Chapter 86: Uncertainty and Fear

Chapter 86: Uncertainty and Fear

Waking up early in the morning and being forced to do a full day's worth of "manual labor" left Emily far from happy. She was so exhausted that she didn't even have the energy to scold Ethan, burying half her face in the pillow and ignoring him.

After satisfying his desires, Ethan, now a contented beast, became gentle, staying by the bed and soothing her with tender words. He threw out a slew of cheesy lines, mentioning the luxury hotel's hot springs which would benefit her body and skin, and promised he could accompany her on a leisurely shopping trip as his schedule was flexible. The core message was clear: he wanted her to accompany him on his business trip.

Emily, barely able to lift her eyelids, mumbled a vague agreement to get him out of the room. As she was drifting back to sleep, she heard Ethan on the phone with his assistant, discussing private jets and business trip arrangements.

By the time she woke up again, the sun was already shining brightly. Before she could fully grasp her annoyance at being shaken awake and taken to the airport, Ethan handed her a bowl of warm bird's nest soup.

"I've packed your luggage," he said, pointing to the nearby floor. "Take a look and see if anything's missing."

Emily was speechless. His enthusiasm wasn't about inviting her on a business trip; it was more like he was determined to drag her onto the plane!

She threw back the covers, got out of bed, and muttered, "What kind of life am I living?"

Mrs. Chen, who had just entered to tidy up, couldn't help but click her tongue. What kind of life? The life of a textbook-rich and pampered wife! Ever since the lady moved back, everyone in the house had seen Ethan transform into a completely different person. In recent days, it wasn't just about loving and cherishing his wife—it was like he was her devoted servant!

The little lady had become the queen of the house, or rather, the queen of their domain. As Emily walked into the bathroom, she saw the ambiguous red marks on her skin and couldn't help but close her eyes in embarrassment.

D*mn it, he was like a dog. She almost wished she could bite him back…

Her skin was indeed glowing, so smooth and radiant that even her pores seemed to vanish. Her cheeks and lips had a natural, rosy hue that no makeup could replicate. It was true that love was the best skincare product for a woman.

But now, with Ethan away, she wouldn't have access to her exclusive "skincare products" for over half a month. This thought softened her resentment about being jolted awake and dragged onto a plane.

After her shower, Emily shuffled to the adjacent dressing room to check her luggage. She was particular and meticulous, even when traveling, insisting on bringing her own dental floss. Each trip was like moving half her home.

But someone indulged her. Not only had Ethan prepared plenty of high-end luggage, but he had also packed everything for her. She did a quick check and found that he had indeed packed everything well. Clothes were neatly organized in dust bags, and bags were packed by size and brand—five large suitcases in total, enough for a week at fashion week.

Emily recalled how she used to complain that Ethan lacked the responsibility of a husband and didn't know how to care for her. Now, she realized he had indeed made significant progress.

Her cosmetics and daily necessities were packed in protective cases, and her vanity was nearly emptied, along with her gift pack of warming patches, brown sugar, and tampons.

Her gaze lingered on the tampons. It had been a while since she last used that "gift pack"—the same time Ethan had made her brown sugar water. It was also then that she went to the Chinese medicine clinic for an X-ray and discovered something...

It had been quite some time, hadn't it?

Emily instinctively placed her hand on her abdomen, feeling a peculiar flutter in her heart. No, it couldn't be.

Her menstrual cycle was often irregular, sometimes delayed by half a month or even a month, but it had been regular for the past six months. She hadn't had any symptoms—no morning sickness, which was supposedly a sign.

But then again, some people didn't have symptoms at all. Olivia had said she barely felt anything during her pregnancy.

Her mind felt like a battleground with two little figures fighting, and she automatically blocked them out. She took out her phone and typed "pregnancy symptoms" into the search bar, noticing her fingers trembling slightly.

As she scrolled through the search results, her hands shook more and more. Aside from morning sickness, pregnancy symptoms included aversion to food, cold sensitivity, drowsiness, and fatigue…

She had all of them.

Emily took a deep breath, her long eyelashes trembling.

Stay calm, stay composed…

"Emily."

The door of the dressing room suddenly knocked twice, startling Emily.

"Are you packed? Do you need your husband's help?"

Emily quickly turned off her phone screen and answered with difficulty, "No, no need…"

When she walked out, she saw Ethan ready to go. The butler was supervising the servants as they moved things, while Ethan stood by the door, holding a cup of coffee. He wasn't wearing a coat, and the dark tie with the light vest accentuated his slim waist and tall, upright posture, making him particularly pleasing to the eye.

Emily approached him, lips pressed together.

"I'm not going."

Ethan paused mid-sip of his coffee. He quickly set the cup down, stepped forward, and placed his hands on Emily's shoulders, one hand also on her forehead.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Emily shook her head, her voice barely audible. "I… suddenly remembered I have something to do…"

Ethan stared at her for two seconds, seeming unconvinced. "What's going on?"

He observed her face, his deep voice tinged with concern. "Emily, is there something you haven't told me?"

Emily froze.

Looking up into Ethan's deep, dark eyes, she almost spilled everything she suspected. Just imagining his reaction to the news was more exhilarating than her initial realization of a possible pregnancy.

But she was also more frightened. Afraid that it might all be a misunderstanding and that he might be disappointed…

"Well, I do have something. Jessica and I had already made plans! You go alone. Why do you need me for work?" Emily fumbled, deciding to make excuses. Ethan was always susceptible to her antics.

She tilted her head and deliberately pouted, scolding him, "Hmph, don't think I don't know. You're just thinking with your lower body, craving me!"

Ethan looked at her with an expression that said, "Yes, I am."

Unashamedly and naturally.

He remained silent, simply observing her. His height and his gaze, deep and penetrating, made Emily's back shiver. Fortunately, Ethan said nothing, simply pulling her into a hug, kissing her, and advising her to take care of herself at home and to call him immediately if anything came up…

Once Ethan finally left, Emily threw on some clothes and hurried out the door. She didn't let any bodyguards accompany her and drove herself—a first since getting her driver's license. On the way, her Maserati was overtaken by several shared bikes.

Upon seeing the first pharmacy, Emily pulled over. She rushed in, quickly bought several pregnancy tests, and drove back home without delay.

Back at home, she didn't even glance at the breakfast Mrs. Chen had prepared and headed straight to the bathroom.

The pharmacy only had one kind of pregnancy test, so Emily bought several. The last time she handled these, it was during the argument with Ethan about divorce.

She remembered praying with every cell in her body for just one line, terrified of being trapped in a marriage she wanted to escape.

Now, her greatest fear was seeing just one line…

Within a minute, the results appeared.

Emily nervously picked up the test, and for a moment, she was completely stunned.

One line meant not pregnant, two lines meant pregnant.

So what was this?

What did it mean, having one clear line and a faint second line?

Emily stood there dazed for a moment, then picked up her phone and clicked on a chat with Olivia, whose profile picture was a smiling baby.

[I just bought pregnancy tests…]

Olivia responded quickly:

[Ahhhhhhhhhhh]

[OMG, you finally did it!! I'm booking a reservation for the in-laws hahaha!]

Emily: […Calm down first]

[Also, on behalf of my family, I refuse to accept a sibling relationship [doge]]

Emily sent a photo of the pregnancy test.

[What does this mean? Is it positive?]

Olivia went silent suddenly.

Emily saw the screen show "typing" and then, after a few seconds, went quiet again.

Emily: [????]

After a few more silent seconds, Olivia's voice message request popped up.

"Emily," Olivia's voice was hesitant and serious, "You need to go to the hospital right now."