Mrs. Lina pulled out one of the dining chairs for Elisabeth.
"Please sit down, Ma'am. I already prepared breakfast."
Elisabeth looked at the dining table for a moment.
There was warm soup, vegetables, eggs, salmon, and a glass of milk already prepared neatly.
She looked slightly surprised. "This is a lot…"
Mrs. Lina smiled warmly. "Mr. Darren specifically asked me to prepare healthy food for you."
Elisabeth blinked. "For me?"
Mrs. Lina nodded. "Yes."
Then she added gently, "He said you need nutritious meals so your breast milk production stays good for Aurora."
Elisabeth fell silent for a moment.
Without realizing it, her chest felt warm hearing that.
Even while at the hospital… Darren still thought about her.
Mrs. Lina placed another bowl in front of her. "Breastfeeding mothers need extra nutrition and rest," she explained kindly.
"If you don't eat properly, your body will become weak easily."
Elisabeth gave a small awkward smile. "I'm not used to someone taking care of me like this."
Mrs. Lina chuckled softly. "Then you should start getting used to it, Ma'am."
Elisabeth lowered her gaze slightly, hiding the faint redness on her cheeks.
A few moments later, she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh no…"
Mrs. Lina looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"I forgot to bring my breast pump," Elisabeth said worriedly.
"What if my milk becomes too full again while Aurora is sleeping?"
Mrs. Lina immediately smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Ma'am."
"Mr. Darren already ordered one for you last night."
Elisabeth looked up in surprise. "He did?"
"Yes," Mrs. Lina replied calmly.
"He said a breastfeeding mother will definitely need it."
Elisabeth froze for a second.
Last night?
Elisabeth's fingers slowly tightened around the spoon in her hand.
What if Darren really was the one who took off my clothes last night…? she wondered nervously.
The memory of the reddish marks on her neck flashed through her mind again.
She bit her lower lip softly before finally gathering the courage to ask.
"Oh, Mrs. Lina…"
The older woman immediately turned toward her. "Yes, Ma'am?"
"Did Darren come into my room last night?"
Mrs. Lina paused for a brief second before forcing a calm smile.
"No, Ma'am," she answered gently.
"Mr. Darren was very busy last night. After coming home for a while, he immediately went back to the hospital."
Elisabeth frowned slightly. "He went back to the hospital?"
Mrs. Lina nodded quickly. "Yes. He said there was an emergency delivery case that needed immediate treatment."
In reality, Darren had indeed entered Elisabeth's room before leaving again for the hospital.
But Mrs. Lina chose to stay silent because she felt it was not her place to interfere.
"Oh… I see," Elisabeth murmured softly.
For some reason, instead of feeling relieved, she only felt even more confused.
If it wasn't Darren… then who was it? she thought uneasily.
She returned to eating quietly while unconsciously touching her neck from time to time.
Ding dong.
The sound of the doorbell broke the silence.
Mrs. Lina immediately stood up. "It seems the package has arrived."
"I'll get it, Ma'am."
A few minutes later, Mrs. Lina returned carrying a large white box.
"Is that the breast pump?" Elisabeth asked.
Mrs. Lina nodded while carefully opening the package. "Yes. Mr. Darren specifically chose an electric one so you wouldn't get too tired."
Elisabeth fell silent again.
That man really thought about everything in detail.
Mrs. Lina then brought the breast pump into the kitchen to wash and sterilize it first.
Not long afterward, she returned and handed the cleaned pump to Elisabeth.
"Here, Ma'am. It's ready to use now," she said warmly.
"After you finish eating and showering later, you can use it whenever you need to pump."
Elisabeth accepted it slowly. "Thank you, Mrs. Lina."
"You're welcome, Ma'am."
Elisabeth stared at the breast pump in her hands for a few seconds.
And once again, Darren's image appeared in her mind without permission.
His gaze… the way he took care of her… and the warmth of his embrace last night...
Elisabeth quickly shook her head lightly.
Stop overthinking, Elisabeth…
But no matter how hard she tried to calm herself, it became harder and harder to ignore the fact that Darren still understood her so well.
After finishing breakfast, Elisabeth helped clean the table even though Mrs. Lina repeatedly told her not to.
"Ma'am, please rest. I can handle this," Mrs. Lina said gently while taking the plates from her hands.
Elisabeth smiled awkwardly. "I feel bad if I just sit around doing nothing."
Mrs. Lina chuckled softly. "You're still recovering after giving birth and breastfeeding. Your body needs rest."
Elisabeth lowered her gaze slightly.
Somehow, hearing people care about her like this still felt unfamiliar.
"Then… I'll go shower first," she said quietly.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'll watch Aurora downstairs for a while."
Elisabeth nodded before carrying the breast pump box upstairs with her.
After taking a warm shower and changing into fresh clothes, Elisabeth sat on the edge of the bed while staring at the breast pump beside her.
She still felt a little embarrassed using it in Darren's house.
But the fullness in her chest was beginning to return again.
Elisabeth let out a small sigh. "I really have no choice…"
A few moments later, the quiet sound of the electric pump filled the room.
At first, Elisabeth felt awkward and uncomfortable.
But gradually, the pressure in her chest slowly eased.
She looked at the bottles filling with milk and blinked softly.
"That's… a lot."
No wonder Aurora always calms down so quickly after feeding, she thought.
After finishing, Elisabeth carefully closed the milk storage bottles and cleaned everything neatly like she used to do before.
She then carried the bottles downstairs.
Mrs. Lina looked up from the living room. "You already finished pumping, Ma'am?"
Elisabeth nodded lightly. "Yes."
She looked at the milk bottles in her hands. "Where should I store these?"
Mrs. Lina immediately stood up. "Here, let me help."
They walked together toward the kitchen.
Mrs. Lina opened the refrigerator door, revealing several empty storage containers already prepared inside.
Elisabeth looked surprised again. "Even the refrigerator space is already prepared?"
Mrs. Lina smiled warmly. "Mr. Darren arranged it yesterday."
Elisabeth fell silent once more.
That man really prepared everything before she even arrived.
Mrs. Lina carefully placed the bottles into the refrigerator.
"We can use these as Aurora's milk supply later," she explained gently.
"If Aurora wakes up while you're resting, I can warm one of the bottles first."
Elisabeth slowly nodded.
For the first time in a long while, she felt something strange inside her chest.
Not sadness. Not loneliness.
But the feeling of slowly belonging somewhere again.
Elisabeth had just finished arranging the bottles of breast milk neatly inside the refrigerator when Mrs. Lina walked into the kitchen carrying a small tray.
But this time, the older woman's expression looked more serious than usual.
"Ma'am…" she called gently.
Elisabeth immediately turned around. "Yes, Mrs. Lina?"
"Mr. Darren's lawyer has arrived," Mrs. Lina said carefully.
Elisabeth blinked softly. "The lawyer?"
Mrs. Lina nodded slowly. "Yes. He's waiting in the living room."
Elisabeth fell silent for a few seconds.
Her chest immediately felt uneasy.
So the divorce process was really starting today…
She lowered her gaze briefly before taking a slow breath.
"Alright…" she said quietly.
"I'll go out now."
Mrs. Lina studied Elisabeth's face, noticing how tense she suddenly looked.
"Are you alright, Ma'am?" she asked worriedly.
Elisabeth forced a faint smile even though it clearly looked strained. "I'm fine."
But her fingers were already gripping each other tightly.
Mrs. Lina stepped a little closer. "If you feel uncomfortable, I can stay with you."
Elisabeth shook her head softly. "There's no need. This is something I have to face myself."
Mrs. Lina nodded with understanding. "Alright, Ma'am."
Elisabeth then straightened her clothes briefly and made sure her expression looked calm.
Even so, her chest still felt tight.
She slowly walked out of the kitchen toward the living room.