CHAPTER 371: CHAPTER 371 TWINS?

‘When you’re at work, you keep your phone on and stay on a call with me the entire time.’

I was speechless. That meant zero privacy.

But seeing the stubborn set of his jaw—the clear ‘take it or leave it’ message—I finally gritted my teeth and agreed to his demands.

When we got in the car, Ashton fitted the Bluetooth earpiece to my ear. He drove me to the studio and insisted on walking me upstairs. He gave the place a once-over, clearly not impressed, but finally left when I reminded him he was running late.

Work went smoothly that day, but something Priya said stuck in my mind.

That evening, after dinner, I sat on the sofa, rubbed my stomach and said to Ashton, ‘Don’t you think my belly looks a bit odd lately?’

He froze, immediately put down what he was doing, and looked at me with sudden seriousness. ‘You’re eating well, sleeping fine, and the baby’s healthy. What’s supposed to be wrong?’

I moved over to sit beside him. ‘No, I mean, compared to other women at the same stage, mine seems much bigger. I’ve gained a little weight, sure, but it shouldn’t all be gathering on my stomach.’

The moment I said that, Ashton tossed his laptop aside and pulled me closer, inspecting my belly with the concentration of a detective solving a case.

He stared for so long I half-expected him to burn a hole through me, yet still looked utterly baffled. Then he suddenly lifted his head, eyes so intense it made my heart jump.

‘W-what is it?’ I stammered. ‘I was just saying. Honestly, I feel fine, no discomfort or anything.’

But before I’d even finished, he shot to his feet, his face set in grim lines. ‘Geoffrey, get the car. We’re going to the hospital.’

I was startled by how serious he looked and quickly got up too. I’d been going for my monthly check-ups, and everything had been normal so far. But Ashton’s reaction was making me nervous.

Half an hour later, I was lying on the bed while the doctor performed the ultrasound. Ashton stood beside me, arms crossed, his cold stare practically freezing the room. The poor doctor was sweating as he scanned back and forth, clearly terrified of missing something, but found nothing unusual.

Ashton’s face darkened. ‘What’s the problem, exactly?’ he demanded.

The doctor swallowed. ‘Mr Laurent, the ultrasound shows no issues. But to get a clearer look, we can do a 4D scan.’

‘Do it,’ Ashton said flatly.

The hospital staff scrambled into action. After a long round of tests, the results finally came out—and everyone stared, stunned.

A 4D scan is usually done around seven or eight months, when the baby’s fully formed. Mine was done early, which turned out to be a stroke of luck. Because they found something unexpected.

I wasn’t carrying one baby. I was carrying two.

When the doctor handed over the report, he rushed to explain, clearly terrified Ashton would blame the hospital. ‘Mr Laurent, one of the babies was positioned behind the other during the earlier scans, and it was of a smaller size. The ultrasound only captures the front view, so the second baby was completely covered.’

Ashton didn’t hear a word of the explanation. He was staring at the scan, eyes shining as he traced the faint outline of a second tiny figure half-hidden behind the first.

I just sat there, dazed, my hand resting on my belly. I honestly couldn’t believe it. Of all the people, I’d somehow managed to win the twin lottery.

Which meant, if you think about it, other people had to go through labour twice to get two children. I’d only have to do it once.

Both of us were a bit dazed on the way home.

After we got back, Ashton sat me down on the sofa, then sat opposite, doing absolutely nothing but staring at my stomach as if it were a miracle of the universe. His eyes were so bright and tender it was almost unsettling.

He was staring for so long, I actually started to feel uneasy. I quietly grabbed a cushion and held it in front of me.

Ashton blinked, as if waking from a trance, then looked up at me.

‘What’s with that look? Can you not stare at me like that?’ I said, feeling a bead of cold sweat forming.

He snapped back to himself. ‘The doctor said carrying twins will be hard on you in the late trimester. You’ll need to control your diet, walk more every day, it helps with development and makes the birth easier. Come on, let’s go for a walk.’

I just stared at him, wide-eyed.

It was half past nine in the evening. Who went for a walk at this hour?

Ever since he’d found out I was having twins, Ashton had been... off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something about him felt different.