Josie lay in bed, unable to sleep due to Dexter’s presence.
Upon hearing this question, she took a deep breath. “On the third day of my arrival in Sumanthova, I fell ill. At first, I thought it was just a case of not being acclimated. It was only after going to the hospital for a check-up that I found out I was pregnant.”
She still remembered the doctor’s astonishment. “You’ve been pregnant for three months, don’t you know?” the doctor had said.
Josie was equally shocked. “How could this be? I didn’t have any signs of pregnancy at all.”
In truth, there were signs, but during her three months in Clusia country, she was constantly on the go. She attributed the occasional discomfort she felt to her irregular eating habits, not giving them much thought.
Upon reflection, she realized that she hadn’t had her period for several months. However, she simply attributed it to exhaustion.
After some thought, she said, “Could there have been a mistake in the examination? It’s impossible. If it’s been three months, how could this child possibly have survived…”
She had experienced life-and-death situations. She was even kidnapped by Rachel for over two days, enduring the rain and fever, as well as being thrown around violently.
The doctor was resolute. Looking at the report, he said, “You are indeed pregnant. Make sure to rest well and ensure you get proper nutrition.”
Josie took the report and walked out of the hospital in a daze, unable to believe that she was carrying a child in her belly.
When she was hospitalized in Wavery, the doctors didn’t make such examination, so it went undetected. She even thought to herself with a bitter smile that it was fortunate they didn’t check, otherwise Dexter would definitely not have let her leave.
Calculating the timing, she figured it to be the time on the rooftop of the Olsen Residence.
Dexter had given her a grand gift-a new life.
In reality, she still had a substantial amount of money in her account. Whether it was the money given by Henry before his death, or the funds transferred by Dexter into her account, it was more than enough to ensure she lived a life free of worries.
However, she didn’t want to.
During her pregnancy, she worked tirelessly, eager to settle down as quickly as possible to provide a stable environment for her child.
During that period, even Lachlan said she was working herself to death.
Later on, there was an instance when Lachlan visited her in Sumanthova. He was utterly shocked to see that her belly had grown so big. “How many months are you into your pregnancy?” he asked.
“Seven,” she said calmly.
“Have you been working all these months while pregnant?”
“Why, Mr. Keller? Did I not perform my job well?”
“Of course not. I was just surprised!”
Lachlan had asked many times about the identity of the child’s father, but Josie didn’t want to tell him. She was determined to raise the child on her own.
Upon hearing this, Dexter couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart, “Why didn’t you tell me? You didn’t have to go through all this suffering.”
He always regretted missing her pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the growth of Grape.
Josie was very calm. “I never wanted to see you again in this lifetime.”
The hurtful words slipped from her lips, utterly disregarding the pain in Dexter’s heart.
“During the pregnancy, Grape was very well- behaved, causing no major disturbances. After birth, it was the same. She didn’t give me too much to worry about,” Josie recounted briefly, glossing over all the hardships she faced.
However, Dexter was not buying any of it. The mere thought of a single woman raising a child alone while working in a foreign country was incredibly agonizing.
“You didn’t touch a single penny of the money I gave you.”
“Right, I know that if I had used it, you would be able to know my location, wouldn’t you?”
She has gone to such lengths to avoid me.
“Come to think of it, I nearly lost my life during childbirth. I did consider reaching out to you at that time.” At that moment, Josie had only one thought in mind-to protect the child at all costs.
