In that moment, he was filled with regret. He had wanted a baby primarily to keep Alexis close, but now, she was enduring the agony of labor because of his selfishness.

Waylen, witnessing Leonel's distress, was incensed.

“What good does regret do now? The baby is almost here.”

Leonel murmured an apology.

Disdain flickering across his face, Waylen turned to gaze at the delivery room door, his mind consumed with worry for his daughter. He harbored a fierce urge to confront Leonel more aggressively.

Just then, the delivery room door swung open. A nurse stepped out and addressed the doctor, "Dr. Hill, her cervix is fully dilated at ten centimeters. Please, come quickly."

Dr. Hill rushed inside.

In the hallway, the Fowler family stood in tense silence.

No one brought up past grievances or broached uncomfortable topics with Leonel. The waiting seemed interminable. Marcus eventually broke the silence, offering Leonel a cigarette.

“I quit smoking," Leonel declined.

With a scoff, Marcus walked away to smoke alone.

Inside the delivery room, the medical team continued to support Alexis. Once her cervix had fully dilated, the pain intensified, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Yet, she clenched her teeth, determined not to cry out.

As the overhead lamp flickered slightly, Alexis was overwhelmed by a surge of memories.

"Alexis, let's have another baby."

“Alexis, I promise not to hurt you again, and I won't let Anika or any other woman come between us."

But Leonel, it's too late. I can't ever erase the image of you kissing Anika. Alexis thought to herself. Amidst her labor pains, tears streamed down Alexis' face. Driven by a mix of anguish and resentment, she cried out as the baby was born.

The pain was intense.

The baby, Cordelia Fowler, arrived at 10:10 in the morning, a moment that seemed perfectly timed.

She weighed three kilograms and measured 55 centimeters long.

"She's beautiful, just Like her mother," remarked the nurse.