Chapter 133

Liliana went back upstairs, but she didn't go to the fourth floor. She cut through the second floor to the back exit and slipped out of the hospital. The moment she got into a taxi, Vida started calling her relentlessly. She had unblocked her mother's number just in case there was a real emergency with Hale, and now she couldn't get a moment's peace to block her again.

"Miss, aren't you going to answer your phone?" the driver asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

"It's a spam call," she said, finally managing to block Vida's number again.

But the calls were immediately replaced by a flood of text messages.

[You make your father angry, yet he still cares enough to plan for your future. How can you be so ungrateful!]

[If you get thrown out by the Forrest family, you'll be damaged goods. What good man would want you then?]

[Even if you marry someone else, you'll still have to have children. You can't ignore a potential health problem!]

Liliana finally texted back: [There is nothing wrong with me.]

This time, she didn't remain silent. Vida stopped texting and handed the phone to Chuck. "Honey, look, Liliana replied. She gets checkups with the Forrests. If there was something wrong, they would have found it by now. Maybe the problem is somewhere else?"

Chuck's head was pounding with frustration. "I don't care where the problem is! You need to make sure she gets pregnant with a Forrest child, and soon!"

Vida was sweating. "How am I supposed to make her get pregnant? And besides, it's the Forrest family! If they're determined to get a divorce, do you really think a baby will stop them?"

"At the very least, she could get a hefty child support settlement! A little bit from the Forrests is more than our company makes in a year!" Chuck stormed out of the hospital. "Hale is in this condition, and Liliana is still disobedient. What kind of mother are you? If you can't handle this, you can get out of the Preston family!"

"Honey, I'll figure something out! Don't be angry! We've been married for over twenty

years! You can't be so cruel..." Vida cried, chasing after him.

By the time Liliana got home after the hospital ordeal, it was nearly eight o'clock. Erma had already left, and the ground floor was empty The door to the master bedroom was slightly ajar, a sliver of light spiffing out. She went upstairs, but the room was empty.

Cedric's car was in the driveway, so he was home. She pursed her lips, turned, and

went back downstairs to make a simple dinner for herself. Halfway through her meal, she heard footsteps on the stairs.

He was wearing a dark gray silk robe, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His long, narrow eyes were half-closed, and he exuded an air of cool, aristocratic grace.

Liliana looked up at him. "I went to the hospital to see Hale tonight. That's why I'm late."

"Mm," he grunted, walking over to the coffee machine. He scoffed internally See Hale at the OB/GYN clinic?* He knew the checkup wasn't her idea. After all, she had been on birth control for two years. But now she was trying to secure her position, and she needed to get pregnant. So, she was cooperating with her parents, trying to get her body ready.

But Cedric had other plans. Just because she wanted a child... why should he give her one?

He made his coffee and was about to head back upstairs when he paused beside her. "You've been taking your pills, right?"

Liliana had just finished a bowl of noodles and was spooning the last of the broth.