Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 447

"I'm off to cook," Russel finally said, his gaze dropping as he headed towards the kitchen.

A pang of sympathy hit me, coupled with a sense of guilt.

Neil, however, seemed oblivious to the emotional undercurrents between Russel and myself. He was absorbed in studying Serena's face, his eyes filled with a profound sadness.

He looked up at me, his eyes mirroring his sorrow. "Do you think our daughter would have looked like her if she hadn't passed away?"

I had never told Neil the gender of our first child, yet his question caught me off guard.

A sharp pain pierced my heart at the mention of our lost child.

"How did you know it was a girl?" I asked, my voice laced with bitterness.

"I looked into your medical records before," Neil said, his gaze unwavering.

"I need a favor."

"Which is?" I asked, surprised at his confession.

For a moment, Neil hesitated, his usually decisive demeanor faltering. The gravity of the situation was evident.

I couldn't fathom what I could possibly do for him, apart from a DNA test with Serena, which I had no intention of agreeing to.

"Although I checked your medical records, the only copy of the ultrasound for our baby is with you. Do you still have it?" Neil finally asked, catching me off guard. I froze.

The ultrasound image was the only picture I had of our child. I had kept it safe, never losing it.

"Could I see it?" Neil asked with a hint of pleading in his voice. This was uncharacteristic of him; a man of his stature, even in his love for his child, would never stoop so low.

He already had a son, Hiram, and our first child was gone before it was even born. There was nothing left to fight over.

My heart felt like it was being suffocated and my eyes began to well up with tears.

The image was just an ultrasound; it wouldn't hurt to let Neil see it. But I didn't want to rehash the painful memories. Shared pain could bind people together, in a way that was difficult to untangle.

Suppressing my feelings, I shook my head and gave him a small smile. "I don't have it anymore. I threw it away because it was too painful to keep."

Neil's face fell at my words, his lips curving into a forced smile. He didn't say anything, but went back to looking at Serena.

As they exchanged glances, a magic seemed to fill the air, painting a picture of warmth and love. In a sudden impulse, I blurted out, "I took a picture of it on my phone. Do you want to see that?"

"Yes!" Neil replied instantly, his eyes shining with excitement.

I nodded and fetched my phone, flipping through my mobile album. I had taken a picture of the ultrasound image during the scan. Although it wasn't as clear as the original, one could still make out the basic features.

Our baby resembled Neil, or more accurately, resembled Brandon now, especially the nose and lips.