Chapter 5: The Moment of the Explosion

Inside was a toy airplane, silver-colored, with foldable wings.

Nicholas's eyes lit up for a moment, a smile flashed across his face, but soon his little face tensed up again, and he said quietly, "Thank you."

Emily looked at him and reached out to touch his hair.

Nicholas instinctively pulled back a little, but didn't dodge away.

Emily's fingers gently brushed through his blonde hair, the softness of it making her want to cry.

This was her child.

The child she'd carried for ten months, labored with for a day and a night, and finally had cut out of her in the operating room.

Yet she couldn't hear this child call her "Mom."

"Ms. Johnson, do you really have a baby in your belly?" Nicholas suddenly asked, his eyes fixed on her abdomen.

Emily paused, then nodded. "Yes."

Nicholas tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Is it a brother or a sister?"

"I don't know yet." Emily's voice trembled slightly.

Nicholas reached out his hand and gently touched her belly, then quickly pulled it back and ran back to the bounce house.

Olivia stood to the side, watching the scene with a smile the whole time.

She walked over and said to Emily, "See how adorable he is."

Emily wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt there was something odd about the way Olivia said that.

Quite a few kids came to celebrate Nicholas's birthday—they must have been children from neighboring families.

But Nicholas didn't seem very close to them. Although he played with them, he always kept his distance from the other kids.

Emily couldn't help but remember how Nicholas sat alone on the swing at kindergarten, looking so lonely.

She wanted to walk over, wanted to get close to him, but as soon as Nicholas saw her, his body immediately tensed up, his eyes full of wariness.

It was that very look that pinned Emily in place, her heart aching so much she almost curled up.

She could only follow him with her eyes, not daring to approach.

Near the end of the party, Joe arrived, saying he was there to take Emily home, but he barely looked at Emily. His eyes were fixed on Olivia and Nicholas the whole time.

Olivia was also staring at Joe. Their eyes met, and the air flowed with an intimate atmosphere.

This made Emily, who loved Joe deeply, feel like throwing up!

But she didn't throw up. She held it in.

She walked over to Nicholas, crouched down, and said softly, "I have to go now. I'll save my phone number in your watch, so you can call me later, okay?"

Nicholas looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Emily picked up his phone watch and saved her number in it.

She knew that Nicholas might never actually call her, but she had to leave this connection.

This was the only connection between her and her child.

Just then, a loud bang suddenly came from above their heads!

Before anyone could react, Joe had already rushed over and pulled Olivia and Nicholas tightly into his arms to protect them.

Emily, who was closest to him, was pushed aside because she was blocking his way to Olivia and Nicholas, and fell directly onto the grass.

After a moment, everyone realized that the loud noise was from a helium balloon exploding overhead.

Pieces flew everywhere.

Emily struggled to get up from the ground, her arm throbbing with pain. Balloon fragments had hit her body—her arms, back, and neck were all bright red.

And her husband Joe, married to her for years, the man she loved deeply, was asking Olivia with concern if she was okay.

Olivia was leaning against his chest, saying softly, "I'm fine."

Only then did Joe let go of Olivia, bend down to pick up Nicholas, and carefully check if he was hurt.

After confirming the child was okay, he finally turned to look at Emily.

"You okay?"

Though his voice was gentle, Emily could still see clear impatience and blame in his eyes.

This was normal—compared to her, Joe obviously cared more about the child in her belly.

He handed Nicholas to Olivia, walked over to Emily, and checked her injuries.

"Good thing there are no cuts. Just ice it and you'll be fine." He paused. "What about the baby?"

Emily frowned, her face pale, sharp pains shooting through her lower abdomen.

She'd been scared too, but seeing Joe's attitude, she couldn't help saying, "Fine. Just got pushed by you earlier and fell down."

Joe's expression changed, his lips pressed together. "Sorry, I... I'll take you to the hospital."

Emily nodded. As soon as she took a step, her body seized with pain. Seeing this, Joe picked her up and strode toward the car.

Emily leaned weakly in his arms, able to hear his heartbeat, able to smell his familiar scent.

It made her sick.

At the hospital, Joe carried her into the emergency room. Helena arrived quickly.

After the examination, she confirmed the baby was fine—Emily had just been frightened and needed to stay overnight for observation.

Helena applied ice to the red, swollen marks on her arm, told her to rest well, then left the room.

Only Emily and Joe remained in the hospital room.

Joe stood by the bed, looked at her for a while, then said, "Sorry, back then... I didn't mean to push you."

Emily lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, saying nothing.

Joe turned and walked a couple steps, then stopped and looked back. "Actually, you're not completely without blame for what happened today. You shouldn't have been running around."

He paused, then added, "Call me if you need anything."

Then he left.

The sound of the door closing was soft, but in the quiet hospital room, it seemed especially clear.

Emily slowly raised her hand and placed it on her slightly rounded belly, closing her eyes.

Tears slid from the corners of her eyes, soaking the pillow.