Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled

Chapter 369

“Twins?!” My voice cracked, reeking of disbelief.

“Yes, but you’re so skinny. Don’t you watch your diet? You have to eat more and buff yourself up. Having one kid is already a pain in the butt. Having two will definitely need more fuel in the tank. Where’s your husband? Is he here yet? Let the doctor give him the lowdown later.” The ultrasound doctor said to me. She was very nice and kind about everything.

I was drowning in that unexpected joy, but when she brought up my husband, my mood changed.

I guessed I was just cut out to be a solo mom. When I walked out on Neil, life threw a baby at me.

“I’m divorced. It’s cool, I can handle the kid on my own.” I didn’t sugarcoat it. I just laid out my situation as it was. I didn’t want to answer any future “Where’s your husband?” questions.

Some things only need to be spelled out once.

Hearing my answer, the doctor let out a sympathetic sigh, “I see. What a shame. There are folks out there who can’t have kids, even if they wanted to. But here you are, hitting the twin jackpot. If you guys were still together, your ex would probably be over the moon.”

I didn’t need Neil to be over the moon. He had his life, and I had mine.

Walking out of the examination room, I felt like I was still in a dream. My folks were outside, looking all worried, probably thinking that I was shooting blanks.

“Rena, how’d it go? Was there something wrong with the scan?” My mom came over, all concerned and anxious.

“Even if there is, don’t sweat it. Medicine’s all high-tech now, there’s always a fix!” My dad tried to soothe me before even hearing about the scan results.

Under their worried starès, I snapped back to reality. The joy on my face was uncontrollable. “Dad, Mom, you’re about to be promoted to grandparents!”

My parents were gobsmacked and frozen for a few seconds. Then they glanced at each other, their faces morphing from disbelief to shock. My mom stuttered with excitement, just like me, “Is… Is this for real? Rena, are you pregnant? Am I going to be a grandma?”

I just nodded; that was my answer.

My dad whipped off his glasses and dabbed at the corners of his eyes, all choked up, “Fantastic, I’m going to be a grandpa too. We’ll have a little nugget at home!”

“Not one nugget.” I butted in. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“What’s that supposed to mean?” My dad was puzzled.

Two nuggets!” I put up two fingers and grinned.

Two?!!” Mom practically jumped out of her skin; she rushed over to support me, “Twins? So, I get to have two nuggets at once?”

Seeing how over the moon my parents were, I felt pretty stoked too. The clouds of gloom that had been hanging over me at that time had been swept away, replaced by bright sunshine. I was suddenly brimming with anticipation and motivation for the future.

Ever since I confirmed that I was pregnant, I became the apple of my family’s eye.

Because of my physical condition and my previous miscarriage, the doctor specifically reminded me to get plenty of rest and avoid too much exercise. I wasn’t like everyone else. I couldn’t blindly pursue fitness. The best choice was to stay in bed as much as possible; a leisurely stroll would be enough.

Mom prepped a ton of food for me every day, all of it nutritionally balanced. Dad spent his days tinkering with the plants in the yard, trying to make it even prettier so I could enjoy my strolls there.

They took care of me so thoughtfully, and my belly gradually grew bigger.

I didn’t tell anyone about my pregnancy, not even Stella and the others. There’s no wall without cracks, so I figured it’d be best to keep it under wraps for the time being.

I’ve always thought Karina and Bonnie were two peas in a pod; if she found out I was pregnant, she’d definitely think the baby was Neil’s. I was worried about what unexpected things might happen.

No matter who the father of the baby in my belly was, as long as it came out of me, it was my life.

“Mom, mom!”

For some reason that day, my mom didn’t answer when I called her. I had just woken up from my afternoon nap. I was starving and wanted her to whip me up something to eat

By now it was already evening, and due to the cold weather, it got dark pretty early. The lights in the yard were on, creating a hazy glow.

I got out of bed and left the bedroom, trying to find where my parents had gone. I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when I heard someone speaking in the living room, “Coffeer

“Thanks,” It was Russel’s voice!

I froze in my tracks, not daring to take another step.

“Dr. Russel, what brings you here today?” My mom had always been super friendly to Russel, and today was no different.

Tve always kept the address you gave me, it’s just that I had some stuff to deal with at the hospital, so it took me a while. Otherwise, I would have visited you guys earlier’ Russel’s voice was gentle and polite. He was very respectful to his elders.

“Why’d you bring so much stuff?” That was my dad’s voice, he seemed to have a good impression of Russel too, thanks to my mom’s influence.

While Russel was chatting with my parents in the living room, I felt a bit jittery. I didn’t want to see him again. Also, I didn’t want him to know about my pregnancy.

But looking at the situation, I guess the cat was out of the bag. If Russel still harbored any illusions about me, I might as well seize this opportunity to make him give up for good.

I braced myself and slowly entered the living room, “Mom, Dad, I’m awake.”

I was wearing a cotton nightgown, my belly was huge, and it was obvious that I had been pregnant for a while.

Russel looked at me, his gaze lingering on my belly for a few seconds. Surprisingly, he didn’t look shocked at all. He seemed pretty calm.

I was a bit taken aback.

“Sweetie, you’re awake. I’ve got some cod soup ready for you; it’s still hot. Wait a second, I’ll bring it over!” Seeing that I was awake, my mom immediately made me sit down on the sofa, then she dashed into the kitchen.

I sat next to Russel, with my gaze fixed on him, wondering why he was here.

“Long time no see.” Russel took the initiative to greet me.

“Yeah, why are you here?” I asked him straight up.

“I didn’t feel like working, so I came here to clear my head and check on you guys.” Russel took a sip of the coffee on the table, his voice nonchalant.

The world is so big, but somehow, wherever I went, he also went to clear his head. Did he think I’d buy that?