CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 3: SHE WILL NEVER HAVE CHILDREN AGAIN

Serena Jennings stayed in the hospital for a month, dreaming every night.

In her dreams, Caleb Lockwood visited her in the hospital, staying by her bedside day and night, smiling as he listened to the sounds of the baby in her womb.

Every time she woke up, Serena’s face was covered in tears.

The child...

Was gone.

Caleb Lockwood hadn’t visited her even once.

Caleb said he was on a business trip to Meridia, but he sent his assistant, Mr. Miller, to deliver flowers twice, both times pink roses, and settled the hospital bills.

Several times, Serena wanted to give the flowers to the nurses, but each time she hesitated, preferring to sneeze every day.

Although she was only two months pregnant, the feeling of loss wasn’t overwhelming, yet touching her belly from time to time became a habit.

Whenever she thought of the short-lived life that was once inside her, her nose couldn’t help but sting.

This was her first child.

The flesh and blood of the man she had loved for ten years.

Just gone like that...

Serena cried herself to sleep every night, and her physical recovery wasn’t going well. But she couldn’t stay in the hospital forever, as they insisted she vacate her room to accommodate new patients.

In the empty hospital room, as Serena prepared to pack her things to leave, a stranger suddenly appeared.

With delicate features and a flawless makeup, she wore a Barbie pink velvet spaghetti strap bodycon dress, and a dazzling necklace adorned her neck —

The necklace Serena recognized; it was the limited edition pink diamond necklace from the high-end brand FY that Patrick Rhodes flaunted on his social media.

"Hello, I’m Claire Shaw, a high school classmate of Caleb Lockwood."

The stranger introduced herself first, and Serena couldn’t help but mull over the name.

Claire Shaw... the initials are CS.

No mistake there.

Seeing Claire reaching out her hand, Serena politely shook it.

"Hello, I’m Serena Jennings, Caleb Lockwood’s wife. You can call me Mrs. Lockwood."

Claire’s smile faltered.

But it was evident that she was someone who had seen much of the world, as her expression quickly returned to normal.

"I’ve come today to apologize to you."

Claire bowed her head, her pitiful expression indeed had a way of stirring some sympathy.

"I didn’t know you were at the hospital for a pregnancy check-up that day. If I had known, I would never have asked Caleb to accompany me to the FY launch... And that night, I got drunk, it was all Patrick Rhodes’ fault for insisting on calling Caleb, I truly didn’t expect Caleb would come to pick me up... It led to your miscarriage... It’s all my fault..."

Looking self-reproachful, Claire offered a fruit basket to Serena.

"This is my compensation... You must accept it, otherwise I’ll feel even worse."

Seeing Claire’s convincing performance, Serena couldn’t help but smile, "There’s no issue in accepting a 500-dollar fruit basket, you aren’t offering the necklace around your neck as compensation."

Claire showed a look of embarrassment, cleared her throat, "I heard you’re being discharged today?"

"Yes."

"But I suggest you stay a little longer in the hospital... because seeing you, Caleb will be reminded of the child that couldn’t be saved, and he’ll feel sad. During your hospitalization, he’s been in a bad mood, I’ve been accompanying him, we traveled abroad, went yachting and fishing, watched the sun rise and set..."

Watching Claire act like she was in bliss, Serena didn’t care if her words were true or exaggerated.

"Yes, my husband is a good man, values friendships, always takes good care of his high school classmates, takes them yachting every week, he once gave my best friend a diamond necklace worth ten million!"

Though Serena wasn’t fond of lying, if a lie could upset the conniving mistress, she didn’t mind saying a few more words.

Claire clenched her fists, "Since you’re so generous, I’m relieved..."

With that, she turned to leave, but at the doorway, she turned back and said, "By the way, Caleb can’t pick you up from the hospital because he’s exhausted and now resting at my place."

After those words, Claire finally vanished from Serena’s sight.

Like a deflated balloon, Serena now felt no anger, only confusion.

She asked Mr. Miller and learned that Caleb Lockwood was currently at the company.

Which meant Claire had lied.

Serena didn’t believe the conniving mistress’s words, she wanted to find Caleb Lockwood and ask clearly.

Before leaving the hospital, she went to the traditional medicine department to get some herbs.

Caleb had stomach issues, his mother disliked Western medicine, so they always used traditional herbs, which Serena would personally brew, she knew well the precise dosage and timing.

The herbs at home were about to run out, if not for the recent troubles, Serena would have stocked up long ago.

Carrying a large bag of herbs, Serena arrived at The Lockwood Group.

The receptionist recognized her since she’d delivered meals to Caleb before, although back then the receptionist mistook her for a housekeeper.

"Miss Jennings, President Lockwood is in a meeting, you can leave the herbs with Assistant Miller, he’s in the assistant’s office."

"Okay."

Serena didn’t care to emphasize to a receptionist that she wasn’t "Miss Jennings" but "Mrs. Lockwood."

Taking the elevator to the top floor, Serena wasn’t actually looking for Mr. Miller, but reached the general manager’s office door.

The frosted glass door wasn’t shut tight, through the gap, Serena saw Caleb Lockwood inside the office, along with Patrick Rhodes.

"Brother Lockwood, you say you’re not attached to her, yet you’re ruthless enough to destroy your own child..."

Just as Serena was about to knock, she froze in front of the door.

"It has nothing to do with Claire..."

"Whether she returns or not, I wouldn’t have a child with Serena anyway."

"Why?"

"Energy is limited, having a child will change her. Besides, it’s not just my grandfather that values her, my mother approves too, but once the child is born, things won’t remain so simple." Caleb Lockwood leisurely took a puff of his cigarette, for the first time his charming smile made Serena feel it was stark.

"Moreover... Knowing she was pregnant, I intentionally acted aggressively, damaging her uterus, the doctor said she would never have a child in the future."

A calm voice so cold it sounded indifferent to the point of cruelty, as if discussing something irrelevant.

Outside the door, Serena was drenched in cold sweat.

"Brother Lockwood, being so harsh to that old hag, who will continue the Lockwood legacy in the future? It has to be her!"

Caleb didn’t comment on Patrick’s suggestion.

Finishing his cigarette, he and Patrick concluded their conversation, and as he left the office, Patrick didn’t notice, but Caleb did.

It was a bag of herbs.

Serene Meadows Nursing Home.

Serena nearly fled in despair to this place.

She couldn’t stand being in Caleb Lockwood’s office, at his company, for a second longer.

She wanted to vomit.

Every word that came from Caleb’s mouth made her nauseous.

Turns out, this was the man she loved for ten whole years.

He courted her and married her to exact revenge on another woman.

Now he personally killed their child for another woman.

Ten years of love, three years of marriage, were all a damn joke!

Quickly wiping away her tears, Serena entered the nursing home.

Since marrying Caleb, her mother had been transferred here from the hospital.

Her mother’s health was poor even before she became old, then a global virus led her mother into dementia.

Although her mother no longer recognized her, there were things Serena still needed to tell her.

Her mother’s greatest wish was for her to have a happy marriage.

So Serena wanted to tell her mother —

She was an unfilial daughter.

At dusk, Serena left the nursing home and went to a nearby law office.

As night descended, City A lit up, bustling with traffic.

Returning home, Caleb Lockwood found the house dark.

He turned on the lights, illuminating the herbs he held and a bunch of pink roses.

In the empty, large house, there were no warm, aromatic meals.

Nor Serena.