Chapter 870

Anthony Taylor and Teresa Taylor understood loneliness better than anyone. After losing little Evelyn years ago, they thought they'd never find her again. Adopting Annabelle was merely an attempt to fill the void in their hearts, and for over two decades, they indulged her every whim.

All they reaped in return was heartbreak.

Anthony sighed, conceding to Alexander Hamilton's point. "You're right. Moving back and forth between homes would be too much trouble. This decision should be yours—we didn't consider it carefully enough."

Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head gently. She picked up Baby Chloe, who was tilting her head curiously at the adults, and said softly, "By the way, she has a new name now—Easy Valentino. But we'll still call her Baby."

Teresa and Anthony immediately grasped the meaning behind the name. Yet, thinking of the child's circumstances, they couldn't help but worry. "You two are so attached to her... What about her biological parents? Is the custody battle still ongoing?"

They knew little about the Langley family.

Though Margaret Hamilton was well-informed, she never spoke much about it. The Taylors only knew that Bianca Langley's fiancé had passed away and that she was fighting Vincent Croix for custody.

"Full custody has already been transferred to us," Evelyn stated firmly. "As for her father, the only one she has now is Alexander."

Warmth spread through Alexander's chest. "By the time Baby is ten months old, she'll be a big sister."

Anthony, recalling the ordeal with Annabelle, grew uneasy. "Do her maternal grandparents know? What if later—"

"Miss Langley may no longer be with us," Evelyn's voice softened. "But her grandparents will always be family. When Baby is older, we'll take her to Canada to see them."

Haunted by his own past mistakes, Anthony spoke earnestly. "It's good that you care for her so deeply, but it might be best for her to leave the past behind completely. Otherwise, it could hurt her in the future."

"I've long considered her my own daughter," Evelyn murmured, her gaze distant. "I even calculated the timing, hoping she might be..." She stopped abruptly. "But I can't be this selfish."

The thought sounded absurd, yet it was her most honest desire.

The elders fell silent. Only Alexander truly understood her pain—the child they'd lost was a shared wound.

Unconsciously, Evelyn glanced at Alexander, and their eyes met across the room.

That afternoon, Evelyn insisted on returning to the hospital. Alexander insisted on driving her, this time accompanying her all the way to the OB-GYN Department.

"I'm not that fragile," Evelyn said, exasperated.

Alexander fussed nervously. "The first trimester is the most delicate. Are you cold?"

"The lowest temperature today is 24 degrees."

He pulled out his phone to check. "If you catch a cold, you can't take medicine—it'll be miserable." He completely forgot Evelyn was an OB-GYN specialist.

He was the spitting image of Teresa.

Evelyn wanted to laugh but couldn't. Back in her office, she had just started reviewing patient files when Olivia Lightfoot burst in, flustered. "Dr. Carter, are you... okay after yesterday?"

"Just exhaustion," Evelyn replied calmly.

Olivia stomped her foot anxiously. "But you're pregnant now!"

"How many pregnant women work in this hospital?" Evelyn didn’t want special treatment. After the divorce scandal, news of her pregnancy would undoubtedly become gossip fodder.

"You didn’t tell anyone, did you?"

"I didn’t, but..." Olivia hesitated.

Turns out, after Evelyn fainted yesterday, Alexander had carried her into the ER in such a panic that the staff was alarmed. The test results, of course, couldn’t stay secret.

Evelyn covered her face, her ears burning.

Olivia quickly reassured her, "Everyone’s talking about getting you gifts—"

Before she could finish, the office door swung open abruptly.