Juliana’s shout caught the attention of everyone on the hospital floor.
Anastasia stopped in her tracks. “What happened?”
With a scream like that, had something really serious come up?
“Anastasia, Anastasia!” Juliana was practically shaking with excitement, words tumbling out of her mouth. “Look at this—look! What does this mean? ‘Early pregnancy’... Does it mean I’m pregnant?”
Anastasia glanced at the paperwork. The test results were clear: early intrauterine pregnancy.
She knew Juliana and Scott had been hoping for a baby for ages. Seeing this, Anastasia’s face lit up. “Congratulations! You’re going to be a mom. Try not to get too emotional, though. Too much excitement isn’t good for the baby.”
Pregnant women needed to keep things steady.
“Oh, right, right,” Juliana said, nodding quickly. She patted her chest and took a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself, though the joy inside her just kept bubbling up—she was finally pregnant.
Just when she’d given up hope, ready to raise Layna as her own, life had surprised her.
Anastasia gently reminded her, “You need to be careful with what you eat now. It’s still early—skip the ice cream for a while, it’s too cold and could upset your stomach.”
“Got it, got it,” Juliana nodded, taking Anastasia’s advice to heart. “What else do I need to know? I have no idea what I’m doing. You’ve got experience, so tell me everything.”
Anastasia couldn’t help but laugh. Right now, Juliana was just an overjoyed mom-to-be, caught up in her happiness—impossible not to like.
“No strenuous exercise, watch what you eat, and keep your spirits up,” Anastasia said. Then she remembered something and added, “Oh, and for the first three months, it’s best to keep the news to yourselves. Don’t spread it around yet.”
“Why not?” Juliana was so happy she could barely contain herself—she wanted to tell both her family and Scott’s right away.
“There’s an old superstition,” Anastasia explained, “that babies in the first three months are shy. The more people who know, the more likely the baby is to hide away. It’s tradition, but it might be worth following. Also, you should find a quiet place to rest. Maybe spend some time at the villa on Maple Hill. And one more thing—they say unborn babies don’t like being around other little kids at home, it can be unlucky. So I really think you should stay at the hilltop villa for a while.”
The Stranz family’s villa on Maple Hill was right next to the Salstrom estate.
Herman had a place up there too, though he only went from time to time, just for the occasional getaway.
Anastasia had another reason for suggesting it. She’d noticed how jealous Layna could be—smart but a little too intense and self-centered for her age. Anastasia was worried Layna might act out.


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Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)
Author pls Pls don't separate Ana and Herman once again because of Sandy. There must be an ending to Ana's sufferings!...
Yes yes yes!!! Thank you!!!...
How comes the twists are becoming uninteresting and unrealistic? Readers will prefer cleaner straight happy endings. Please don't go far beyond otherwise readers will lose interest. Time to end the story like we want it to be....
Please give us a happy ending for Anastasia and Herman with Pattie recognized as Herman's daughter, thank you!!!...
Pls update. This novel is really good....