Chapter 94 Extra Story 3

After a week of punishment, hastily ended, Stella moved back to the villa. Time flew by, and before long, it was February. Lush Aura had managed to retrieve some funds from the hefty orders placed earlier, but Stella allocated most of it to research and development, leaving little left. She hadn't decided yet whether to seek investors, but she was certain about the company's development plans and didn't intend to rush into anything. The company's business had stabilized over the past year, production was orderly, and it freed up quite a bit of Stella's time, compared to the hectic early days. In contrast, Ethan was much busier, often not returning home until past 10 for several consecutive nights, or holding video conferences in his study until the early hours. They rarely had time to come home together. That evening, Stella returned home from work, replied to a few emails, and answered a video call from Liv. "I'm sorry to bother you. Alex insisted on talking to you right now," Liv said. The video screen showed a noticeable time difference; it was daytime where Alex was, but already late at night in Seattle. Alex initially struggled to adjust but had made new friends and become livelier. However, he hadn't forgotten Stella and often video called her. "When are you coming to see me?" Alex's round face appeared on the screen, his eyes bright with anticipation. Stella smiled warmly. "I'll visit as soon as I can, Alex. How about this weekend?" Alex's face lit up even more. "Really? We can play soccer together! I've been practicing a lot." "That sounds like fun," Stella replied. "Maybe you can show me some of your new moves." "Sure! Coach says I've improved a lot," Alex said proudly. After a brief chat, Stella ended the video call and headed to the bathroom to shower, feeling a warmth in her heart from her conversation with Alex. Wrapped in a towel and stepping out of the bathroom, she stumbled directly into the broad embrace of the man waiting outside. "Why are you standing at the bathroom door?" she asked, annoyed. Straightening up, she glared at him. Lately, there had been moments when Stella's emotions were easily affected by trivial matters. Ethan smiled and lowered his head. "Well, I was just waiting to hug you." Stella inwardly scolded him for his shamelessness but didn't bother arguing with him. She naturally handed him the hairdryer she held and lay down on the bed, letting Ethan help her dry her hair. "By the way, Liv just called and invited us to spend some time together," she said. Alex had been wanting Stella to come visit him, so when Liv mentioned it, Stella didn't think to refuse, only glanced at Ethan. "Do you want to go?" Ethan stopped the hairdryer, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at her. Stella nodded immediately. "It'll be nice." Sometimes it would indeed feel empty just the two of them in the villa. "Yeah, I'll have Isaac book the plane tickets," Ethan said. He agreed readily enough, then resumed drying her hair. As his skills with the hairdryer improved, Stella closed her eyes comfortably and casually asked, "Why didn't you stay with Liv when you took a leave from school that year?" At that time, his father went to prison and his grandfather passed away. Liv had suggested Ethan go study in Europe to avoid the creditors knocking on their door, but he refused. Ethan replied casually, "I'm not like Alex. I'm a grown man with hands and feet. I can take care of myself." Staying in the US was manageable, but if he had gone to Europe, he might not have been able to resist going to find Liv. "You're quite independent, then." Once her hair was completely dry, Stella turned on her side and complimented him. The woman's bathrobe was loose and soft. As she moved, Ethan's gaze fell on the snowy white skin of her chest, his eyes dimming gradually. In the flicker of their eyes, Stella understood his implication. The next second, he swept her up around the waist and redirected towards the bed. His fingertips, warm and burning against her skin, traced sensually. In no time, their kisses were breathless. There truly was a difference between men and women's stamina. Just as she felt exhausted, he showed no signs of slowing down. Especially lately, Stella felt that Ethan seemed more enthusiastic about this. This was the first thing he had in mind before he met her. Life seemed unchanged. By the time Stella realized her period was late, it had already been half a month. It was only when Layla complained in the group chat about her irregular periods due to overtime that Stella suddenly realized her period was seven days late. She knew something was amiss but dared not be certain. She absentmindedly finished her work, grabbed her keys, and drove straight to the nearest hospital. After registering at the hospital reception, she nervously waited outside the gynecology clinic for quite some time before they called her in. Stella breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the consultation room, greeted by a female doctor who took a blank medical form and asked, 'What's wrong?'" Stella bit her lip and simply replied that her period was late. The doctor understood immediately and handed her a lab test order. "Take this form and get a test done." The hospital was quite efficient. In half an hour, Stella held the test results in her hand and returned to the doctor. The older female doctor took the report, glanced at it for a moment, and quickly concluded, "Early pregnancy." She then wrote a few lines on the medical record. Stella was stunned. "Pregnant?" "Unmarried?" the doctor asked calmly, looking up. Stella snapped out of it and shook her head. 'No, I'm already married.' The doctor smiled and handed the report back to her. "Congratulations." Stella was slightly taken aback and lowered her head, placing her hand on her still-flat belly. It seemed there was nothing to worry about. Or perhaps she wasn't completely unprepared. Holding the report, she walked out in a daze, clearly not yet recovered from the news. In the hospital, people bustled around her, but she stood there alone for a long time. Natalie, who had just come down from an upstairs ward after bringing someone to the hospital, saw Stella standing in a daze in the hospital lobby. "What are you doing here?" Natalie approached with a smile and patted her. She had brought Merrick, who had a sudden bout of gastroenteritis, to the hospital and had spent two hours in the ward. After Jasper came, she finally left the ward and ran into Stella. Stella snapped back to reality and, seeing Natalie, opened her mouth, "I—" Just as she began to speak, Natalie noticed the lab test form in her hand. Having tried to conceive herself, Natalie understood immediately. "You're pregnant?" she asked, surprised, then paused and covered her mouth with a smile. Stella nodded. "Yes." This child seemed to complete the family she had imagined. Somehow, Natalie was the first person she shared the news with. "Alright, I finally get to be a godmother," Natalie said, unable to hide her joy, though her eyes reddened slightly. She reminded, "You need to rest a lot in the first three months. Take good care of yourself." Stella smiled and hugged Natalie. "I know. I'll need your help as the godmother to raise him well and make sure he wins your favor." Natalie's throat tightened a bit as she patted Stella's back and sighed. "Didn't Ethan come with you?" Stella paused and replied honestly, "He doesn't know yet." She hadn't figured out how to tell him the news. After working several overtime shifts, Ethan unexpectedly finished his work early today and was home before 6 p.m. As he stepped into the living room, he saw Stella sitting quietly on the sofa, staring at him. Noticing something was off, he loosened his tie, took off his suit jacket, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and sat down on the sofa next to her with a smile. "What's up?" Stella glanced at the camera hidden in the potted plant. Layla and Natalie had made a bet with her about Ethan's reaction to her pregnancy news. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I passed by a bookstore today and bought you something." "A bookstore?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What did you get?" Stella pointed to the coffee table where several books were stacked. "These are for you. If you really don't want to eat out, you should learn how to cook properly." The thick stack consisted entirely of cookbooks. Ethan frowned, pausing for a moment, puzzled. "What's going on with you?" If she was upset, he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong recently. "It's nothing, just..." Stella hesitated, then hinted, "I won't be able to cook for a while." She nervously tucked her hands into her sleeves and looked at him, hoping Ethan would understand her implication. However, to her surprise, his gaze fell on her hands hidden in her sleeves. "Stella—" He frowned. Stella held her breath. "Yes?" "Did you cut your hand while cooking?" His voice deepened as he said. "No." Ethan's reaction made her feel like she was wasting her emotions on someone who didn't understand. "Then you don't want to cook anymore?" Stella was slightly frustrated. "No." Finally, Stella changed her approach and said, "We're out of some things at home. You should go buy them. I'll take a picture of the list in the room and send it to you." Usually, when they were out of something, she would ask him to drive and pick it up. Ethan pursed his lips, sensing something was off but still agreeing. He put on his jacket, grabbed the keys from the entryway, and left. Just as he drove out of the villa, he received the shopping list from Stella. It seemed like the usual miscellaneous items. Wet wipes. Toilet paper. He read through the list until the last two items made him pause. Pregnancy test. Baby crib. It seemed these were just added. His foot pressed down, and before the car could leave the villa area, the sound of brakes echoed as he made a sharp turn. A few minutes later, he pushed the door open again. Stella stood at the entrance, quietly watching the man, who looked stunned. Ethan's gaze fell on her belly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he began to speak, "Is it for real?" Before he could finish, he took a couple of steps forward, wanting to touch her belly but hesitating and pulling back. Stella found his reaction amusing and asked him, "Do you think we can be good parents?" "I don't know," Ethan exhaled deeply, embracing her, his voice slightly choked. "But I'll do my best." They weren't entirely unprepared, but at this moment, he felt a mix of joy and helplessness. Though they hadn't met the child yet, it felt like an added responsibility beyond her. Ethan thought he might understand how Dylan felt back then. Sensing his emotions, Stella thought of something and softly suggested, "Shall we visit the cemetery and share the news with Dylan?" Ethan hadn't expected her to think of this but felt they were in sync. "Yes," he smiled, running his hand through her smooth hair. Only Layla and Natalie knew about the pregnancy. Stella originally planned to wait a while longer before telling others. But within two days, she received a message from Kate. Stella then learned that Kate had heard the news from Jason. As for how Jason knew, it wasn't hard to guess. When Liv found out about Stella's pregnancy, she refused to let Stella travel and insisted on bringing Alex back to celebrate. Because of this, Liv even took 2 weeks off for Alex, which made him very happy. Stella's mood swings had increased recently, possibly due to the pregnancy. In addition to changes in her taste preferences, she had become more emotional. Normally rational, she now found herself moved by movie plots. On a free Saturday, Stella specifically booked two movie tickets for her and Ethan to watch a film at the cinema. Ethan wanted to book the entire theater, but Stella felt that a packed cinema had more life. The art film starred Lavinia, who was both a shareholder and an ambassador for their company, and Stella had some personal connection with her. She had already booked a private screening for the company's employees but hadn't had a chance to watch it herself. They drove to the cinema, and while Ethan went to get the tickets, Stella waited for him. Unexpectedly, during this short wait, she ran into someone she knew.