Ruth returned to the villa she used to live in for a short while near Quartley Palace.
Tremaine had arranged it.
She knew nothing of what had happened in Quartley Palace lately.
All she knew was that he had arranged a different living quarter for told her to wait for the baby to come.
She left without asking anything.
Although she didn't know what Tremaine was planning, she knew he wouldn't harm her or her child.
Zorion never showed up again since she moved back to the villa.
She had a hunch.
Perhaps it was because she had gotten too close to him again.
She knew it...
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
Of course, they wouldn't tolerate her relationship with Mr. Zorion, just that she thought she had until the baby was due. But to her dismay, they couldn't even wait for a few more days to separate them.
However, they weren't in the wrong either.
Ruth lowered her head and caressed her towering belly.
She and Zorion shouldn't have gotten too close in the first place.
She should have refused his visits at that time.
But she just couldn't help herself and her desires.
So it was a good thing to be forced to separate.
However, the question was would they have her raise the child in Quartley Palace?
Or did they have other plans?
Ruth's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Anyhow, she would never hand the child over to Yuliana. That was her limit.
When Ruth was about to take an afternoon nap, she felt intense kicking from her belly.
Her child was kicking away, and she could see their hands and feet through the skin of her belly.
She patted her belly and whispered, "You know it's almost time too, huh? The doctors said we will meet soon."
"Promise me you will live a happy life and not become like me, okay?" At that, the rims of her eyes reddened. "I don't want you to be a lowly servant that gets bullied and has no freedom."
"I don't need you to be wealthy or powerful. Just live a happy life, okay?"
She spoke a lot.
And finally the child quieted down.
Ruth lay down and muttered, "Are you feeling sleepy too? I'll sleep with you."
With that, she closed her eyes.
She hoped a dream would come to her, bringing her to the past.
Back to before she got pregnant; before she was driven out of Quartley Palace.
Back to when she was just Yuliana's servant.
Although Yulian often humiliated her, she could openly accompany Mr. Zorion, and no one would say a thing.
Come to think of it...
Those were the happiest days of her life.
Ruth fell asleep.
She had a dream.
She actually returned to the past.
She was playing paper planes with Mr. Zorion.
Her eyes shot wide open right away.
The servants surrounded her.
And the gushing continued.
She looked down to see red on her pants.
She freaked out at once.
Fortunately, the servants taking care of her were experienced.
One of them comforted Ruth, "Take a deep breath, Miss Welmert. It's normal for pregnant women to bleed before giving birth. Some have their waters broken, and some bleed. The doctor will arrive soon; well take you to the labor room by then."
Madam Quartley attached great importance to the baby in Ruth's belly. Therefore, not only was a doctor stationed in the villa, there was even a labor room.
The doctor arrived in about five minutes.
After checking, they announced Ruth was only one centimeter dilated, still far from delivering.
"Miss Welmert, are you able to eat now?" The doctor asked, "Have something in your system as early as you can. With your condition, we advise vaginal delivery, and it'll be strenuous. So it's best if you eat something."
With the throbbing pain, Ruth was in no mood for food.
But she had heard it would do the baby good if she chose to deliver naturally. So she had to eat even if she couldn't.
She nodded.
Later, the doctor asked the servants to bring calorie-dense food like cakes and chocolate.
Ruth stuffed them into her mouth one by one.
She thought the baby would come in less than an hour after she bled. But to her dismay, she was still at 1cm after eating.
And she had to wait until 10cm for the baby to come out.
Ruth asked the doctor how long it would take, but they said it varied. Some took hours, and some took a day.
"It's your first child, so it might take longer," the doctor said, "I'm not going to lie; the contractions are unbearable, but you have to bear with it."
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