The front shelves were lined with various imported brands of baby formula and food, which didn't particularly interest Yvonne.
She couldn't make sense of it all anyway and figured she would just follow the maternity nurse's advice when the time came. They walked straight to the clothing section, where racks were filled with tiny outfits. The smallest ones were no bigger than two adult palms, looking utterly adorable and miniature.
Yvonne picked up a pink baby onesie. The soft, tender color and embroidered cartoon character were impossibly cute.
“Isn’t it lovely?” she asked Bennett.
“Yes, it is,” Bennett said with a smile.
Yvonne thought so too and placed it directly into the shopping cart.
After a full tour of the baby section, Yvonne's cart was overflowing with girls' clothes, toys, and even a complete set of Barbie dolls.
“What if it’s a boy?” Bennett asked with a laugh, looking at the contents of the cart.
“Then… we’ll save it for the second one?” Yvonne suggested.
Bennett replied, “…Don’t even think about it.”
The image of Yvonne, pale and fragile during those first few months, was a ghost that still haunted him. Even now, the memory made his chest tighten.
She had suffered through it once, and that was more than enough. A second child? She had clearly forgotten how grueling it was now that the worst of it was over.
After they finished shopping, Bennett drove Yvonne back to Cherry Apartment.
Helen had just finished preparing dinner and was setting it on the table.
“You’re back just in time. Go wash your hands and eat. I’ve made some chicken soup; have some while it’s nice and hot.”
Yvonne washed her hands, changed into some loungewear, and sat down at the dining table.
“It smells so good,” Yvonne said, taking a sip of the soup.
Helen sighed as she brought a bowl of steaming, homemade soup to the table.
“It's not like he can go through labor for me, so he might as well focus on his work,” Yvonne said dismissively.
Their line of work was like that; they often had to put the greater good before their own families. No one understood Bennett’s job better than Yvonne.
“You’re just too young. You don’t understand how much a woman suffers during childbirth. For something so important, how can a husband not be there?” Helen continued to sigh.
Yvonne, however, remained unfazed, continuing to eat and drink as usual.
Helen shook her head and said no more.
That night, Bennett did not return.
The next morning, he called her briefly to ask if she and the baby were okay, then mentioned he might be on a mission. The call ended after just a few sentences.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sorry for Your Loss, It's Me, I'm the Loss
878 has no words...
Hi ... Could you please publish another novel .. The mocked missed hidden crowns.. thank you 🙏🏻...
Oh wow, definitely hooked on this. Great story. Thank you....
Hello! This series has been requested a lot on Reddit, but we’re unable to post the link there ourselves. If you have a Reddit account, we would truly appreciate it if you could help us share the link to this novel to increase its readership. As a thank-you, we will increase the number of free chapters available each day. Thank you so much for your support!...