Belinda gasped with surprise and delight. âHoly cow! Iâve seen so many videos online of babies kicking in the womb, but I never imagined it would be this intense. Auntie, doesnât the baby being active in there bother you?â
Ellinorâs eyes glowed with maternal warmth as she gently stroked her belly with a teasing smile. âItâs not that bad. But this little one is a real troublemaker, just like your uncle.â
Belinda, with a dreamy look on her face, rested her chin in her hands. âThatâs so wonderful, Auntie. I just know you and Uncle will have the kind of love that lasts forever and grow old together in bliss! Iâm so envious. I wish I had that kind of love.â
Ellinor raised an eyebrow at her. âDonât you have a boyfriend? Itâs about time you think about getting really serious with him.â
The mention of her âboyfriendâ made the expression on Belindaâs face dim. âAuntie, we actually broke upâ¦â
Ellinor didnât seem surprised. âWhy did you break up?â
Belinda sighed in frustration. âWell⦠he proposed to me, and I got scared, so I didnât accept.â
Ellinor squinted her eyes thoughtfully. âAre you afraid of getting married?â
Belinda furrowed her brows as a somewhat confused expression appeared on her face. âIâm not scared of marriage. In fact, Iâve always admired the idea of it and often fantasized about my own wedding.
You know, Auntie, I was once about to get married, but the wedding was called off when I found out that the guy was a jerk. Before that, I was really looking forward to the wedding and the marriage.
But for some reason, when Jacob proposed, I felt very resistant.â
Ellinor saw through it all. âItâs simple. Itâs because you donât love him.â
Belinda froze as if sheâd been struck by lightning.
She didnât love Jacob..
That was true. She really didnât.
She just thought Jacob was a nice guy and a reliable man. Being with him meant not having to worry about being dumped.
Because her taste in men was so poor, she was always falling for jerks. She thought she might as well settle down with a decent guy.
But when it came down to actually getting married, she couldnât accept spending the rest of her life with a man she didnât love.
Ellinor was about to offer her advice when she was interrupted by Baberâs childish voice.
âEllinor, you need to use the bathroom for pee-pee, not your pants.â
Peeing her pants?
Ellinor looked at Baber with surprise, staring wide-eyed at her pants. She looked down and was dumbstruck.
She was wet, and there was a puddle on the floor.
Oh no!
Belinda noticed it too and panicked. âAu⦠Auntie, whatâs happening? Whatâs wrong?â
Ellinorâs face turned serious. âBelinda, my water just broke! Donât panic, stay calm, and call an ambulance for me. Quickly!â
âOkay! Iâm calling 911 right now!â Belinda said as she fumbled with her phone. She dialed the emergency number and relayed their location and situation.
âAuntie, the ambulance is on its way. Theyâll be here in ten minutes. How are you feeling? Can you hang on?â
Baber, not understanding the situation, began to cry and clutched Ellinorâs hand. âEllinor. Ellinorâ¦
Despite the pain of contractions making her breathing uneven, Ellinor answered Belinda and comforted Baber, all while glancing at the clock on the wall.
Her due date was early. She was going into labor!