“Hesper!”

Rickard’s eyes widened in shock at that very moment. 

He shakily stretched out his hand, but Hesper’s gaze remained locked on the bundle before her. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and said, “My baby…”

She wanted to check on the baby, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not reach the edge of the bundle with her fingertips. 

It was only a few millimeters away, but the distance separated life and death. 

The vision before Hesper’s eyes went black, and she shut her eyes completely. 

“Hesper!” The usually calm man was already thrown into a panic by now. He roared frantically, “Call the ambulance! Call the ambulance, quick!”

The bodyguard standing behind him immediately took action while Benji picked up the bundle cautiously. His expression changed drastically after taking one glance. 

“Sir…”

Rickard looked over shakily, as he recognized the bundle as the bab

Sophia and Juniper were so terrified of his icy cold tone that their bodies shivered. However, they had always been skilled at putting on an act. Hence, Sophie pouted her lips in grief right away. 

“Why are you being so fierce to us? I feel very bad that she fell off the building too. I’m your sister and the baby’s aunt. Do you think I would put the mother and baby in harm’s way?”

“Yet, someone witnessed both of you making things difficult for her! Do you dare say you didn’t do it?”

Rickard flew into a great rage. If the accident was really caused by them, he could finally understand why Hesper would risk her life just to leave the Duvals. 

If he was in her place, he would not be able to stay with a family as vile, cruel, and malicious as that!

Sophia continued to cry and complained, “Dick, will you please stop believing in a one-sided story. I did have a brief dispute with her, but

Madam Duval and Sophie refused to drop the matter. 

“So now you know how to behave yourself? Weren’t you so formidable yesterday that you beat up someone? Maybe karma struck and the baby is sick because of his trouble-making mother!”

“Criticize me all you want but not my baby.”

Hesper bit her lower lip tightly, anxious and panic-stricken from thinking about her child’s condition. 

Madam Duval squalled from the side. “Yikes, yikes, yikes. Look at you scowling at me after being criticized. Yesterday, you hit Sophia. Are you going to hit me today?”

Hesper knew that now was not the time for quarreling. She clenched her fists tightly and told herself to put up with it. Then she turned around to say to Rickard, “I’m the child’s mother, so no matter what, I have the right to check on him.”

“No. What if the baby’s illness deteriorates further when she enters the room?”

Sophia’s remark reminded Rickard. Even though he did not buy into superstition, it was better to be safe than sorry since the baby could easily get an infection due to his low immunity while he was sick. 

“The baby is receiving treatment from a doctor right now. I’ll send someone to update you if there’s any information.”

Hesper’s gaze turned dim bit by bit. She took a glance at the faces of the Duvals in silence. 

She saw Madam Duval and Sophia's provocative expressions and Rickard’s ignorance. 

How could they do this? Is this family really able to take care of my child…

She waited until noon and seized the opportunity when Rickard was out to handle some affairs to come to the nursery once again. 

However, just as she was about to open the door, a mocking voice was heard coming from her side. “Trying to get inside? Beg me then. Beg me until I’m satisfied, and I’ll let you in to check if your son is still alive.”

She turned around to find Sophia and Juniper. 

Both of them had their chins lifted arrogantly as if they were trying to get even after yesterday’s incident. 

However, did Hesper have any other choice?

Her precious child was sick in the nursery, separated from her by a door. As the child’s mother, how could she set her mind at ease?

“Take it as me begging you. Just let me take one look at him, just a look will do.”

Hesper suppressed the feeling of humiliation in her heart and behaved submissively. 

Sophia and Juniper immediately burst out laughing in a reckless manner. As they were laughing, Sophia suddenly slapped Hesper. “Is this how you beg someone?”

Hesper stood there without budging. She knew that if she were to move, it was highly possible that she would not get to see her baby. 

“If the act of hitting me will allow me to see the child, you can hit me.”

“Bah, knock it off. I’m hitting you because you deserve it for being disrespectful yesterday.” Sophia fiddled with her freshly-manicured nails leisurely and smiled maliciously. “As for your child, you can bow down and beg me. Maybe then I’ll think about letting you see your child.”

Hesper could not stand it anymore. “You’ve gone too far!”

“I’ve gone too far?” Sophia acted as if she just heard the funniest joke and pretended as if she was walking away with Juniper. “Since you think I’ve gone too far, forget about it then. The child is not mine anyhow. Who knows if the doctor is putting in any effort to treat the child? If the child is almost dead, someone’s going to have to bury him soon.”

The remark hit Hesper’s soft spot. This was precisely what she was worried about, which was why she insisted on checking on the baby herself. 

Just as Sophia was about to leave, Hesper bit her lower lip tightly and bowed down. “Can I enter the nursery now?”

“Look at you bowing down as you're told. What an obedient dog you are. Look, Juni. How is a person like her worthy of being Mrs. Duval? I’m going to celebrate to my heart’s content on the day of your wedding to my brother.”

Hesper tried to turn a deaf ear to the remark, but her hands tightly clenched by her sides. 

Sophia and Juniper exchanged a glance before they behaved as if they were showing mercy to Hesper. “Go in then. Are you waiting for me to go back on my own word?”

Hesper immediately ran to the cot and found the little baby furrowing his eyebrows tightly as if he was enduring great pain. His fair complexion was flushed from the fever, and he cried in a loud, heartbreaking manner. 

After taking one look, Hesper felt as if her heart was torn up. Tears blurred her vision, and she said shakily, “Baby, baby. Open your eyes, and look at mommy. I’m here to see you.”

She stretched out her arms in an attempt to hold him, but she was afraid that she would hurt him. She was so anxious that tears streamed down her face profusely, and she turned her head to query the people behind her. 

“I thought you said that there’s a doctor attending to him specifically! Where is the doctor? Why is the baby still feeling so unwell?”

“How would I know?”

Sophia glanced unconcernedly while the servant next to her said, “Ms. Duval, the doctor already left earlier. However, he gave instructions to bring down the baby’s fever with medicine if his fever persists.”

“Where is the medicine? Bring it quickly!”

The servant had never seen Hesper speaking so hysterically, so she was so startled that she was rendered speechless. 

“Why are you roaring like that?" Sophia said. "The medicine available at home is for adults, so it’s unsuitable for children. You have to get it at the drugstore, of course!”

Hesper, whose mind was already clouded by worries, did not notice that something was off at all. She wiped her tears and got up with great effort before walking outside. “Fever medicine, I’ll get it. I’ll get it immediately. Call up the doctor to come quickly!”

She was certain that her baby was very uncomfortable. It was a pity that a child that young would need to endure the torment of illness. 

Hesper wished that she could suffer in her baby’s place.

She ran outside like a madwoman, forgetting that she lived in a luxury residential area, so she had to run across three streets before she was finally able to buy fever medicine. 

Her baby would be saved!

When she returned home, she heard Sophia and Juniper’s voice coming from upstairs. “Hesper, come to the top floor if you want to save your son.”

She raised her head and took a glance to find Juniper cradling a bundle of a sky blue blanket in her arms. 

It was the baby’s blanket!

She ran upstairs right away, gasping for air in a disheveled state. “I got the medicine. Hand the child to me quickly.”

“Heh… It’s a waste that you don’t need the medicine anymore.”

Juniper suddenly chuckled in a ghastly manner and stuck the tiny blanket bundle out of the balcony before Hesper’s eyes. 

At the same time, she could hear the baby’s sad cry. 

Hesper’s eyes widened in anger. “What are you doing, Juniper? Don’t touch my son!”

However, it was already too late. Juniper loosened her grip finger by finger before she tossed the blanket with the baby in it into the air. 

“Don’t blame me, Hesper, but yourself for not knowing your limitations when you give birth to Rickard’s son!”

“No!” 

Hesper let out a bitter, agonizing scream and leapt over the ledge in an attempt to grab the child without any concern for her own safety. 

The blanket bundle dropped at such a high speed that Hesper did not manage to catch it no matter how hard she tried. 

Rickard heard a loud bang as soon as he got home…

Hesper fell from above and crashed onto the ground next to him before his very eyes. 

Fresh blood pooled under her body and stained his vision red. At that very moment, it felt as if the world was drowned in blood.

“Hesper!”

Rickard’s eyes widened in shock at that very moment. 

He shakily stretched out his hand, but Hesper’s gaze remained locked on the bundle before her. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and said, “My baby…”

She wanted to check on the baby, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not reach the edge of the bundle with her fingertips. 

It was only a few millimeters away, but the distance separated life and death. 

The vision before Hesper’s eyes went black, and she shut her eyes completely. 

“Hesper!” The usually calm man was already thrown into a panic by now. He roared frantically, “Call the ambulance! Call the ambulance, quick!”

The bodyguard standing behind him immediately took action while Benji picked up the bundle cautiously. His expression changed drastically after taking one glance. 

“Sir…”

Rickard looked over shakily, as he recognized the bundle as the baby’s blanket. Hesper jumped off the tall building because of the baby. 

However, when he opened up t

Chapter 16