The next day, Adeline planned to buy emergency contraceptive pills.
As Adeline walked downstairs, she was surprised to see the mansion decorated like a fairytale castle. A group of people waited nervously in the living room. Damian, wearing medical gloves, was squatting beside Jessica. They were tending to a large dog giving birth inside a plush doghouse.
Seeing Adeline, Jessica deliberately picked up a newborn puppy and said loudly, “Damian, look, Winnie is amazing. Every puppy she gave birth to is fat and healthy.”
The words pierced Adeline’s heart, but she pretended not to hear. Jessica continued, “Today is Winnie’s special day. Damian, you should give her a gift.”
Damian smiled gently and stroked Jessica’s hair. “Alright. What does Jessica want?”
Jessica pouted playfully, saying, “Hmm ... then let’s give her the opal bracelet Adeline’s mother left behind.”
Adeline’s heart skipped a beat. She rushed down the stairs, but twisted her ankle on the last step and fell to her knees. Jessica laughed mockingly. “I know you can’t give birth to a healthy child, so I tried everything. But there’s no need to give Winnie such a big gift.”
Everyone laughed. Damian’s expression turned cold. “Stop embarrassing yourself. Go back to your room.”
He took the opal bracelet from a servant and prepared to fasten it around Winnie’s neck. Jessica suddenly changed her mind and asked him to try it on the newborn puppies one by one.
Adeline, enduring the pain in her ankle, struggled to stand. “Give me back the opal bracelet!”
Damian didn’t even look at her. He tossed a credit card close to her feet.
“Today is a happy day. Winnie gave birth. Don’t cause trouble. There’s 30 million pounds on this card. More than enough to buy that opal bracelet.”
Adeline’s eyes turned red.
Happy? A dog gave birth and they celebrated. Yet, no one had mourned her lost child.
She watched Damian gently place the lock on a puppy and shouted, “That was my mother’s gift to my children. Give it back!”
Jessica reacted as if the item were filthy. She picked it up with two fingers and threw it across the room. It hit the ground and shattered.
“Oh no, our puppy can’t wear this! What if it dies like your baby? Such bad luck!”
Adeline crawled toward the pieces, ignoring her pain and gathered them in her hands. It was the last thing her mother left behind. Something she couldn’t even protect.
She turned and saw Damian still tending to the dog with a soft smile on his face. He looked just like he did when they first met, standing under a maple tree in a white shirt, smiling gently. Perhaps, he didn’t hate children. He just hated the ones she gave birth to.
Damian finally noticed her. Just as he was about to have someone send her upstairs, he saw her limping away from the mansion. Watching her lonely figure disappear, he felt an odd discomfort. But his attention quickly shifted back to the puppies.
At the hospital, Adeline first treated her sprained ankle before going to the obstetrics and gynecology department to get contraceptive pills. Just as she spoke with the doctor, Jessica burst in carrying Winnie.
“Doctor, help! My dog is having a difficult labor!”
Damian followed, sweeping everything off the table with one arm before placing the dog on it.
The doctor was stunned, but quickly said, “This is a hospital for humans. You need to go to a vet.”
Jessica cried, begging, “But Winnie is family. To me, she’s a person!”
Damian immediately called the hospital director, “If you don’t find someone to save this dog, your hospital will shut down tomorrow.”
Adeline watched them, finding the scene ridiculous. Bringing a dog into a human hospital … were they trying to save it or kill it? But none of it mattered to her anymore. She just wanted to leave.
Unfortunately, Jessica noticed her.
“Adeline! This is all your fault! You and your dead mother cursed my Winnie! You can’t even give birth to a healthy child. Are you jealous of a dog?”
“What did you say?!”
Jessica could insult her all she wanted, but not her mother. Furious, Adeline raised her hand to slap her, but Damian caught her wrist. He stared at her as if trying to read her soul.
“You said you didn’t want a child yesterday. So why are you secretly visiting the obstetrics and gynecology department now?”
Adeline tried to pull away, but Damian’s grip left red marks on her wrist. In anger, she bit his hand until he let go.
“I’m not here to prepare for pregnancy!” she snapped.
Damian frowned at the bright red teeth marks. “If not for pregnancy, then why are you here? For contraception? Do you expect me to believe that?”
“Yes!” she said without hesitation.
Damian sneered, responding, “So now you’re using this as an excuse to get my attention? Competing with a dog for favor … is that fun for you?”
Just then, the doctor who had treated Adeline came out and handed her the pills as he said, “You forgot these earlier, miss.”
Without a word, Adeline took five pills and swallowed them dry, right in front of Damian.
“Wait! Don’t take so many!” the doctor warned.
“It’ll hurt your body. You may never be able to get pregnant again!”
Damian stared at her in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Adeline to actually come for contraceptive pills. She really didn’t want his child.
