Chapter 918 Pregnancy?

Chapter 918: Chapter 918 Pregnancy?

That night, the bedroom was unusually still.

Bella lay close to Leo, her arms wrapped around him as she rested her cheek against his chest. His heartbeat was steady beneath her ear but his mind seemed to be somewhere far away. His fingers moved slowly through her hair, an absentminded habit but his eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling.

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of the moonlight seeping through the curtains.

Bella finally lifted her face and looked at him.

"What do you think?" she whispered.

Leo’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. He looked almost blank, as though he had deliberately stopped himself from thinking too deeply about what the doctor had said. As though he was afraid that if he allowed himself even a moment of hope, it would be taken away from him.

"I don’t know," Leo said. His voice was quiet.

His arm tightened around her. His hand pressed flat against her back, holding her close.

"But I’d rather you didn’t hope," he added.

Bella was quiet for a moment. Then she gave a small smile and nestled closer. Her body fit against his side.

"Me too," she whispered.

Her fingers gently curled into his shirt, holding the fabric like she was afraid he might disappear.

"Please don’t hope," Bella said softly.

Leo lowered his gaze toward her.

She knew him.

She knew that despite the way he rarely talked about it, he liked children. She had seen the way his expression softened around Eli. The patience he had with him. The little things he did without even realizing he was doing them. The way he crouched down to Eli’s level when he spoke. The way he carried him when Eli was tired. The way his eyes followed the little boy around the room gently.

And she knew that whenever she had been disappointed in the past, Leo had been disappointed too. She had seen it in his eyes. In the way he held her a little tighter. In the way he never said the words, but she could feel them.

He simply never made her feel responsible for his sadness. He had always kept it hidden, locked away, so she would not worry about him too.

Bella’s smile faded slightly.

Back then, she had been so consumed by her own pain that she had never stopped to wonder what was happening inside him. She had been so focused on her own disappointment, her own tears, her own grief that she had not noticed his.

She had thought she was the only one losing something.

The only one hurting.

But now, lying in his arms, she understood that perhaps he had been quietly hiding his own disappointment beside hers all those years. He had just never shown it.

"I’m sorry," Bella whispered.

Leo looked down at her.

"For what?" Leo asked. His brow furrowed.

Bella shook her head. "Nothing."

He knew that wasn’t true. His fingers gently brushed through her hair, pushing a strand away from her face.

"Bunny," Leo said. His voice was patient.

She looked at him.

"I just..." Her voice became softer. "Back then, whenever things didn’t work out, I only thought about how sad I was."

Leo remained silent. His hand continued to move slowly through her hair.

"I never really thought about you," Bella admitted. Her voice was small.

His expression softened.

Bella rested her chin against his chest. "You wanted it too, didn’t you?"

Leo’s eyes stayed on hers.

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Then his hand moved to the back of her head, drawing her gently against him. His lips pressed against her hair.

"I wanted you to be happy," Leo said quietly.

Bella’s eyes became slightly moist.

"That’s not what I asked," Bella said. Her voice trembled.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"I know," Leo said.

He kissed the top of her head.

"Yes," Leo answered.

Just one word. But Bella understood everything behind it. She understood the years of disappointment. The hope he had carried and never shown. The pain he had buried so she would not feel it.

She closed her eyes and hugged him a little tighter. Her arms wrapped around him, holding on.

Neither of them allowed themselves to imagine too much that night.

Neither dared to dream.

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The next morning, Bella got ready quietly.

She chose a simple dress, something comfortable rather than anything carefully planned, and tied her hair back loosely. She stood in front of the mirror for a few seconds afterward, looking at her own reflection without really seeing it. Her face looked pale. Her eyes looked tired. She had barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, the doctor’s words returned to her.

Pregnancy.

It still sounded strange. Impossible. Like a word that belonged to someone else’s life, not hers.

Leo was ready as usual, dressed neatly in dark clothes, his expression calm enough that anyone looking at him would assume nothing was wrong. But Bella knew him too well. She saw the way his jaw was set a little tighter than usual. She saw the way his fingers tapped once against his thigh before he stilled them. He was nervous too. He simply didn’t show it.

When they finally left for the hospital, Leo kept one hand around hers throughout the drive. Neither of them talked much. The city passed beyond the car windows, ordinary and busy, while inside the car everything felt strangely suspended.

Bella kept rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. Back and forth. Back and forth. A small, repetitive motion that she did not even realize she was doing.

Leo noticed. He always noticed.

"You’ll hurt your finger if you keep doing that," Leo said. His voice was quiet.

She looked down at her hand. "I didn’t realize."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You don’t have to be nervous."

Bella looked at him. "You’re nervous too."

Leo paused. Then he looked back through the windshield. "Maybe."

She smiled faintly. That small admission somehow made her feel better.

After they arrived at the hospital, they walked inside together and followed the doctor’s recommendation to the obstetrics and gynecology department. Bella’s steps became slower as they approached the reception desk. Her heart was beating faster now. She could feel it in her throat.

Leo noticed immediately. He moved closer and placed his hand against the middle of her back.