"Place your legs on the leg holders and spread them apart."
Lying on the operating table, Hannah Porter did as she was told.
When she felt the cold medical equipment on her skin, she trembled and closed her eyes. Embarrassed, she turned her head to the side.
"What's there to be afraid of? It's not the first time anyway, so you won't feel any pain this time. Don't worry!"
Hearing the doctor's disdainful remarks, Hannah clenched her teeth, hoping to suppress the surge of fear. But when the syringe was jabbed into her body, she could not help but tremble with pain while tightly grabbing the sterile cloth under her body.
Indeed, this was not the first time for her to lie here. Because the fetus she had previously been implanted into died naturally, she had to repeat the procedure and receive an artificial pregnancy again.
Apparently, a man, wanting to fulfill his late fiancee's last wish, retrieved eggs from his fiancee's body for vitro fertilization after she was announced brain dead in a car accident.
Unfortunately, his late fiancee had been ill for too long, and her body had been injected with too many drugs, which damaged her eggs. As a consequence, the embryo died naturally after it was implanted in Hannah's body for less than half a month.
Surprisingly, the man then decided to use Hannah's egg to fulfill his fiancee's wish, and the reward was increased from 10 million to 20 million...
"It's almost done. Relax! After the procedure is completed, you must lie here and stay for three hours."
Listening to the doctor's cold and disdainful voice, Hannah gritted her teeth and nodded with her eyes closed, followed by a brief reply of acknowledgment. Then, she obediently lay on the operating table and stayed still.
......
"Hannah, how is it? Did everything go right?"
After Hannah lay on the operating table for three hours, she walked out of the operating room with numbness still lingering in her legs. As soon as her stepmother, Lana Ellis, saw her, she rushed over and grabbed her while asking excitedly.
Frowning, Hannah replied, "I don't know. The result will only come out a week later."
"A week later?!" Lana glanced at Hannah from the corner of her eyes while continuing, "You should stay at home for the week. I'll serve you delicious food and take good care of you, but you're not allowed to go anywhere."
"Alright, I got it."
......
A week later, the doctor announced that the procedure was a success.
"Here are ten million, and the remaining ten million will be given to you when the child is born. If something happens to the child, I'll come after you and your family!"
"Don't worry! In less than 10 months, Hannah will give your boss a healthy and chubby son."
Lying in the hospital's examination room and looking through the slit of the door, Hannah watched as Lana grinned from ear to ear while bowing and scraping.
"My boss doesn't mind the gender as long as the child is healthy."
"Rest assured, the baby will definitely be healthy!"
"Sir, please take care. I'll see you off here. Have a nice day!"
Pricked by the glaring light in Lana's eyes as she stared at the check in her hand, Hannah took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
"Did you hear what he said just now? The child must be fine and healthy. Otherwise, the whole family will be ruined by you." After laughing complacently for a while outside the door, Lana put away the check and went into the examination room to warn Hannah, who was getting up and tidying up her clothes.
Ignoring Lana, Hannah just lowered her head and tidied up her clothes. When she was finally done with her actions, she raised her head and called out to Lana before she got impatient and stomped out.
"Mom."
"What?" Lana stopped and turned around. Her tone was rather mean, but when she recalled that Hannah would be bringing them wealth, she immediately put on a smile and went back to hold Hannah while asking softly, "Ana, what's the matter? Tell me."
"Mom, I don't want to quit school. Let me go to school as usual!"
"No!" Without hesitating, Lana rejected her. "Don't even think about it before you give birth to the baby. Otherwise, we'll all be doomed."
As Hannah looked at Lana's fierce face, which was amiable a second ago, her red lips twitched, but in the end, she said nothing.
......
"Hannah, Hannah!"
Lying on the bed, Hannah was woken up from a daze by a very familiar voice.
"Hannah, Hannah!"
Realizing who it was, Hannah quickly lifted the quilt, slipped out of bed, and rushed to the window.
"Kevin!"
When she saw Kevin Byrne, who she had not seen for more than a month, outside the wall downstairs, her eyes turned red in an instant.
"Hannah, what's wrong? I heard that you were ill, and your phone has been turned off, so I couldn't get through. Are you okay?" Outside the wall, Kevin stretched his neck to look at Hannah at the window while asking her with great concern in a frown.
In response, Hannah shook her head, and at that instant, all the grievances and suffering that she had suppressed in her heart for the past month exploded like a flood flowing out from a burst dam.
"Kevin!" At this time, Melissa Porter came out of nowhere and rushed over to hold his arm. "Kevin, why are you here?"
"Melissa, what happened to your sister?" Upon seeing Melissa, Kevin immediately asked.
"Well..." Melissa looked up at Hannah who was standing in front of the window while continuing, "She's resting because she's—" pregnant.
"Melissa, stop, please!" With imploring eyes, Hannah looked at her half-sister, who was standing below the window.
Responding with a snort, Melissa looked at Hannah with a sly and mocking smile on her face.
"Hannah, what's wrong? Tell me." Worried, Kevin looked at her with pleas in his eyes. If her parents hadn't forbidden him to see her, he wouldn't have stood here helplessly.
"Oh, she's fine! She's just pregnant and needs more rest.."
"What did you say?!" Before Melissa finished her words, Kevin grabbed her and shouted in great shock.
"My sister is pregnant, so she has to rest at home."
"No, Kevin, don't listen to her. I'll explain it to you..." As Hannah looked at Kevin, tears couldn't stop trickling down.
In disbelief, Kevin stared at her and shook his head while still asking for confirmation, "Hannah, tell me, is that true?"
Looking at him, Hannah couldn't stop her tears from falling down. Sadly, she couldn't even say a word to deny it.
"Kevin, it's true that my sister is pregnant. Otherwise, why wouldn't she explain herself?" While holding Kevin's arm, Melissa grinned smugly as if it was joyous for Hannah, who had just come of age, to get pregnant.
Listening to her words, Kevin looked at Hannah in silence for a few seconds before he turned around and strode away.
"Kevin, Kevin! Listen to me, Kevin..."
"Hannah, I think you should stop calling him. Don't worry, I will take good care of him on behalf of you." Looking at Hannah, who was choking with sobs, Melissa smiled radiantly. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that thanks to your hard work, you achieved such a good score. However, I am the one accepted into Oakleaf University. From now on, I will be in the same school with Kevin."
"What did you say?" Hannah asked in surprise, as she could not believe what Melissa said.
Although Melissa was her half-sister, she was younger than her by only less than two months. Since young, they had been going to the same school and studying in the same grade, but their academic performances were worlds apart.
"I said, you should just stay at home and take care of the baby, while I study at Oakleaf University and accompany Kevin." As soon as Melissa finished her words, she raised her eyebrows triumphantly and left.