Chapter 197

Paloma took a bite, then frowned and set down her fork. Amelia’s heart tightened. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “It doesn’t taste good,” Paloma said, putting her fork down. “Ms. Edwards, don’t get me wrong. It’s not your cooking. I just don’t like this flavor." Amelia felt a pang of disappointment. ‘Have the eating habits I developed over seven years in Norava really been erased by time?’ she wondered. “Paloma’s favorite foods are steak and vegetable salad, and her favorite fruit is durian,” Aiden said, a triumphant smile flickering in his eyes. Obviously, he had known all along that things would turn out this way. Amelia shot him a glare and went back to eating in silence.

“Ms. Edwards, did I hurt your feelings?” Paloma asked hesitantly, her gentle eyes filled with apology. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to…” “It’s fine. I just miss my husband,” Amelia said softly. Amelia hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but suddenly her nose stung and tears started to fall before she could stop them. ‘Landon, I’ve found your sister. Where are you?’ she thought. Paloma was silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. “My condolences.” “I don’t need your condolences!” Amelia shot back, stubbornly wiping away her tears. “Landon isn’t dead. He’s alive! He’ll always be alive, no matter what!” That was a slip of the tongue. Paloma wanted to correct her, but after a moment’s thought, she let it go. Instead, she turned to Aiden and said, “Be good to Ms. Edwards. Don’t you dare hurt her.” “Don’t worry. I care about her too much to ever hurt her,” Aiden replied with a grin. Amelia was so disgusted that she doubled over, bracing herself on the table as she threw up. A servant rushed over with a trash can, and she threw up everything she’d just eaten. Amelia’s face was ghostly pale. She looked like she was in really bad shape. Aiden started to panic and hurried to call a doctor over. Paloma helped Amelia over to the couch and helped her lie down to rest, then took out the anti-nausea aromatherapy for her to smell. “Ms. Edwards, are you feeling any better?” Paloma asked, her voice full of concern. “Ms. Edwards, if you’re feeling unwell, please let us know,” she added gently. Amelia looked up at Paloma, her voice choked with emotion as she suddenly called out, “Paloma…” Paloma froze. That single word was like a knife with jagged edges, stabbing right into her heart.

“… …” Amelia gripped Paloma’s hand tightly, overcome with a wave of sorrow. ‘Landon has been searching for you for so many years. How could you possibly forget about him?’ she thought. “It’s okay, the doctor will be here soon. Don’t worry,” Aiden said, his eyes narrowing, a warning in his voice. Amelia wanted nothing more than to reunite with Paloma right now, but with Aiden’s warning, she had no choice but to swallow her feelings. ‘Just wait,’ she told herself. ‘There will come a right moment for us to finally reunite.’ Before long, the doctor arrived. “Dr. Shaw, please check on Ms. Edwards,” Paloma said, then turned to Amelia and reassured her, “Don’t worry, he’s our family doctor and he’s really good. When I was giving birth to Landen and things got dangerous, he was the one who delivered him.” Amelia studied this doctor. He wasn’t very old–his appearance suggested he was in his thirties–but there was a deep weariness in his eyes, as if he’d seen far too much. His hair was gray-white. It was hard to tell if he was born that way or if he dyed it on purpose. He was also Nusminish. Amelia suddenly felt a sense of kinship. “Dr. Shaw, sorry to trouble you.” “It’s okay.” To her surprise, the doctor used the traditional Nusminish method of pulse diagnosis. Amelia was startled again, secretly wondering just how much the doctor really knew about what happened with Paloma. If possible, maybe she could get some useful info out of him. “Ms. Edwards, have you previously ingested something with cold or toxic properties?” the doctor asked, sounding surprised.

Amelia was even more shocked. “You could really tell just by checking my pulse?” “You conceived this child too soon,” Dr. Shaw said, shaking his head. “The toxins have been cleared, but your body hasn’t fully recovered.” Amelia’s heart tightened. “Dr. Shaw…” “The baby is healthy right now, but you need to properly nurture your body,” he said. Hearing that the baby was fine, Amelia finally felt relieved. “Okay, I’ll make sure to take care of myself.” “Avoid cold and raw foods, don’t lift heavy objects, and don’t do any strenuous exercise. Keep your emotions calm,” the doctor instructed. “Okay, I will,” Amelia replied, nodding earnestly. She made sure to remember every instruction, committing them to memory one by one. Paloma asked worriedly, “Dr. Shaw, does she need to take any medication to help with the pregnancy?” “Too much medication isn’t good either. For now, let’s just hold off and see how things go,” he said thoughtfully. “But she was vomiting so badly just now, even the anti-nausea aromatherapy didn’t work anymore.” Aiden still couldn’t help but worry. Only if Amelia delivered this baby safely would there be any hope for a second or even a third child. “Her mood swings and overthinking are triggering a stress response,” the doctor explained. “Try to comfort her more and avoid upsetting her as much as possible.” Aiden was utterly speechless and exasperated. He didn’t know that stress could actually make morning sickness worse. “Dr. Shaw, we understand,” Paloma said as she stood up. “Let me walk you out.” A flicker of delight flashed in the doctor’s eyes, but he quickly masked it. He lowered his gaze and turned to leave. Paloma raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then gracefully walked over to the doctor’s side. Amelia watched their backs as they walked away, and for some reason, she felt like they just fit together perfectly. Aiden brought over a glass of warm water with lemon slices and said in a low voice, “Sorry, I won’t bring up Landon anymore.” Amelia took the water and sipped it slowly, completely ignoring him. It was this infuriating madman who caused Landon to disappear without a trace. She hated him so much. If Landon really never came back, she would never forgive Aiden for as long as she lived. She would devote her entire life to making him pay. “I’ve already apologized. Don’t ignore me,” Aiden said, his voice soft and pleading. But Amelia just kept ignoring him. They stayed like that, locked in a silent standoff inside the villa, while Paloma strolled with the doctor along the garden path lined with flowers outside. “Dr. Shaw, tell me the truth. Is her condition serious?” Paloma asked. Behind the lace mask, her eyes lost all their gentleness and turned razor-sharp. “It’s not serious,” Brian replied, stopping to look at the woman beside him with a smile. “Honestly, you look even more beautiful like this!” Paloma closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had returned to being the graceful, noble young lady untouched by the dust of the mortal world. Brian frowned, looking genuinely confused. “You want to protect her? Why?” “I don’t know. I just want to, that’s all,” Paloma said quietly. “When she called my name, I felt something in my heart.” “But if Aiden finds out, he won’t like it,” Brian said. “Then just make sure he never finds out,” Paloma replied. Paloma said, “Dr. Shaw, she’s only here because my little brother is holding something over her. I want to know the reason.” Brian looked troubled. “You know I can’t leave, so I’m relying on you here,” Paloma added. “Fine.” Brian let out a sigh. “All these years, have you ever really wanted to protect someone before?” With that, he turned and walked off into the night. The sprawling Kyle Estate looked especially beautiful beneath the night sky, imbued with a profound sense of tranquility and endless depth.

Paloma lifted her gaze to the stars, her lips moving in silence. “God, who am I, really?”