Heart in Ashes

Simon was slightly taken aback. When he received the call from the hospital, he had been dining with Sophie's parents.

At the time, he was so overcome with fear that he immediately left Sophie's family behind to rush to the hospital.

Thankfully, Luna hadn't suffered any major injuries.

"I was out having dinner with some clients. There's an important deal I need to follow up on. I came over right away when the hospital informed me about your accident," he explained.

Luna's soft eyes narrowed slightly as she stared straight at him.

"You just came from a dinner with your clients?" she asked.

"Yeah, Lulu. I'm so tired." Simon massaged his temples.

Hearing that, Luna slowly closed her eyes and said nothing more.

Simon sat by her side to keep her company. After a while, his phone suddenly rang. He decisively declined the call, only to have the caller persistently call again.

Simon muted his phone and began typing a message with his head lowered.

A minute later, his expression became animated. He hastily made up an excuse and left in a hurry.

Not long after Simon had left, Clover arrived to visit Luna. However, her expression was anything but cheerful.

"Guess who I ran into on my way upstairs," she huffed.

Seeing Clover, Luna sat up slightly and thought for a few seconds before venturing a guess. "Simon?"

Clover scoffed and put on an expression full of disdain.

"The third floor of this hospital is the obstetrics and gynecology department. When I got in the elevator to come up, I saw Simon with Sophie as soon as the doors opened.

"I felt something was off, so I followed the crowd out of the elevator, only to see Sophie holding a prenatal checkup report. Simon was practically grinning from ear to ear, murmuring about how he's going to be a dad."

Luna froze slightly, her gaze lowered thoughtfully. There was not a trace of displeasure on her face.

"She's pregnant, huh?" she remarked softly.

Clover couldn't help but feel that Luna was acting unlike herself, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what felt off. She leaned closer to Luna and touched her forehead.

"Are you not angry? Wait, you don't have a fever that's messed up your brain, right?"

Luna gave a faint smile, her pale lips slightly parted as she spoke. "News flash—Simon has a medical condition. The doctor said he can't reproduce."

Three years ago, they had tried for a baby for an entire year, but she couldn't get pregnant. She initially thought the issue was with her and even scheduled a hospital appointment for a checkup.

Worried about the stress it might place on her, Simon also went with her to get checked.

When the results came back, it was revealed that Simon was infertile.

Luna couldn't sleep that night. She spent the whole night convincing herself to accept the idea of a childless life. She was fine as long as Simon loved her.

To protect Simon's ego and career, she had even asked the doctor, Eason Hilt, to keep Simon's condition a secret, claiming publicly that she needed to "fix her health" before they could conceive.

But now, she felt her three years of careful secrecy was utterly foolish after she knew how thrilled Simon was to become a father.

"Holy shit, now that's what I call news!" Clover was so shocked she nearly jumped out of her seat. Rubbing her hands together, she wiggled her eyebrows and suggested, "Lulu, I've got an idea. You're moving to Naavi in five days, right? Let's pretend we don't know anything for now. Once Sophie gives birth, we'll send Simon his medical report. I'd love to see whether he'll lose his mind when he finds out!"

Simon didn't show up at the hospital the next morning.

In the afternoon, Susanna came to Luna's ward. After reporting on the wedding preparations, she hesitatingly glanced at Luna.

"Say what's on your mind," Luna mentioned, her sleek brows furrowed slightly.

Susanna nervously glanced at Luna and whispered, "Mr. Fulmer asked me to deliver some documents to the villa this afternoon. When I arrived, I saw Sophie Sutherland sitting on the living room couch in her pajamas.

"Mrs. Fulmer, you've always been kind to me; I just couldn't stand by and say nothing. I thought I should let you know."

A chill crept up from the soles of Luna's feet, and her delicate face turned cold.

It seemed that Sophie had already moved into their home while Luna was still hospitalized. No wonder Simon had specifically told her last night to inform him before she was discharged so that he could pick her up.

"I understand. Thank you."

Luna picked up her phone from the table and opened the surveillance footage, which was completely dark.

Simon had deliberately covered the surveillance camera in advance.

With a frown, Luna turned to Susanna, who had not yet left.

"I'll find a way to get Simon and Sophie out of the villa tonight. Please get someone to reinstall the camera. Make sure it's discreet."

"Understood, Mrs. Fulmer," Susanna replied.

At 10:00 pm, Simon arrived at the hospital. He looked at Luna lying on the hospital bed, his dark eyes filled with guilt.

"Lulu, did you ask me to come because you missed me? I'm sorry, I was busy all day—"

Luna frowned, cutting him off and offering him an excuse to avoid putting him in a tough spot. "I know. You were busy preparing for my birthday party, which is why you're visiting so late."

Simon was momentarily stunned but then smiled as he took Luna's hand and gently squeezed it.

"As expected of you, Lulu. You know me best."

Luna fixed her gaze on Simon and agreed, "Yes, I do understand you. I understand everything you do."

Simon's heart skipped a beat, and he mumbled, "Lulu…"

Just as he was about to say something, a nurse came in with a cart to replace Luna's IV.

The next day, Luna opened the surveillance footage and saw Sophie and Simon having lunch together in the villa.

Sophie sat in Luna's usual spot, pouting and refusing to eat. She claimed her pregnancy had caused her to lose her appetite.

"Be good and take care of yourself." Simon patiently spoon-fed her. "Once the baby is born, I'll figure out a way to have Lulu accept our child as her godchild."

Half an hour later, Sophie had eaten too much. She waddled upstairs with a smug expression, her belly protruding.

Simon called the house staff over and spoke to them in a low, commanding tone. "Sophie is pregnant and has a short temper. Be patient with her. Also, none of you are to mention her moving in here to Lulu when Lulu comes back!"

"Yes, Mr. Fulmer," the staff responded.

Luna watched the surveillance footage calmly.

Then, she looked away and began instructing Susanna to prepare the wedding invitations. She intended to finalize the guest list for the invitations today.