Worship The Ground You Walk On

It was a dark and silent night.

A man picked up his suit from the floor and headed out. He couldn't wait to leave for the master bedroom. That was where he slept, alone.

Claudia and Ben Crawford have been married for two years, yet they had never shared the same bed over one night.

When Claudia opened her eyes, it was already at the dawn of the next day. Soon, she heard the preset broadcast:

"Dear mother-to-be, you've been expecting for 27 weeks and 2 days. Your due date is 89 days later, during which we hope you..."

For some reason, she recalled the night when she came back from the hospital with her pregnancy test result. The man suddenly fell out with her upon seeing the word "Positive" on that sheet. He uttered an order without any intention to compromise, "Get an abortion."

Claudia fell in great Anguish. She regretted and wondered why she had to marry a man who didn't love her at all.

Her emotional turmoil was cut off by the unexpected call of her housekeeper.

"Ma'am, breakfast is ready!"

When she got downstairs, her husband was already sitting at the table. He had chosen an old fashioned suit and leather shoes today. With the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, he was reading today's newspaper, and on the table, there were some hand-shredded cheese and a slice of lava tart.

This was his breakfast routine.

Her eyes briefly skimmed over him. Then she walked over and sat across the table. The housekeeper served a sandwich and said, "Ma'am, would you like me to come with you for your prenatal check-up today? Hospitals aren't the best places for a pregnant woman to walk in alone."

Claudia nodded. She peeked at him, only to find that he was frowning. She immediately lowered her eyelids.

The housekeeper served some soup. Being mind-absent, Claudia accidentally hit her elbow on the bowl. The searing hot soup spattered her hand.

"Ow...!"

Her unpleasant scream sounded like a broken engine that desperately needs to be lubricated.

His brow furrows. Claudia saw and stopped screaming in fear. She bit her lips and ran to the kitchen, running the cold water over the scald to ease the pain.

She was a "mute", that was what the other Crawford called her. She couldn't speak.

The only voice she could let out...

The only voice she could let out was that shrill and unpleasant scream.

After breakfast, Ben carried his briefcase and headed out. The housekeeper cleaned the table and asked, "Ma'am, you might want to get dressed upstairs soon... We'll set off in a minute." Claudia nodded, got up, and went upstairs.

She arrived at the largest obstetrics and gynecology hospital in the city with her housekeeper at around 8:30.

She fondled her big belly. She was keeping this baby safe and healthy all by herself. He would never accept this kid.

She remembered it was written on the testament of Ben's grandmother that Claudia and Ben's kids will be the future heir to the Crawford family.

That term was the reason why he married her and why he gave up forcing her to abort the baby.

Her heart ached when she saw the dynamic image of the little fetus on the screen of the color ultrasound.

"The baby is very healthy! Your due date is just two months away. You should take more rest."

The doctor finished the examination and handed all the result sheets to Claudia.

Claudia smiled and took them over. The doctor added, "Try to avoid sexual intercourse for the sake of the baby. The father has to be patient during this period."

Claudia flushed. She nodded slightly and fast, eyes narrowing and lowering down.

As she turned away and was about to leave the room, the doctor behind her dialed a number and whispered to the other side of the phone, "Ma'am, I've checked the fetus. It's healthy, without any language disorder like Claudia as far as I can see."

Claudia heard their conversation word by word. They had contacted the doctor. They had asked the hospital to do a genetic test of the baby without informing her.

That was why the routine test took them so long!

A dull pain suddenly hit her in the chest. She staggered to her feet, her body shivering. She leaned against the wall of the hallway, her heart torn apart.

Stepping out of the hospital, she found it dark and cloudy outside. The wind was howling. A storm was on the way.

Claudia stood on the side of the road, letting her skirt flutter in the wind. The housekeeper went to get the car, and was never back.

She kept waiting until the raindrops fell hard on her body,

She then felt way more disappointing when she saw a black Rolls Royce drive past her slowly. Ben was in the car, with a cold and heartless profile. Her heart felt as cold as ice, and her face turned from helpless to desperate.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐