After breakfast, Alexander carried me downstairs and into the car.

Jim drove while the security vehicle followed closely behind us.

Ever since the accident, Alexander had assigned far more security around the villa, and several guards now followed us everywhere we went.

Although the scars on my face had mostly healed and the scabs had already fallen off, Alexander still treated me as though I were fragile.

When we arrived at the hospital garage, he personally took the wheelchair out from the trunk before carefully helping me into it.

Then he pushed me toward the elevator while two bodyguards followed quietly behind us.

The moment we entered the doctor’s office, the doctor smiled politely.

"Mrs. Blackwood, your injuries seem to have healed significantly. Are you still feeling pain anywhere?"

I answered each of his questions honestly while Alexander sat silently beside me the entire time. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

After reviewing the records, the doctor nodded slightly.

"We’ll need to do another scan to check on the baby’s condition."

I nodded obediently.

"Alright."

The doctor stood up and walked toward the examination area separated by a curtain.

There was a hospital bed beside the ultrasound machine.

Then he turned toward Alexander.

"Mr. Blackwood," he said politely, "would you like to stay and take a look?"

Almost instinctively, I turned toward Alexander.

The moment our eyes met, my breath caught slightly.

For the first time...

I saw uncertainty in his eyes.

Not fear for himself.

But fear of the unknown.

It was as though the usually calm and untouchable Alexander Blackwood suddenly didn’t know how to face what was about to happen.

Fatherhood.

Without thinking, I reached out and gently squeezed his hand.

No matter what happened between us...

I knew one thing clearly.

Alexander genuinely cared about this child.

And I didn’t want my resentment toward him to affect that.

Alexander looked down at our joined hands quietly before standing up.

Without a word, he carefully lifted me into his arms and carried me toward the bed.

After laying me down gently, he remained beside me, still holding my hand.

Thankfully, I was wearing loose clothing, making it easier for the doctor to expose my abdomen.

The doctor applied cool gel against my stomach before moving the scanner slowly across my skin.

A moment later, the monitor lit up.

"There," the doctor said softly while pointing at the screen. "That’s the baby’s head... and here are the legs..."

Unlike the last check-up Maria accompanied me to, this time I could clearly make out the tiny figure on the monitor.

And most importantly—

The heartbeat was steady.

At that moment, I suddenly felt Alexander’s grip tighten around my hand.

I remembered then...

This was his first time seeing the baby like this.

Slowly, I turned to look at him.

And froze slightly.

Alexander stood completely still.

The usual coldness in his eyes had disappeared entirely.

Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the screen, his eyes faintly glistening as though he was desperately holding back emotion.

For once, every wall around him seemed to collapse completely.

There was softness in his expression I had never seen before.

Wonder.

Relief.

Disbelief.

Almost as though the reality of becoming a father had only just fully reached him.

My chest tightened unexpectedly.

I gently squeezed his hand again.

Alexander lowered his gaze toward me slowly.

The tenderness in his eyes made my heart tremble faintly.

I gave him a small smile before looking back at the monitor.

A moment later, I suddenly felt his arm wrap around my shoulders.

Carefully, he drew me closer until my head rested lightly against his chest.

Then I felt a soft kiss against my hair.

When I looked back toward the screen again, the world around us suddenly felt strangely quiet.

As though, for a brief moment...

Nothing else existed except the three of us.

This was once the kind of scene I had dreamed about countless times.

Me.

Alexander.

And our child.

Back then, I would have given anything for a moment like this.

But now...

The excitement I once imagined was no longer there.

Because at this point, whether Alexander stayed beside me or not...

The only thing that truly mattered to me anymore—

Was protecting my baby.

After the scan, the doctor printed a copy of the ultrasound image for us and prescribed a few medications that would help with the baby’s growth.

Alexander left me in the office briefly to buy the medications himself before returning a few minutes later.

After thanking the doctor, we left the hospital together.

Just like before, Alexander carefully wheeled me back toward the parking garage.

Even though I could already walk a little, he still refused to let me strain myself unnecessarily.

Once we reached the car, he helped me inside before walking around and taking the seat beside me.

The moment the car started moving, Alexander quietly reached for my hand again.

Ever since the scan earlier, he had become unusually silent.

Almost as though he was still processing everything he had seen.

Jim drove steadily out of the hospital garage while the security vehicle followed closely behind us.

The atmosphere inside the car remained calm and quiet.

After a while, I suddenly spoke.

"Can we stop by the bakery? I want some cake."

Alexander immediately turned to look at me.

"Alright."

Then he glanced toward the front seat.

"Jim, stop by the bakery first."

"Understood, sir."

The car fell quiet once more afterward.

But unlike before, the silence no longer felt uncomfortable.

A few minutes later, the car pulled up in front of a luxury bakery inside a plaza.

Alexander looked at me again.

"What else do you want besides cake?"

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head lightly.

"The cake alone is fine for now."

"You’re sure?"

"Mm."

"Alright."

I originally thought he would ask Jim to buy it instead.

But to my surprise, Alexander opened the car door himself.

I looked at him in confusion.

"Why don’t you just ask Jim to get it?"

"It’s fine," he replied casually. "I’ll get it for you myself."

I didn’t say anything else and simply leaned back quietly while watching him walk into the plaza.

A few minutes later, he returned carrying two paper bags.

The moment he entered the car, I frowned slightly.

"Why are there two bags?"

I knew Alexander never liked sweets.

So it definitely wasn’t for himself.

After settling beside me, he handed one of the bags over calmly.

"It seems they added a few new things to the menu," he explained while looking at me. "I thought you might like the white chocolate cake too."

Then, after a brief pause, he added cautiously,

"But if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it."

I stared at him for a moment.

It was such a small thing.

Yet somehow...

Alexander sounded unusually careful lately whenever it came to me.

Almost as though he was afraid I would reject anything he gave me.

My fingers tightened slightly around the paper bag.

"It’s okay," I said softly. "I’ll try it."

Only then did the tension in his expression ease slightly.

A faint smile finally appeared on his face.

And somehow—

Seeing that smile made my chest feel strangely heavy again.

Third Person POV

The atmosphere inside the headquarters building of Blackwood Dominion Enterprises had changed completely within just a week.

The employees no longer moved with the same confidence as before. Meetings dragged on endlessly, departments kept receiving conflicting instructions, and several senior executives had already begun privately transferring their shares.

Inside the top-floor conference room, tension weighed heavily in the air.

Tristin Blackwood sat at the head of the table, flipping through the latest financial reports with an increasingly dark expression.

Several department directors remained seated quietly around the table, not daring to interrupt.