جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

ALAS stepped into his office, and his eyes went straight to Yna. He could tell at once she was withdrawn. “Hey — are you alright?” he asked gently, even though he knew she might not want to answer.Yna ignored him completely. She didn’t feel like talking — not to him, not right now. Her earlier joy had curdled into hurt, and she was still angry for so many reasons.“Yna… are you mad at me? I’m sorry,” Alas pleaded, confused by her coldness.“I’m fine,” she said flatly. “Anyway — Lydia said you have the board meeting. She’ll be the one going with you instead.”“Why? Are you busy?” he asked softly.“Not exactly. I just… I feel strange all of a sudden. I don’t think I can sit through that long meeting. I might pass out halfway.”“Alright. I’ll go then. Do you need medicine? I can pick something up for you before I head over.”“I’m fine, really. I can look after myself. You’d better go — you’ll be late.”“Okay. I’m off. Take care of yourself.” He turned to leave.“Wait, sir — Lydia said t

YNA slammed on the brakes and pulled over right in the middle of the road. Everything felt like it was caving in on her—Janus, Brenda, all of it had turned her life into one huge mess. She pounded her fists against the steering wheel.“Argh! Why am I so unlucky? Why did he have to come back? What is he even after? I don’t want to see him ever again. I hate him. I hate all of them!” she screamed, voice cracking in the quiet of her car.Car horns blared all around her, a growing symphony of noise as traffic backed up from her sudden stop. When she finally snapped back to her senses, she quickly wiped away her tears and got moving again. She could already imagine people yelling at her for being so stupid—parking right in the middle of the road just to wallow in self-pity.She got home feeling heavier than ever, frustrated with herself and the whole world. The sight of Alas with Brenda earlier still made her blood boil. Her mind kept spinning with all those what-ifs she didn’t want to ent

EVEN though Yna felt terrible, she still chose to come in to work.Dark circles marred her eyes—proof she’d cried through the entire night—and she’d only managed to cover them with a little concealer.When she stepped into the office, she saw Alas sitting at his swivel chair, but she deliberately ignored him. She went straight to her desk and opened her laptop. Alas watched her closely; even though he was still upset with her too, concern outweighed everything else.He noticed how pale she looked, and how her eyes still held the obvious traces of tears. He stood up and walked over to her.“Yna, what happened? Is something wrong?” he asked gently, worried—but she gave no answer. She just pretended to be too busy to hear him.Alas sighed and rubbed his forehead. He wanted so badly to know what was bothering her, but he didn’t know how else to reach her. He lightly tapped her shoulder, and Yna jumped in surprise.A jolt shot straight down her spine the moment his hand touched her. She’d

"CONGRATULATIONS, sir—your wife is pregnant," the doctor said warmly as she walked over to Alas. He froze, stunned by the news. Joy surged through him, but it was quickly tangled with deep uncertainty.How is Yna pregnant? And who is the father?He managed a faint smile. "Thank you, Doctor—I’m glad to hear that. But could we speak privately for a moment?" He had things he needed to discuss with her about Yna’s condition."Of course. Come this way to my office." She led the way, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking after Yna first."How is she, really?" He needed to know if there was anything else wrong besides all the stress she’d been carrying. So this was why she’d been so exhausted, why she’d felt feverish and run-down lately—she was pregnant, and she’d never told him. She’d nearly collapsed today, and both she and the baby were at risk because this pregnancy was already high-risk."She’s doing well, all things considered. Once the nurse gives you the prescription for her prena

EVEN THOUGH, Yna felt terrible, struck by a wave of morning sickness, she still forced herself to come to work.Alas hadn’t arrived yet, so she went straight to her desk. She felt like bursting into tears, but she knew she couldn’t—crying would only add more stress to her body.Her mind kept circling back to the consequences of everything that had happened, especially now that she was carrying a child. She wondered if Alas was only being this kind because it was the right thing to do. She was so confused, but one thing was certain: she could never harm this baby. The child had done nothing wrong, and deserved to live and grow just like any other.She’d been turning this over in her head since last night, but there was no easy answer. She still ended up blaming herself, had cried herself to sleep, and even felt moments of hating her own choices.Just then, the door opened and Lydia poked her head in. She walked over with a warm smile. “Where’s Sir Alas?” she asked first, holding a stac