He came, and destiny brought you together. He left, and destiny scattered you. If you look for him, destiny rises. If you don’t look for him, destiny vanishes. To find him is the beginning of destiny; not to find him is the end of destiny. The roads we’ve taken, the people we’ve met, all have their reasons and their own fated connections. Do more good deeds, and fate will naturally bring you together.
In his desperation, Adrian Desmond had hoped the old monk could offer some guidance, but he hadn’t expected such ambiguous words.
Adrian recited the old monk’s words several times, pondering their meaning. Does it mean I have to keep searching? As long as I continue, I’ll find them?
Worried about the intoxicated Adrian, Walter Klein found him as soon as he parked the car. Adrian was standing in the middle of the square, lost in deep thought.
Adrian stretched out his hand. A dove landed on it, cooing. If I search, fate rises; if I don’t search, fate vanishes...
"Sixth Master, what are you talking about?"
"So, I will keep searching! One day, she will come back!" Adrian’s lost gaze turned resolute, and hope began to bloom in the dust of despair.
That woman won’t come back on her own. If I give up too, our fate will truly be over. As long as I don’t give up, as long as I keep searching, our connection won’t end.
Mai, I will find you and our son!
"AH...!" A woman’s miserable scream echoed from the room. Lucas Robertson’s heart pounded in his chest; he hadn’t expected childbirth to be so terrifying.
Five hours had passed, and the baby still hadn’t been born. Sienna Johnson’s screams had become hoarse.
"Push! The baby is coming..."
Sienna was drenched in cold sweat, her hair so wet it looked as if she’d been pulled from water. The pain was unbearable, unlike anything she had ever experienced—as if her body were being split in half by an ax.
"I can’t do it! Just use a knife and cut him out..." Sienna cried, shaking her head.
"Mai, hold my hand! If it hurts, just squeeze as hard as you can..." Kiki, who had never even dated, was also terrified, her lips pale. But just as Sienna seemed about to break down, Kiki found her strength.
"Adrian Desmond! You bastard!" Sienna gritted her teeth and cursed. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be enduring this agony.
"I’m going to die... AH...!" Another wave of pain washed over her. Sienna arched her body, clenched her teeth, and pushed with all her might, screaming in agony.
"Mai, hang in there!"
Sienna clutched Kiki’s hand, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain. Endless waves of agony washed over her, like an icy lake threatening to drown her.
The pain made time crawl; every minute, every second, was torture.
"Ah, it’s so painful..." Google seaʀᴄh novel·fire·net
"Just hold on a little longer, the baby is almost out! Don’t give up. If you give up now, the baby will be in danger," Dr. Robertson urged, also sweating profusely as she instructed Sienna to inhale and exhale, guiding her rhythm.
"I’m not giving up! I’m not giving up!" Sienna sobbed.
The strong smell of blood filled the room, so pungent that even Lucas, waiting outside, could smell it.
Lucas paced back and forth outside. He had never been so anxious in his life.
"Why is it taking so long?" Lucas muttered, his brow deeply furrowed.
Kiki emerged with a basin of bloody water. Lucas saw her and hurried over. "How is Miss Johnson? Hasn’t the baby been born yet?"
Kiki lifted her red, swollen eyes, glanced at Lucas, but said nothing. Lucas stopped her, took the basin, poured out the bloody water, and refilled it with clean, hot water. "Be careful," he said, "the water is very hot."
"Mm," Kiki nodded, unwilling to say more.
"AHH!" Sienna’s sharp scream tore through the air, wrenching Lucas’s heart.
Hearing Sienna’s cry, Kiki hurriedly carried the basin back into the room. Thick curtains blocked Lucas’s view.
Inside, Dr. Robertson’s voice urged, "Deep breaths! That’s right! When the pain hits, push... Almost there, the baby’s almost out..."
Kiki, wiping the cold sweat from Sienna’s forehead with a hot towel, encouraged her relentlessly. "Mai, can you hear that? The baby’s nearly here! Mai, you’re doing great! You’re the most amazing mother in the world!"
Sienna’s face, pale and drenched in sweat, twitched into the semblance of a smile at Kiki’s words, but before it could fully form, another agonizing wave of pain struck her.
The deep night finally gave way to dawn. The morning sun rose, its brilliant rays dyeing the white clouds crimson and casting a rosy hue upon the pure white snow blanketing the ground.
"Deep breath! Push!" Dr. Robertson commanded again.
"AHHH!" Sienna screamed.
And then, the child of Adrian Desmond and Sienna Johnson slipped into this imperfect world, amidst everyone’s anxious anticipation.
"The baby’s out! The baby’s out!"
Sienna felt her body suddenly go limp and empty. Gasping for breath, she realized she couldn’t hear the baby crying. Why isn’t she crying?
Sienna knew that babies were supposed to cry at birth, but hers was silent. A terrible sense of foreboding washed over her. Mustering her remaining strength, Sienna propped herself up to look at the child.
"Dr. Robertson, is... is she unhealthy?" Sienna asked, her voice filled with trepidation.
Dr. Robertson deftly cleared the mucus from the baby’s mouth and gently patted her red bottom. A moment later, a loud wail erupted.
The baby’s cry was powerful, tinged with indignation, as if to say, Why did you hit my bottom?
"Mai, it’s a girl! She’s so pretty! Her hair is curly, like a little poodle!" Kiki announced joyfully, revealing the baby’s gender.
"Honestly, Kiki, how can you compare her to a poodle?" Dr. Robertson chided gently.
Kiki stuck out her tongue and giggled. "I just meant she’s adorable!"
"Daughters are wonderful! A daughter is a mother’s precious comfort!"
Adrian always wanted a son, and here I’ve had a daughter. If he were here, he’d probably be disappointed. But I love her. I’ll cherish this little one with my life.
The tension in the room finally eased. Sienna lay there, utterly exhausted, feeling as if her body wasn’t her own, as if no part of her was left unscathed.
Dr. Robertson cleaned the baby, wrapped her in a small, floral-patterned blanket, and placed her beside Sienna. "You’re still very weak, and you lost a lot of blood. Don’t try to hold her just yet. She’s beautiful; she’ll definitely be as stunning as her mother when she grows up."
Sienna gazed at her daughter. The baby was flushed red all over, with a shock of thick, adorable, naturally curly hair. Sienna leaned down, kissed her tiny hand, and whispered, "I only hope that you’ll be safe, happy, and healthy all your life."