Defeated by Love: The Unexpected Bride

Chapter 8

The next day, after waking up, Amanda hurriedly showered and dressed neatly when she realized it was late. Then she went downstairs. As soon as her feet touched the ground floor, her eyes scanned the quiet house because everyone had gone out. Amanda quickly left the house to head to the hospital, fearing it would get crowded.

The petite figure walked to the front of the house and used an app to call a taxi. After waiting for a while, no car accepted the request, leaving Amanda quite puzzled. Her eyes then searched for a taxi dropping off passengers in the neighborhood instead, as she didn't want to walk to the front of the neighborhood. Although the distance wasn't far, the sun was quite strong, and she feared fainting.

After waiting for quite some time, there was no sign of a taxi coming to pick up passengers in the neighborhood, as most residents had their own cars. She checked the time on her wristwatch. Seeing it was late and fearing the hospital would be crowded, Amanda took a deep breath and walked to the front of the neighborhood to hail a car instead. Standing there waiting, she didn't know when she'd finally get to the hospital.

As the petite figure walked along the roadside, wiping away the sweat that began to trickle, she heard the sound of a loud vehicle behind her. Her face prepared to look back because if it was a taxi, she would wave it down and leave immediately. However, she didn't fully turn her face because the vehicle sped past her before she could. Amanda was quite confused as to why someone would drive so fast in the neighborhood. But upon seeing the car and its license plate, she recognized who it was and wasn't surprised by his reckless and inconsiderate nature. Amanda stared at Carter's car, her full lips muttering.

"He's completely heartless and lacks any kindness." Even though she didn't expect him to stop and help, knowing that someone like him had no kindness or sympathy for anyone, she didn't think he'd be this heartless.

Once Carter's car was out of sight, Amanda quickly continued walking. Suddenly, she felt faint and stopped to gather herself for a moment. Then she quickly rummaged through her bag for a herbal inhaler. In her mind, she wondered why she was so weak, as she had never fainted or felt dizzy since birth.

But when she remembered she was pregnant, she thought it might be a side effect of early pregnancy.

Once she felt better, Amanda continued walking, and it didn't take long to reach the front of the neighborhood. As she was about to walk through the main gate, a security guard ran out to ask her with a curious face.

"Are you calling a taxi?"

"Yes." Upon hearing the answer, the neighborhood's security guard walked ahead of her to hail a taxi. Amanda was impressed by the attentiveness of the staff here. It's no wonder why wealthy people choose to have these conveniences.

While waiting for a taxi, the guard turned to her politely.

"Next time, you can call here first. I'll call a taxi to your house for you."

"What's the number I should call?"

"Here it is." The security guard handed her a business card, and Amanda quickly reached out to take it with a "Thank you." As she put the card in her bag, a taxi pulled up in front of her. Amanda walked over to the taxi that the security guard had opened for her and told the driver,

"To Ace Hospital, please."

"Alright." After the driver responded, Amanda smiled and thanked the village security guard,

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Once the car door was closed, the taxi headed to the hospital, which wasn't far from Carter's village. After paying the fare, Amanda entered the bustling public hospital.

She took a deep breath and asked the staff at the counter,

"Excuse me, where is the obstetrics and gynecology department?"

"Building A, fifth floor." The staff member, whom Amanda wasn't sure was a nurse, replied with a smile and pointed towards the elevator.

"Thank you." Amanda replied with a smile and then walked to the elevator, where people were queuing up. After reaching the fifth floor, she went to ask the nurse at the maternity department,

"I'm here for a prenatal check-up. What should I do?"

"Have you been treated here before?"

"No."

"Then you'll need to register as an outpatient first. Once done, bring the documents here."

"Okay." Upon hearing the instructions, Amanda quickly went to register as an outpatient as advised by the nurse. It took less than an hour, and then she submitted the documents to the maternity department and waited for the nurse to call her. She sat waiting, feeling excited since it was her first time doing something like this alone.

She then observed other mothers who came for prenatal check-ups, most of whom were with their husbands, unlike her who was alone. Realizing this, she took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself, deciding not to dwell on it. Although she wished for a perfect family, she decided to move forward and keep fighting.

After waiting until her name was called...

Amanda went to the nurse for a medical history check. Afterwards, she had a urine and blood test to check for hereditary diseases, and then met with the doctor. Amanda entered the examination room feeling excited, her small hands sweaty, until she saw a male doctor around her age waiting for her. She respectfully greeted him with a bow.

"Hello."

"Please have a seat." Amanda sat down on the chair opposite the doctor, watching as he read through her brief medical history that the nurse had noted, before looking up to ask,

"Is this your first pregnancy?"

"Yes."

"Based on your last menstrual period, you're about three weeks along, but this is just an estimate for now. We'll check the gestational age again during the ultrasound."

"Yes," Amanda listened as the young doctor explained things to her in a polite and friendly manner, which helped her relax and eased her worries significantly.

"Is your name Amanda?"

"Yes."

"It's a lovely name, always ready for a new beginning. My name is Dr. Kent." Amanda simply smiled in response. She continued talking with the doctor, who was jotting something down in a small pink notebook until...

"How about we listen to the baby's heartbeat now? Please get on the bed and lift your shirt," he said.

"Okay." She replied, got on the bed, and lifted her shirt, feeling a bit embarrassed as her smooth white belly was revealed. Her heart was filled with excitement.

"Are you excited?"

"Very."

"Once you hear the baby's heartbeat, your excitement will transform into awe," the gentle voice said. Amanda took a deep breath and exhaled to relax, watching Dr. Kent wheel a machine to her side and say,

"Excuse me," as he adjusted her short denim skirt a bit lower, applied some cool gel on her lower abdomen, and used a device to press on her belly. Amanda felt a slight discomfort, but it wasn't much. Dr. Kent moved the device around until they heard the tiny heartbeat through the speaker.

Thump, thump, thump.

Her chest trembled with indescribable emotions, and her eyes welled up. Hearing her unborn child's heartbeat filled her with immense joy, and she couldn't stop smiling.

She thought to herself, no wonder mothers love their children so much. Just hearing the heartbeat, without even seeing her child's face, she already loved them with all her heart.

Amanda listened to her baby's heartbeat, filled with excitement and emotion, and Dr. Kent smiled along.

"The heartbeat is normal and strong," the gentle voice said. Dr. Kent then removed the device, wiped the gel from Amanda's belly, and said with a smile, "All done, you can get up now."

"Thank you." Amanda pushed herself up, adjusted her shirt, and returned to her seat, her heart still overflowing with happiness.

"For your next appointment, we'll go over your blood test results. Feel free to bring your husband," he suggested.

"I don't have a husband." Dr. Kent understood what Amanda meant and didn't say anything further, instead offering a supportive smile.

"That's okay. See you next month," he said.

"Thank you." She gave a respectful bow before walking out to wait outside. After the nurse scheduled her next appointment, Amanda went to pay and collect her medication. Once everything was done, she took a cab home. On the way back, she called Kim to share her excitement, as Kim was her only friend and family.

Meanwhile, Carter, after Cairo called and told him to pick up the liquor that his father had brought back from his trip abroad, drove home since he had no plans to go to the office today and didn't know where else to go. As he arrived home and was about to turn in, he saw a taxi blocking the entrance. He honked the horn irritably with his large hand.

Honk, honk.

However, upon seeing Amanda get out of the taxi, Carter held the horn down. Her displeased look only amused him further, so he continued to honk while smirking. Once the taxi moved away and the gate opened, Carter drove forward. As he was about to pass Amanda, he rolled down the window and revved the engine loudly at her.

Honk, honk.

With a mischievous grin, he then sped into the house.

"So rude, no manners," Amanda muttered about his behavior, then decided to ignore it and walked under the blazing sun toward the large house...