Chapter 0336


    Yana discreetly followed Candice as she underwent different checks until the results were avable.


    Candice examined the report. The way she behaved was strangely calm, but Yana noticed her


    trembling faintly.


    The report stated that she was two weeks pregnant.


    After a long silence, Yana couldn''t help but wonder, "Could this be from yourst... encounter?"


    Candice was staring at the report. She felt out of breath, as if seawater had soaked her bones and


    made her entire body ache. Confusion and a sense of being lost overwhelmed her.


    "Candy? Candy?"


    Yana''s call drew her back into the present. Candice gazed up at her.


    Yana’s heart sank as she saw Candice''s dull eyes. "Whose child is this?" she asked.


    Yana was genuinely astonished with the incidence. She was always open-minded and didn''t see


    any issue with an adult having a private life. She hadn’t thought much about seeing Candice at the


    hotel, but she had no idea she was pregnant.


    Candice''s reaction suggested she was just as surprised.


    The question of paternity added anotheryer ofplexity to the situation.


    Candice felt an unseen force clutching her heart amid the busy hallway. She opened her mouth, but


    found it difficult to say anything.


    Yana blinked slightly and murmured a name she found hard to believe, probing, "Is it Alex?"


    Candice stayed mute.


    "Are you still seeing Alex?" Yana asked, shocked.


    "No," Candice replied, her voice rough, betraying her usualposure. "I don''t understand how this


    happened."


    After Candice exined everything, Yana found herself at a loss for words. She wanted to offer


    comfort but could only ask, "What''s your n?"


    "...I''m not sure."


    "Will you tell Alex?"


    "No," Candice responded decisively.


    Yana cast a sidelong nce at Candice, who stared down at her stomach.


    Candice spoke in a voice hardly audible to herself, "This baby has nothing to do with him."


    With no clear solution in mind, Yana couldn''t think of a better option than to drive Candice back to


    the vi.


    Upon leaving the hospital, Candice asked, "Could you take me to Northdale?"


    Yana, though hesitant,plied with her request.


    -


    Candice asked to be dropped off a short way from her ce, preferring to take the short walk,


    craving solitude to clear her thoughts.


    Amidst her initial shock, Candice felt a growing anxiety. The thought of having Alex''s child had


    crossed her mind early in their rtionship.


    In the face of their reality now, the prospect of being pregnant with his child seemed terrifying after


    their separation.


    Resting a hand on her stomach, she was unable to get any sleep that night due to the chaos of her


    thoughts. She sat in her room and retrieved the toys her grandfather had made for her as a child.


    He had made a variety, including knitted and wooden ones.


    Holding the toys, she could envision her grandfather making them for her. In the middle of her


    turmoil, the memories providedfort.


    -


    When Candice arrived at the vi the next day, she found none of her colleagues had left.


    Upon seeing her, Hanley asked, "Is everything all right? Yana told us you were feeling under the


    weather and stayed in Northdale."


    It was clear Yana hadn''t shared news of Candice''s pregnancy.


    Facing Hanley''s concern, Candice took a moment before sharing, "Hanley, there''s something


    important I need to discuss with you."


    Dressed lightly in a shirt and trench coat on the brisk early autumn morning, she looked particrly


    fragile.


    Entering the yard, Hanley quickly offered his coat for extra warmth, gently suggesting, "You should


    wear moreyers."


    Though Candice had mentally prepared for this conversation, Hanley''s kindness made her hesitate.


    She looked down, biting her lip, unable to speak.


    "What''s the matter?" Hanley asked, sensing her distress after a moment of quiet.


    "I—" Candice stammered.


    Her chest heaved as she removed the coat from her shoulders to return it to Hanley.


    She blinked repeatedly and her voice was so soft it was almost lost in the wind as she revealed,


    "Hanley, I''m pregnant."


    Hanley didn''t respond immediately, nor did he take the coat back, prompting Candice to meet his


    stare. The look in his eyes was one of restraint and churning withplex emotions, reminiscent of


    the raging stormy seas at night.


    Hanley eventually took the coat from her. Candice managed a feeble smile, about to add more, but


    Hanley cut in with a question, "The father is Alex?"


    Candice confirmed with a slight nod.


    Hanley paused before asking another question, "Does he know about it?"


    "I have no ns to tell him."


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    "Then you''re deciding to keep the baby?" Hanley''s look was filled with mixed emotions as he


    regarded Candice.


    Her gaze wandered off momentarily before she said, resolved, "Yes." The decision was the product


    of a night''s deep reflection. Regaining herposure, Candice announced, "I should get going


    now."


    Hanley covered her shoulders with his coat once more and embraced her, enveloping her in his


    warmth and the scent of freshundry. He rested his chin on her shoulder, holding her silently until


    she gently tried to push him away, only to hear him softly plead, "Stay."


    Candice ceased her attempt to leave, allowing the embrace to continue. After a brief pause, she


    sighed, "Hanley, I''m carrying a child."


    "I''m aware," Hanley conceded with a resigned chuckle. "And I must admit, the thought of you with


    Alex''s child...it''s harder to deal with than I imagined."


    It was only natural for him to feel envious when he thought of the woman he had affection for


    bearing the child of another man.


    Candice had no idea how to react to Hanley''s statement and kept silent.


    Another voice interrupted their peace by saying, "Quite the spectacle this morning, isn''t it?"


    Sieg''sid-back remark pierced the serene atmosphere.


    Candice looked toward the source of the interruption at the yard entrance.


    Her attention wasn''t on Sieg, however, but was drawn to Alex, who stood quietly beside him under a


    willow, his intense gaze fixed on her.


    Alex''s dark stare remained riveted on her. His ck cloak appeared grave and immacte,


    softened only by the willow leaves that adorned his shoulder.


    Candice met his stare, her eyes briefly sparkling in response.


    "Mr. Baldwin, youth does have its virtues, but perhaps some restraint is advisable, especially here in


    the open," Sieg said with a sharp edge to his voice.


    Hanley''s expression clouded. He cast a short nce at Sieg before turning his attention to Alex. His


    stare was tense and dark, with an underlying hostility hidden in his eyes.