Chapter 84 - The Night Everything Changed

Chapter 84: Chapter 84 - The Night Everything Changed

Clara was completely focused on her work.

Since her father and Carl had gone on a business trip together, almost all the responsibility had fallen on Clara and, of course, Ben.

"Those bastards!" Clara muttered, cursing her father and brother. She knew perfectly well that they had pretended to go on a business trip when, in reality, they were probably just enjoying some father-and-son time together.

As a result, Clara had been left to handle almost everything on her own.

Well, she couldn’t forget that Ben was there to help her, too, so she wasn’t truly alone.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Clara’s phone began ringing while she was already overwhelmed with work.

She glanced at the caller’s name.

It was just her mother.

Clara decided to ignore the call, assuming it wasn’t important. It was probably just her mother, who, as usual, would talk for hours without saying anything particularly useful.

The only person whose call she would have gladly answered was her nine-month-pregnant wife, who was currently seeing her psychologist because of her depression.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Clara sighed.

She knew her mother was a very persistent person, and if she didn’t answer, Regina was perfectly capable of showing up at the office just to lecture her. Clara wasn’t in the mood to deal with her mother coming to bother her while she was already overwhelmed with work.

"Hello!"

"Is it true that you told Ashley she was fat?" Regina asked directly, without even saying hello.

Clara could already feel a headache coming on after hearing her mother’s first sentence.

Whenever Ashley complained about something, she always went straight to Regina, her new best friend.

"No, I never said that. Did she tell you that?" Clara asked, trying to remember everything she had said to Ashley.

Her wife had become extremely sensitive lately. All the trauma from her childhood seemed to have resurfaced because of her uncontrollable pregnancy hormones, which were turning her mind upside down. Sometimes, she became so emotional that she was almost impossible to comfort.

"Yes. She told me you said that to her last night," Regina replied.

Clara tried to remember whether she had actually said something like that.

The only thing she could recall was telling Ashley to slow down when it came to cold foods and drinks, such as ice cream, juice, and so on.

"Is she crying?" Clara asked.

"Yes, she is. Don’t worry. I decided to take her out for a little while to help her calm down," Regina explained.

"Where are you taking her?"

Clara already knew she had no say in the matter. All she could do was accept the situation.

"Not far," Regina replied.

"Not far where?" Clara asked.

"Not far," Regina repeated before hanging up.

"What the.."

Clara stared at her phone in disbelief.

Her own mother had just hung up on her without even explaining where she was taking her wife.

The day wasn’t starting well for Clara.

Her father had abandoned her for an entire father-and-son outing with Carl, and her mother had abandoned her for a girls’ day out with her wife.

"Fine. I’ll use this time to finish all my work," Clara muttered, trying to look on the bright side.

With that, she immersed herself completely in her work.

And she succeeded.

By the time she finished, all the documents on her desk had been processed, and she could finally relax, leaning back in her chair.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The alarm Clara had set suddenly went off, signaling that it was already very late.

She checked her phone, but there hadn’t been a single call or message throughout the entire day.

Clara wasn’t sure whether she should feel relieved that no one had interrupted her or hurt that no one had thought about her—not even Ashley.

In the end, she decided to go home and get some rest without thinking about anything else. She trusted Regina completely to take care of Ashley.

When Clara arrived home, she ate dinner and then fell asleep on the couch while waiting for Ashley to return. According to her phone’s location tracker, Ashley wasn’t far away.

Thirty minutes later, the front door opened, and Ashley walked inside.

Clara raised her eyebrows when she saw her.

Ashley wasn’t wearing any shoes, but she had a small crown on her head.

"So, where did you two go?" Clara asked with a smile, making sure her voice didn’t sound like a reproach.

"We went to Disneyland!" Ashley replied excitedly, clearly showing how much fun she had had.

Then, noticing Clara’s lack of enthusiasm, Ashley’s expression suddenly became sad.

"You’re not going to make fun of me, are you?" she asked sadly.

"No, no. I’m just a little jealous because I’ve never been there," Clara lied, trying to explain why she wasn’t reacting as positively as Ashley had hoped.

"Aww, next time, we’ll go together with our baby," Ashley said, wrapping her arms tightly around Clara.

"Ah, it was such a wonderful day," Regina added as she entered the house carrying six shopping bags in both hands.

"We went shopping, too," Ashley added.

"I can see that," Clara replied, forcing a smile because she knew that no criticism from her would be tolerated in her own house.

Still, she wanted to tell her mother to stop buying more clothes for the baby.

They had already bought far too many.

"Well, I’m going back to bed now that you’re both here," Clara said before heading upstairs to their bedroom.

She was completely exhausted and desperately needed some rest. She still had another busy day at work tomorrow, and she didn’t even want to think about everything waiting for her.

She had barely closed her eyes for five minutes when she felt the mattress move.

Ashley had just gotten into bed.

She moved closer to Clara and snuggled against her.

"Hey, are you already asleep?" Ashley asked.

Clara opened her eyes. She had almost fallen asleep.

"Not yet. What’s wrong?"

Ashley remained silent for a few seconds.

"I just wanted to apologize for making your life difficult. I promise I’ll make an effort from now on."

Clara looked at her wife in the darkness.

This wasn’t the first time Ashley had promised that, only to cause another scene a few days later.

But Clara knew Ashley wasn’t doing it on purpose. She knew the real Ashley a strong, independent woman who always kept her head held high, even when she was hurting.

This fragile side of her wouldn’t last forever.

"It’s okay," Clara simply replied.

She leaned over and gave Ashley a quick kiss before lying back down.

Ashley moved closer and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Clara closed her eyes, hoping she could finally sleep.

A few minutes passed.

Then Ashley moved.

"Clara..."

There was no answer.

"Clara?"

Clara frowned before opening her eyes.

Ashley was sitting up, one hand over her stomach.

"The baby is moving a lot," Ashley said.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I’m okay."

But Clara could see the pain on her face.

"How long has it been hurting?"

Ashley was about to answer when she suddenly looked down.

"Clara..."

"What?"

Ashley stared at the bed.

Fluid was running down onto the sheets.

For several seconds, Clara couldn’t process what she was seeing.

Then her eyes widened.

"Oh my God..."

Ashley looked at her.

"I think my water just broke."

Clara’s heart immediately began racing.

"What?"

She jumped out of bed and rushed to the door.

"Mom!"

A few seconds later, Regina appeared in the hallway, still half-asleep.

"What’s going on?"

"Ashley’s water broke."

Regina’s expression changed instantly.

"What?"

"I think the baby is coming."

Regina quickly entered the bedroom.

"Ashley, don’t panic. Are you having contractions?"

Ashley slowly nodded.

"Yes... They’re starting to hurt."

Clara felt panic rising inside her.

She had imagined this moment countless times holding their baby, hearing its first cry, and seeing Ashley smile after giving birth.

But she had never truly thought about everything that came before it.

The pain.

The fear.

The possibility that something could go wrong.

"Clara," Regina said firmly.

Clara looked at her.

"Go get the hospital bag."

"Okay."

She rushed downstairs, her hands shaking.

Calm down. Everything is going to be fine.

She grabbed the bag they had prepared weeks ago and hurried back upstairs.

Ashley was sitting on the edge of the bed with Regina beside her.

"Another contraction?" Clara asked.

Ashley nodded through clenched teeth.

Clara immediately took her hand.

The contraction grew stronger, and Ashley squeezed Clara’s hand tightly.

Clara could feel her nails digging into her skin, but she said nothing.

"It’ll pass," she whispered.

"I’m scared," Ashley admitted.

Those words hurt Clara more than anything.

She moved closer.

"I know. But I’m here with you."

Ashley looked at her.

"You’re not going to leave me?"

"Never."

Regina picked up the hospital bag.

"We need to leave now."

Clara helped Ashley stand.

Every step was difficult, but they eventually made it downstairs.

They had barely reached the living room when Ashley stopped.

"Wait..."

"What’s wrong?"

"Another contraction."

Clara wrapped an arm around her.

"Just breathe."

She tried to remain calm, but inside, she was terrified.

A few minutes later, the three of them were in the car.

Regina drove while Clara sat in the back with Ashley, holding her hand the entire way.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really," Ashley replied with a grimace.

Clara almost laughed, but stopped herself.

"Sorry."

She looked down at their intertwined hands.

She wished she could take Ashley’s pain away, but there was nothing she could do except stay by her side.

Soon, the hospital lights appeared ahead of them.

Nurses quickly helped Ashley into a wheelchair, and Clara followed without letting go of her hand.

They were taken to the maternity ward, where doctors immediately began examining Ashley.

Clara stayed beside her through every contraction.

Time seemed to stand still.

She looked at Ashley and placed a hand over her stomach.

Our baby is really coming.

The thought filled her with both fear and happiness.

Whatever happened, Clara knew she would remain by Ashley’s side.

Hours later, after a long and painful labor, the cry of a newborn finally echoed through the room.

Ashley was exhausted, tears covering her face, but she was smiling.

A doctor gently placed their baby against her.

Clara’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

She slowly moved closer.

For the first time, she saw their child.

All the stress from work, the arguments, the exhaustion, and the worries of the past few months suddenly seemed meaningless.

Clara gently took Ashley’s hand.

"You did it," she whispered.

Ashley turned toward her with a tired smile.

"We did it."

Clara smiled through her tears and looked at their baby again.

"So, what are you going to name your daughter?" the doctor asked.

Ashley looked at Clara before answering with a small smile.

"Catlin. Her name is Catlin Gresham Turner."