500: A new and separate life has begun

A new and separate life has begun

[FLASHBACK]0

"Mommy, can you have another baby?" Little Hera was cupping her cheek, lying on her stomach with her feet swaying simultaneously. Her twinkling phoenix eyes shone with curiosity, staring at the beautiful woman sitting under the tree. 

Felice, her mother, raised her head to look back at her daughter. The second she locked gaze with her, the corner of her mouth stretched.

"No."

"But why?"

"Because your daddy is a fool. He can't even take care of you properly, losing you out of his sight at least a hundred times now."

Hera pouted as she squinted her eyes, thinking that it was her father's fault she still hadn't had a younger sibling. "But he still finds me in the end! Mama, I think he will mature if he gets another baby!" 

"Hahaha!" Felice burst out in laughter, shaking her head at her silly daughter's remarks. "Hera, do you really want another sibling?"

"Mhm! I want to become a big sis! A real one!" 

"But you already have Princess and Frank with you."

Hera's face turned sour, making her mother's brows raised. 

"Why, Hera?" asked Felice out of plain curiosity. 

"But I want a baby," explained the little girl. "Princess and Frank are my little brother and sister, but I can never carry them! They're bigger than me when I'm the big sis!"

"Ahh..." Another wave of laughter escaped Felice's mouth, understanding why Hera made such a face. 

For context, Hera kept bringing children home in their house. So far, she managed to make two children stay. After all, some of the kids had to go home to their original families. However, those two children who stayed in the mansion were much bigger than Hera despite being a year or two younger than her. 

In other words, Hera wanted a baby so she could carry it around. 

'She could've asked her us for a doll,'Felice thought. 'Though I'm afraid if Vicenzo heard that his daughter wants a doll, he'll bring home a factory.'

Felice couldn't help but secretly sigh to herself while keeping a smile on her daughter. "Hera, do you know how painful motherhood was?" she remarked, sprawling her arms until she reached Hera's head. 

"When I had you, I thought I was going to die. It hurts me like hell. And to tell you the truth, I'm a bit scared of going through it again," Felice admitted, knowing her daughter could understand things like this. "Labor hurts, delivery hurts, and even breastfeeding hurts. That is why I had a deeper understanding of women who took the role of motherhood and had greater respect for them. It's hard; harder than the most difficult mission I've taken in my entire career."

Hera blinked, staring at Felice with an innocent face. "Mama, do you hate me?"

"Huh?"

"Because you said when you had me, you had a difficult time. I put you through so much pain. How can you not hate me?"

Again, Felice let out a wave of chuckle. Surely, her daughter was strange in her own way. Some kids would cry or feel sad if they heard this statement from their mother. But Hera, on the other hand, was baffled at not being hated. 

"Because when I saw you, all the pain and exhaustion disappeared without a trace." Felice's face softened, nodding at her child reassuringly. "If anything, it felt rewarding. It's strange how I loved you with all my heart the moment I saw you."

"Oh..."

"Someday, Hera." Felice nodded once again, brushing her daughter's hair gently. "Someday, you will understand me once you've experienced the same thing."

"Do you think I will experience that too?." Hera grinned, staring at her mother and thinking motherhood must be a wonderful thing. 

"Yes, but not now. You're too young, so just be my baby for now."

Growing up watching her mother and father love each other honestly and deeply, Hera had always wondered if she could also have a marriage just like her parents. Even though her parents weren't perfect, for her, they were the best. 

"If you think it's rewarding, then have another baby!" she insisted once again, only to receive a playful no from her mother. 

At this time, Hera still hadn't had a full understanding of many reasons Felice and Vicenzo were reluctant to have a child. Having Hera was enough, but at the same time, having more children terrified them. How could they have more children in this vicious world of the underground world? That was simply foolish. 

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[PRESENT TIME]

"Push!"

"Ugh!!!" Heaven gasped for air before holding her breath, pushing a force on her lower body to get this huge pain out of her system. "Hah..!

"Mrs. Zhu, the baby is almost there..."

The voices around her sounded muffled and almost inaudible. Drops of cold sweat were forming on her forehead while her back was in unimaginable pain. 

"Hera, you can do this." Dominic, who had been right beside his wife, held her hand. "Just a little more, darling."

He instinctively wiped the sweat from her forehead for the umpteenth time. Worry filled his eyes, and he kept his gaze on her face as he was a little scared of the sight below. 

"I can't... No more…" Her pale and chapped lips quivered while shaking her head. "Let me sit up for a moment, please. My back hurt so much."

"Mrs. Zhu, the baby is already in sight. Just a little more push…" the doctor leading the delivery chanted some words of encouragement. But alas, Heaven was a little high, as she was sedated previously for a 'painless' delivery. It didn't feel painless, though.

"Dom, please help — argh!!" Just as Heaven was about to beg her husband to help her sit up to relieve her back pain, she felt a very painful contraction. Even though it was against her will, she held her breath and screamed, pushing the baby out. 

"Ahhh!!" 

"It's coming…" was all Dominic heard quietly before finally turning his head. The second he did, the doctor was focused on Heaven's lower body. And then, his pupils dilated, watching a very chubby baby being pulled out of Heaven's. 

"Ugh.." Heaven gasped a deep breath as she felt a little relief with that last push. But before she could recover or wonder if she succeeded, she heard a child's cry — the most beautiful cry — echo in the delivery room. 

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