Her eyes welled up with unshed tears, her gaze cloudy and desolate.

Mitchel was right; she couldn't bear this burden alone. At that instant, she yearned for Theodore's presence more than ever; she needed him to shoulder this weight as the father of their children.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. Hastily wiping her tears, she instinctively hid the report beneath her blanket and said, "Come in."

Ariana anticipated a nurse or perhaps Horace. So, when a familiar figure appeared, she was genuinely surprised.

It was Theodore.