Chapter 190

"Pregnant?" Madeline Kingsley blurted out. "How could she—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Eleanor Kingsley gasped. "Evelyn is pregnant?"

"When did this happen?" Patriarch Kingsley's face lit up with joy. "Alex, speak up!"

Alexander Kingsley ignored their questions, his piercing gaze fixed on his grandmother. "You just demanded she repay the Kingsleys with half her life?"

Madeline turned pale.

"Will the child in her womb suffice as payment?" Alexander's voice was glacial.

"N-no..." Madeline shook her head frantically. "Why didn't you tell us sooner—"

Alexander wrenched his arm free. "If anything happens to Evelyn today, I'm severing all ties with the Kingsley family."

"Where is Evelyn?" Eleanor's voice cracked with urgency.

Madeline fumbled helplessly. "The Eatons said... they'd handle it..."

When Alexander called the Eaton residence, the butler answered proudly, "We've already reported those troublesome journalists to the police."

"You're the one who called me?" Alexander recognized the voice immediately.

"Yes, yes, that was me," the butler fawned.

"Who authorized you to involve the police?" Alexander demanded.

"I took the initiative," the butler explained hastily. "Later, the master approved—"

"Which precinct?" Alexander cut him off.

......

At the police station, a female officer was consulting her superior. "The female suspect claims she's unwell. She looks terrible. Should we send her to the hospital?"

"Where is she?" Alexander's chest tightened.

Evelyn Sinclair curled up on a chair in the temporary holding room, clutching her abdomen.

The dull ache in her lower abdomen had started when she arrived at the station. After drinking cold water, the pain intensified, spreading to her stomach in sharp spasms.

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her vision blurred.

"Evelyn!"

Through the haze, she heard Alexander's voice. When she looked up, she saw not only his anxious face but the entire Kingsley family behind him.

"I..." she began, but the world spun violently.

As darkness claimed her, a chorus of shocked exclamations filled her ears.

......

Emergency Room, Provincial Hospital.

"Doctor, how's my wife?" Alexander followed the physician closely. "She's fainted before—is it malnutrition? The baby—"

The doctor gave him a cold look. "You're her husband?"

Alexander nodded urgently.

"You knew she was pregnant and still let this happen?" the doctor snapped. "She nearly fell down the stairs, and you waited this long to bring her in? Do you even want this child?"

"That's not—"

"Then what is it?" the doctor scoffed. "Only care about the baby? Make up your mind—do you want it or not?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Madeline rushed forward. "Save the child at all costs!"

The doctor sneered. "Now you're concerned? Where were you earlier? I can't stand families like yours—neglectful until disaster strikes, then putting on this act!"

Madeline hung her head in shame.

Eleanor intervened diplomatically. "Doctor, please do your best. The mother's safety comes first."

"The mother's constitution is decent, but she has uterine scarring from previous trauma. Extreme caution is required." The doctor's tone softened slightly. "Also, her emotional evaluation shows depressive tendencies. You all need serious self-reflection!"

Once the doctor left, Patriarch Kingsley rounded on his wife. "Look what you've done! You nearly killed our granddaughter-in-law and great-grandchild!"

"Evelyn never told me—" Madeline tried to defend herself.

"Tell you?" Patriarch Kingsley roared. "With your previous attitude, who would dare? The doctor said she's depressed—you drove her to it!"

Madeline shrank back, silenced.

"You will apologize properly later!" the old man commanded.

When the doctor announced visiting hours, Madeline moved forward—only for Alexander to block her path. "Grandmother, think carefully. Your precious darling is still lying in a hospital bed. Are you sure you want to see Evelyn now?"

He refused to let Madeline near Evelyn.

This sudden concern wasn't for Evelyn—only for the child she carried.