LUCIA

Chapter 54 The Taran Duke's Family Doctor

'If she knows, she might leave me.'

He felt like he was slowly sinking into a muddy pit with its depths unknown.

'Why was I born with this body?'

Until now, he had thought it was fortunate that he couldn't leave a descendant behind. But now, he realized it was a curse. A curse that did not allow him to have a normal family with the woman he loved like other people could.

He recalled the face of his brother telling him that he had a woman he wanted to marry. If his brother knew that his son was born, would he still be happy after learning the secrets behind his son's birth?

He would. If it was his brother, he would accept it and think only of the happiness in the future.

Rather, Hugo envied his brother. The guy fell in love without knowing it was his half-sister and died without knowing till the end. If he had to perform the sickening act of feeding his blood to someone else, Hugo didn't want a child. He felt like the moment he did that, he would really become a monster.

It was already too late to use this method with her anyways but even if he could, he didn't want to.

"You can do as you like." (Hugo)

Her treatment was completely out of his hands. Hugo couldn't tell her to treat it or not treat it. He didn't want to give her hope of getting pregnant by telling her to treat it, and he didn't want her to think he was against having children by telling her not to treat it.

"Come here."

Hugo spread his arms. Lucia gave a small laugh and stood up from the sofa to walk towards him. When she got within his reach, he pulled her into his embrace.

She fell onto his legs with a thump and Hugo wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his head in her ample breasts.

"Anything else happen?" (Hugo)

"No. Ah...there was a letter from Damian."

"...A letter comes every day."

"It's not every day. It's once or twice a month."

Once Damian became the topic of conversation, Lucia's eyes began to twinkle. Hugo was still not pleased by her excessive attention to the boy. But as time passed, he became more understanding of their mother-son bond and was more forgiving.

"What did the boy say?"

"He says he's doing well."

Lucia began to bombard him with details of Damian's academy life that she'd read from the letter. Hugo chuckled as he remembered the report he received some time ago. It said that the boy wore the red scarf she sent him every day until the weather got warmer.

"You said when you saw Damian for the first time, you felt like you were seeing me, right?"

"Yes. It felt like I was seeing you as a child."

Her as a child. How would it feel to see a little child that was the very painting of her childhood? How would a child without evidence of his cursed blood, without black hair or red eyes, look? Hugo's chest tightened.

He could give her an abundance of wealth and power but he couldn't give her a child. What if this hurt her later on? What could he do if she implored him to have a child? Hugo felt as though he was wandering an eternal maze with no way to get out.

"Anna, your employment contract has been terminated. You will be given a temporary employment contract for the time being."

Jerome's tone had a certain edge to it. Anna replied weakly and looked through the document on the table one by one. She then signed a lifelong confidentiality agreement to keep the events from her time as doctor, secret.