THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 143

94 WAS GOING TO BE A ROTHER

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Time seemed to crawl by at an impossible pace. Elena had no idea if they had been waiting for minutes or hours. She sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, staring at her hands and trying not to think about all the ways this could go wrong.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a doctor emerged from Mia’s room. He was an older man with kind eyes and graying hair, wearing scrubs that had probably seen too many long shifts.

Stefan and Ethan immediately rushed toward him, and Elena found herself standing up too, even though she stayed back at a distance. She might not be welcome in their family circle anymore, but she needed to hear that Mia was going to be okay.

Mose stood by the side, watching everything. Though he’d forgotten everything but Mia had been so kind since he got back and he didn’t want anything happening to her.

“How is my wife?” Stefan asked the moment the doctor appeared, his voice tight with worry.

The doctor smiled, which immediately made everyone’s shoulders relax just a little.

“She’s fine,” he said. “Both of them are.”

Stefan raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what the doctor meant.

“What… both of whom?” he asked, stuttering slightly. “I only brought my wife.” 1

The doctor’s smile grew wider, and Elena could see him preparing to deliver what was clearly good news.

“Your wife is pregnant, Mr. Sterling,” he said gently. “She had what we call a miscarriage scare – some bleeding that can happen in early pregnancy – but both she and the baby are perfectly fine. She just needs to take it easy for the next few weeks.”

Stefan stared at the doctor like he had just spoken in a foreign language. Elena watched as the words slowly sank in, as Stefan’s expression changed from confusion to shock to something that looked like wonder.

“Pregnant?” he whispered. “Mia’s pregnant?”

“About eight weeks along, from what we can tell,” the doctor confirmed. “Congratulations.”

Stefan looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Elena could see him struggling to process this information, trying to reconcile his fear for Mia’s health with the incredible news that they were going to have a baby.

“Can I… can I see her?” Stefan asked, his voice cracking slightly. “I mean… can I see them?” It wasn’t just Mia anymore, a mini Mia was inside her.

The doctor nodded. “Of course. But just one visitor at a time for now. She needs rest.”

As Stefan disappeared into Mia’s room, Elena sank back into her chair, overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions she couldn’t even begin to untangle.

Mia was okay. She was going to be a mother. They were going to have a baby.

And Elena had almost ruined it all with her selfish, thoughtless words.

She buried her face in her hands and wondered if there was any way to come back from something like this.

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143 WHERES FINAY

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143 WHERE’S ELENA?”

Chapter 143

When Stefan pushed open the door to Mia’s hospital room, the sight that greeted him broke something inside his chest. She lay there on the huge bed, looking so small and fragile against the stark white sheets.

Her skin was still pale, almost translucent, and there were dark circles under her eyes that hadn’t been there this morning when they were laughing over breakfast.

The hospital gown made her look even tinier than usual, and Stefan could see the IV line snaking from her arm to the bag hanging beside the bed. The steady beep of the heart monitor filled the quiet room, a reminder that just hours ago, he had been terrified of losing her.

But as soon as Mia saw him standing in the doorway, a bright smile broke across her face like sunrise after the longest night. It was the same smile that had made him fall in love with her, the one that could light up entire rooms and make his worst days feel manageable.

She extended her hands toward him, her fingers reaching out like she was trying to bridge the distance between

them.

“Why are you standing there staring at me like that?” she asked, her voice still weak but tinged with that familiar teasing tone. “Won’t you come and sit with your wife?”

The sound of her joking, of her trying to make him feel better even when she was the one lying in a hospital bed, made Stefan’s chest tight with emotion. He let out a light laugh, the first genuine one he’d had since walking into that nightmare back at the house.

He took long strides across the small room and sat down gently beside her bed, careful not to jostle the mattress. His hands immediately went to hers, intertwining their fingers like they had done thousands of times before.

“The doctor said you’re expecting a baby,” Stefan said, his voice still carrying traces of disbelief. “How is that possible? I thought you were still…” He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Mia had insisted they wait a bit longer before trying for children. Stefan had respected her decision completely, even though part of him had been ready to start a family.

Mia squeezed his hands and gave him a sheepish look.

“I honestly don’t know how it happened,” she said. “I think I might have taken something that interfered with my birth control. Maybe that antibiotic I was on last month for that sinus infection? The doctor said some medications can make the pill less effective.”

Stefan nodded, remembering how sick she had been. He had taken care of her for days, bringing her soup and making sure she took her medicine on time.

“How do you feel about it?” he asked, searching her face thoroughly. “About the baby, I mean. I know this isn’t how we planned it.”

Mia took a deep breath, her hand moving instinctively to her still-flat stomach.

“Scared,” she admitted. “But also… happy? Is that crazy? I mean, I know the timing isn’t perfect, but when I thought I might be losing the baby…” Her voice cracked slightly. “I realized how much I already love this little

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148 Widmi ardNA

person we made,”

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Stefan felt his heart swell with so much love he thought it might burst. This woman, this incredible woman who had nearly died today, was already thinking about their child with such tenderness,

“I love you so much,” he whispered, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles,

But then Mia’s expression grew serious, and Stefan felt his stomach drop.

“How is Elena?” she asked.

The name hit Stefan like a physical blow. His face changed immediately, all the warmth draining from his features and being replaced by something harder and colder.

“Baby, you don’t need to worry about that right now,” he said, trying to keep his voice gentle.

“Stefan, we both know she’s been through so much these past few months,” Mia continued, her voice growing stronger despite her exhaustion. “I’m sure she’s eating herself up inside right now. She probably thinks this is all her fault.”

Stefan stared at his wife in amazement. She had nearly lost their child just hours ago, had bled and collapsed and been rushed to the hospital, and she was thinking about someone else entirely. Someone who had caused all of this pain with her thoughtless, cruel words.

But even as anger flashed through him, Stefan knew Mia was right. Over the past months, he had watched Elena change from the strong, sharp-tongued woman they all knew and loved into someone he barely recognized.

The transformation had been gradual but devastating, like watching someone slowly disappear from the inside

out.

“She’s been different,” he admitted. “Ever since everything happened with Mose. It’s like she lost herself along with him.”

“Please,” Mia said, her grip on his hand tightening. “I need you to understand her. She didn’t mean what she said. She’s just broken and scared and…”

“I’ve heard you, Mia,” Stefan interrupted gently but firmly. “But the doctor said you don’t need any stress right now. You need to focus on taking care of yourself and our baby. Please, just try to rest and not think about all of this.”

Mia nodded reluctantly, though Stefan could see in her eyes that she wasn’t going to stop worrying about Elena anytime soon.

“Do you want to see Ethan?” Stefan asked, changing the subject. “He’s been pacing around out there like a caged animal. He’ll be worried sick until he sees for himself that you’re okay.”

“Of course I want to see him,” Mia said with a smile. “He’s my brother. I need to tell him he’s going to be an uncle, even though the doctor already did.”

Stefan stood up slowly, but then he leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a long moment. Then he kissed her cheek, soft and tender.

Then her lips, tasting the salt of tears she had shed earlier. And finally, almost reverently, he placed a gentle

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M4B WHERES ELENA?

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