Eventually, Nathan released Mila's hand.
Mila felt a pang in her heart when she realized what it was like to be deeply loved by him. Regardless of his reluctance, he was willing to compromise for her sake.
She clung to Phoebe's arm as they walked away side by side.
When they were a short distance away, Phoebe couldn't help but look back. She saw Nathan standing in a warm yellow light under the falling snow. He stood motionless with his eyes fixed on Mila.
Unable to ignore him, Phoebe whispered, "Mila, General Morrison is still there.”
Mila replied with a hum but didn't turn around.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I feel sorry for him sometimes,” Phoebe sighed.
"For what? Hasn't he got Fenna with him? You should feel sorry for me," Mila said with a bitter smile.
Phoebe wrapped her arm tightly around Mila's and rested her head on Milas shoulder. "You've still got me."
"Yes, I've got you—Phoebe, the beauty,” Mila replied with a smile. "Mila, I've been researching a little online. It's normal for the baby bump not to be very noticeable midway through pregnancy. It will grow considerably in the later stages and becmore noticeable. So, keeping it hidden from General Morrison won't help.
"Why not find the right tto tell him the truth? We can go back to Phoenicia while you're expecting if you're worried about Fenna hurting the baby,” Phoebe suggested.
Mila sank into deep thought.
The next morning, Mila resumed her work in the research department. Jacob threw a pile of documents in her direction. His usual unpleasant demeanor remained, but his words were noticeably different. "Here are all our Team B projects. You can choose which one you want to join." Mila was surprised to hear him speak so differently.
“You've already reported to General Morrison. Why pretend otherwise?" Jacob sneered.
Mila gently pushed the documents aside and replied, “It's not necessary. I have my own research projects and focus. I don't have the energy for anything else now."
Jacob snorted and snatched up the documents. He looked at her from head to toe in disdain before muttering under his breath, "You really are a parasite who relies on connections to get in here."
Mila's expression went dark. She gritted her teeth and shot him a furious stare.
Jacob walked away with contempt.
Trying to calm herself, Mila took a deep breath and gently touched her stomach. She worked to contain her anger and to bear the humiliation she felt.
She had been busy all morning. Her colleagues remained in the dark about the nature of her research. All they knew was that she had made several trips to the restroom throughout the morning. She didn't look like someone focused on her work.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHunger weakened Mila even before the afternoon. Phoebe arrived with ssnacks to satisfy her hunger. The rest of the research department continued their work during the lunch break while Mila went to the cafeteria with Phoebe at her side.
As they entered the cafeteria, a figure rushed toward them and accidentally bumped into Mila. Mila was startled and stepped back in surprise.
Phoebe acted quickly. She wrapped her arm around Mila's waist and pulled her close.
However, the person carrying a lunchbox had already collided with Mila's arm. The lunch box fell to the ground and spilled its contents. Mila looked at the person who had bumped into her. She was still shaken.
The person turned out to be Fenna.
Phoebe was enraged and immediately yelled, "Are you blind? Can't you see where you're going?"
Fenna was unapologetic as she retorted, "I was in a hurry to get lunch for Nate. It was just an accident that I bumped into you. You're not hurt, so what's the big deal? You've ruined my lunch instead.”
"You bumped into someone, but you didn't even bother to apologize. And now you're acting like you didn't do anything wrong?" Phoebe demanded.
Fenna looked at Mila, who was shielding her stomach with both hands. Fenna couldn't help but frown. She had clearly bumped into Mila's arm, but Mila's first instinct was to protect her stomach.
Mila quickly dropped her hands when she saw the surprised look on Fenna's face.
"You're pregnant?" Fenna was shocked.