Chapter 839

Ryan, standing by my side, asked the doctor with curiosity, “Why are there two heartbeats? Is that normal?”

The doctor chuckled and said, “Haha, looks like you’re a first-time dad. That means she’s having twins!”

Ryan’s face lit up with joy, and he looked at me in total disbelief.

But I couldn’t help but furrow my brows.

“Vic, is it really true?” Ryan leaned down and kissed my forehead twice. “The doctor says we’re having twins.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Well, if the doctor says twins, then I guess that’s really happening.”

Ryan glanced down at my belly and asked the doctor seriously, “Is having twins really going to be tough?”

The doctor nodded. “It’s definitely a bit harder than having just one baby, but everyone handles pregnancy differently. As long as the babies don’t get too big, it’s usually quite manageable–just be extra careful when it comes time to deliver.”

Ryan’s smile faded a bit, and he looked at me with concern. “Vic…”

I could see Ryan was worried about how hard this pregnancy might get, but I’d already chosen to be a mom. If these babies showed up in our lives, that’s fate, and I wouldn’t back down.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said, giving him a gentle smile.

After we left the hospital, the doctor prescribed me some meds and gave me a few tips on what to keep an eye on.

Ryan wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as he softly held my finger and whispered, “Vic, I admit I’ve always dreamed about having a child with you. I never expected we’d end up with two. Do you blame me for that?”

Ryan was way more caring than Jared ever was. When I was pregnant with Yvonne, Jared was happy about being a father, but he never really understood how scary and unfamiliar pregnancy could be for a woman.

Maybe it was because I was young and fearless back then, thinking pregnancy was easy and anyone could do it. But after I gave birth to Yvonne, and spent more than ten hours in labor, I finally realized just how tough it really was–like having one foot in the grave.

Not only was the pregnancy long and uncomfortable, but the labor pains were brutal. And after giving birth, my body was completely worn out. Without enough care and support, it would’ve been really hard for me to face all those changes on my own.

“Ryan, stop worrying. I really do want to bring these two little ones into the world,” I said softly, trying to comfort him.

“Really?” Ryan’s eyes lit up with happiness.

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Awesome! I’ll request a transfer back to Braylin as soon as I can. I just want to stay by your side and take care of you properly.” Ryan said, his relief obvious–seeing I wasn’t upset about having twins finally let him breathe easy.

Back when I was pregnant with Yvonne, my belly didn’t even get that big–mostly because I barely ate anything, thinking it would keep things easy. She ended up weighing just about six pounds at birth. But this time, with twins on the way, I know I’ve got to pay more attention to my diet. I want both babies to be healthy and go full term, but I really don’t want to blow up like a balloon myself.

Five months later, when I was about three months pregnant, Ryan returned to Braylin for work–and landed a major promotion, which honestly blew me away. We’d kept our marriage pretty low-key before, but once Ryan was back home, we finally held a proper wedding ceremony.

“Vic, I invited Uncle Ed, but he said he was too busy to come back,” Ryan told me the night before the wedding.

I put a hand on my lower back, feeling the aches and fatigue from these first three months of pregnancy. Only now did I truly realize–being a mom is no walk in the park.

Maybe it was just the morning sickness messing with my head, but when I heard Edward’s name, I felt surprisingly calm inside.

“Really? Did he say why?” I asked.

Ryan looked at me and nodded. “He said he’s taking care of Nora’s mom, but he’ll let Nora come back for our wedding.”

My heart gave a little jolt, and I couldn’t help blurting out, “How’s Uncle Ed’s ex-wife holding up?”

Ryan answered, “She’s still getting treatment. It’s acute leukemia, but the doctors are hopeful she’ll make it.”

I found myself reflecting–good health’s priceless, and life is so fragile. Honestly, after coming this close to life and death, maybe the smartest thing anyone can do is to treasure the present, hold onto happiness while we have it.

“Well, if he doesn’t have time, just let him be,” I said to Ryan.