Chapter 452: Putting the Buddha Beads Back on Her Wrist

Ivy had completely forgotten about that. She began, "Quentin, you..."

"It’s so late, have you eaten? You must be tired after being out all day. Let me give you a massage."

As he spoke, Quentin had Ivy sit on the sofa, then stood behind her and started massaging her shoulders.

Every time Ivy tried to bring up settling the score, Quentin would find an excuse to interrupt, asking if she was thirsty or if she felt cold.

He poured her a glass of water, brought over a blanket, and kneaded her shoulders and arms. He was even more attentive than a professional masseuse.

She had already eaten dinner with Nina Scott before coming back; she was just a little tired.

Whether it was because Quentin’s massage was too good or because she was simply too exhausted, she actually fell asleep just like that.

When Ivy woke up, the room was pitch black. She picked up her phone and glanced at it—it was two in the morning.

The room was empty. Quentin must have left.

And she was in her bedroom, not on the sofa. Quentin must have carried her in.

Ivy couldn’t get back to sleep, so she decided to get up and work.

Her next prenatal checkup was in a few days. Given how frequently Quentin was showing up, he would probably try to tag along.

Ivy didn’t want him to go.

After a moment’s thought, she sent a message to Zane Linton, asking when Quentin would be returning to Aethelgard.

Zane replied in the morning, saying that President Blackwood would likely be making a trip back to Aethelgard soon.

Ivy checked the date and decided to schedule her prenatal checkup for that very day!

「...」

Aside from being by Ivy’s side, Quentin was actually very busy with countless things to do every day.

The day before he was due back in Aethelgard, he sat beside Ivy, watching her sleep.

"I have to go back to Aethelgard for a couple of days to take care of some things. I won’t be around."

"Mm," Ivy nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching up into an irrepressible smile. She looked very happy.

"You’re that happy when I’m not around?" Quentin looked at Ivy’s secretly gleeful expression, but he wasn’t particularly angry.

"Just hurry up and go." Ivy pushed at him, then muttered under her breath, "And it’d be best if you didn’t come back."

"Do you really want me not to come back?"

Ivy hesitated for a second. "Whether you come back or not has nothing to do with me."

"I knew it. You can’t bear for me to go."

"I won’t miss you at all!"

’How did I even give him that impression? He’s the one I can’t seem to shake.’

"But I can’t bear to leave you." Quentin suddenly took Ivy’s hand, brought it to his lips, and placed a light kiss on it.

"I’ll be back as soon as I can," Quentin said.

Ivy pulled her hand back. "That has nothing to do with me."

From their time together recently, she knew this man had become clingy. He liked to watch over her as she slept, and he would leave once she’d fallen asleep. Yet, the next morning, he would appear again.

Maybe it was because of the pregnancy, but Ivy had been feeling a bit drowsy these past couple of days.

So even with Quentin beside her, she could fall asleep quickly, and she even slept quite well.

As she was drifting off, drowsy and half-asleep, Ivy felt something cold on her wrist.

But her eyelids were heavy, and she didn’t open them.

Quentin slipped the Buddha Beads back onto Ivy’s wrist. He had re-strung them after they broke last time.

If he had tried to give them to her face-to-face, Ivy definitely wouldn’t have accepted them. He could only resort to this sneaky method.

The Buddha Beads coiled around her wrist. Ivy’s wrists were already slender and fair, and they complemented the beads perfectly.

Quentin held Ivy’s hand, reluctant to let go. He didn’t even want to go back to Aethelgard anymore. Or rather, he just wanted to be wherever she was.

Gazing at Ivy’s sleeping face, he ultimately couldn’t resist leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips.

「...」

The next day, Quentin really didn’t appear. Ivy had already scheduled her prenatal checkup for that day. That morning, after getting out of bed and getting ready for the hospital, she lifted her hand and finally noticed something was amiss.

Staring at the string of sandalwood-colored Buddha Beads, Ivy’s breath hitched.

’Aren’t these the heirloom from Quentin’s mother? Didn’t I already give them back to him? Why did he put them on me again?!’

’Now that Quentin’s gone, I probably won’t see him for days. I have no way to return this to him.’

’What on earth is he thinking, sneaking it onto my wrist like this? Doesn’t he have the guts to do it openly?’

Ivy started to take them off, but the cool beads seemed to have already absorbed her warmth.

She paused. ’I might as well wear it for now,’ she thought. ’I’ll just give it back to him the next time he shows up.’

After quickly washing up, Ivy went to the hospital.

But she never expected to run into someone else in the obstetrics and gynecology department.

Ivy had no idea what kind of ill-fated connection she shared with Anna Nash. How could she run into her every single time something happened with Anna?

’I’m starting to suspect Anna did something to wrong me in a past life, and now I’ve become her nemesis in this one.’

Anna Nash was in the OB-GYN department, clutching a report, her expression ecstatic.

The moment she turned around, she came face-to-face with Ivy. The smile on Anna’s face froze in surprise.

"You... What are you doing here?" Anna stammered, flustered.

Ivy glanced at her report. "So excited. What is it, pregnant again?"

Anna hadn’t expected Ivy to guess. "I’m not!"

"Really not, or just pretending not to be? Anna, you’re a terrible liar. Is the baby Caleb Blackwood’s?"

"Ivy, don’t talk nonsense!" Anna was panicking inside. She knew Ivy’s status was different now; she was the long-lost daughter of a prestigious family, and she had powerful people protecting her.

’Sometimes I can’t help but be jealous. How could Ivy be so lucky?’

’Ivy never had to fight for anything; everything was just handed to her. But I’m different. I can only rely on myself.’

’And last time, Ivy saw me coming out of Caleb Blackwood’s room. Now she sees me here for a checkup... What kind of twisted fate do I have with her?!’

"If it’s not Caleb Blackwood’s child... well, your husband isn’t capable of that anymore. So whose baby is it?"

"I..." Anna was speechless.

"I’m not pregnant! I’m here for a checkup for my child. I just finished my postpartum confinement a few days ago, so stop talking nonsense!" Anna denied it. There was no way she would ever admit it.

"Plenty of women get pregnant right after their confinement period. Knowing your personality, it’s definitely something you’d do," Ivy said coolly.

"Ivy, I’m begging you, please don’t tell anyone about this, okay? For the sake of our past friendship!"

Although the test had just shown she was pregnant, the fetus was still tiny.

She had been secretly visiting the hospital for tests by herself. A test at the hospital could detect a pregnancy as early as a week or ten days after conception.

Unable to bear the wait, she’d come in for another one, and today, she had finally received the happy news she’d been hoping for.

"Ivy, I know I’ve wronged you in the past, but in a way, I also helped you, didn’t I? If it weren’t for me back then, you would have been the one to marry Silas Blackwood. You never would have gotten together with Quentin. And I never tried to steal Quentin from you, did I?"