’t want them?"

Cassian said, "Later, I’ll focus on giving you a child, all right?"

"Fine. Then schedule the abortion for me."

An abortion appointment would take at least a week.

'Adric Vale, if you truly care about these children, come at the agreed time.'

I agreed to the abortion, yet Cassian seemed unexpectedly dissatisfied.

"You actually agree to it? Don’t you love children more than anything? When the last one didn’t make it, you cried like you wanted to die. Why are you giving these three up so easily?"

His friends were reluctant, too.

"Kaelith, keep them. Triplets are so rare."