The IVF Secret That Shook a Dynasty novel Chapter 156

"And what good will that do? Can you ever repay me?" Joseph murmured, his eyes still closed.

Vivica's lips tightened. She turned her head away, fuming. "Fine, I won't! You volunteered for this anyway, it's not like I forced you."

"Then what's all the fuss about?" he replied, his tone remaining placid.

Vivica seethed silently. If her son weren't asleep, and if she weren't injured, she would have thrown him out. How could one man possess such an infuriating mouth?

The room fell quiet, and soon, it seemed Joseph had drifted off to sleep. But Vivica's mind was a chaotic mess, and sleep remained elusive. It was the first time she had ever spent the night in the same room with a man she barely knew, and the strangeness of it all kept her wide awake.

Her body, however, was exhausted from the pain. Sometime after midnight, she finally succumbed to a restless sleep.

She was jolted awake by a soft whimpering from her son. A mother's sleep is always light, attuned to the slightest stirrings of her child.

She opened her eyes and turned her head, only to find that Joseph was already awake too. Moonlight filtering through the window cast a dim, hazy glow in the room, just enough to make out their silhouettes.

Their eyes met. Seeing she was awake, Joseph asked quietly, "What's wrong with him?"

Vivica tried to sit up, but he stopped her. "Don't move. Just tell me what to do."

"He might be having a dream from all the excitement today. Try patting his back gently. And it would be good to take him to the bathroom, just in case."

At three, children sometimes still needed a trip to the toilet in the middle of the night to avoid accidents.

But the longer she held it, the more urgent the need became. Time seemed to crawl by as she waited, praying for Joseph to fall back asleep so she could sneak out to find a restroom down the hall.

After what felt like an eternity, probably half an hour, she decided he must be asleep. As quietly as she could, she began to move.

But the metal hospital bedframe betrayed her with a loud creak. She froze instantly, the sudden tension sending a jolt of pain through her back. Gritting her teeth, she continued her slow, careful ascent from the bed.

Just as her feet touched the floor, a voice cut through the silent darkness.

"What are you doing up?"

Vivica jumped, startled, and turned her head. "Did I wake you?" she whispered, her voice thick with embarrassment.