365 Days of Rejected Proposal: CEO's Rebellious Pet-Chapter 145: You’re Going to Be a Dad

The familiar scent of the man washed over Zinnia Lawrence, every trace of it something she craved.

Yet she froze, not daring to make any movement or lift her hand to pull away the large palm covering her eyes.

She was terrified that if she pulled the hand away, the person behind her wouldn’t be Jenson Forrest but her own delusion. Or worse, that he would dissolve into a phantom and disappear from sight. She feared that everything that had just happened was real and that this embrace was just a fantasy her mind had concocted to escape a cruel reality she couldn’t accept.

The woman stood motionless as silent tears fell, drop by drop. Soon, they soaked the man’s palm.

Jenson Forrest felt his heart, softened by her tears, begin to ache uncontrollably. But he was heartbroken for her. Especially knowing she was pregnant, Jenson Forrest grew even more tense and worried, feeling lost and overwhelmed.

He raised his hand and cautiously supported Zinnia’s trembling shoulders, turning her to face him. Then he leaned down, gently cupping her small face. He wiped the tear stains from the corners of her eyes and her cheeks with his thumb, coaxing her in a voice of utmost tenderness.

"Seventh, be good. Open your eyes and look at me, won’t you? Brother is here now. It’s alright."

Zinnia kept her eyes tightly shut, her eyelashes trembling as tears seeped out, wetting her pale cheeks. She looked utterly pitiful.

She shook her head. "I’m scared. It really... is... all fake. I’m hallucinating..."

She cried even harder, her tears turning into huge beads that dripped between Jenson Forrest’s fingers.

Jenson Forrest hadn’t expected that soothing her like he did when they were children would only make her cry harder instead of calming her. He didn’t know where he had gone wrong. She refused to open her eyes to look at him, as if she were trapped in her own world.

Anxious and at a loss, Jenson Forrest lowered his head and kissed her damp face, continuing to coax her softly.

"Seventh, don’t be afraid. When has Brother ever lied to you?"

Zinnia was truly frightened, and she choked out her words between sobs.

"You’re not him! You’re lying! Brother gave up on me a long time ago. He hasn’t called me Seventh in so long..."

Hearing Zinnia’s words, a complex and pained expression flickered in Jenson Forrest’s eyes. He felt he was truly awful to have made her feel so anxious, wronged, and sad.

Jenson Forrest’s embrace became more restrained and gentle, as if afraid of frightening the girl in his arms any further.

He whispered softly into her ear, "No, Brother hasn’t given up on Seventh. Brother promises that he’s alive and well, and he’ll continue to protect Seventh for a lifetime. Be good. Open your eyes and look at me, okay?"

This tenderness from Jenson Forrest only made everything feel more unreal. She was a coward. She didn’t dare open her eyes to see if the person before her truly existed. Nor did she dare to rush into the hospital room and lift that white sheet to see who was underneath. She felt trapped in a nightmare, where everything was hazy and unreal.

She didn’t know that Jenson Forrest, who was holding her face, was filled with such pity, heartache, and helplessness that his forehead was beading with anxious sweat.

The man’s cold, sharp gaze swept over to Timothy Cohen, who was standing nearby. That single look was sharper than a knife.

Timothy Cohen shivered, filled with deep regret. It was his fault. To tug at the Madam’s heartstrings for the President, he had deliberately exaggerated the situation and even taken it upon himself to show her that terrifying video. Who could have known it would truly frighten her and, combined with the unfortunate coincidence of the ICU incident, cause such a massive misunderstanding?

Timothy quickly stepped forward to atone for his mistake and quickly advised, "Madam, there’s been a mistake! The person in the ward really isn’t the President. I just found out that the President was out of danger this morning and has been moved to the adjacent regular ward! Madam, I’m so sorry!"

Jenson Forrest frowned in displeasure. He couldn’t believe that Timothy thought a few words would work when all his own gentle coaxing had failed. This special assistant was getting more and more clueless, still trying to add to the drama at a time like this.

However, in the next moment, Zinnia suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at him and even squeezed his hand back. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Jenson Forrest was stunned. "Seventh?"

As Zinnia’s tears fell, her vision cleared. She saw that it was indeed Jenson Forrest standing before her. He was still wearing a hospital gown, his face was very pale, and his thin lips were colorless.

But it was him. It was the living, breathing Jenson Forrest, who would hold her and kiss her.

Zinnia instantly felt as if she had been brought back to life. A torrent of emotions—relief, lingering fear, worry, and joy—crashed through her, tearing at her heart. Reaching a breaking point, she threw her arms around Jenson Forrest and wailed.

"Jenson Forrest! I hate you so much! Did you do this on purpose? This kind of joke isn’t funny at all!"

Jenson Forrest hugged her back, a hint of a smile gracing his usually cool eyes as he spoke gently.

"Alright, it’s all my fault. Don’t cry. You scared me too." Her tears could fill a small river.

Once she was certain that the person before her was real and that he was okay, Zinnia noticed there were quite a few other people around. Timothy, the bodyguards, and passing nurses and onlookers were all watching them.

Thinking of all the foolish things she had just done, and the image of Jenson Forrest holding her small face and endlessly coaxing her, Zinnia was suddenly mortified. She released Jenson Forrest, lowered her head to wipe her face, and turned to leave.

Jenson Forrest grabbed her wrist. "Embarrassed?"

Zinnia instinctively tried to shake her hand free, but Jenson Forrest winced in pain with a sharp intake of breath.

Startled, Zinnia turned back to him and saw him clutching his abdomen with one hand, his expression contorted in pain.

Zinnia was immediately alarmed. Disregarding everything else, she supported him and said, "You’re injured! Why are you out of your room? Where is it? Let’s get you back first."

In the video, Zinnia had seen clearly that Jenson Forrest had been stabbed by Claire Cohen and had lost a lot of blood. But now, with him in a loose hospital gown, she couldn’t tell how serious his injuries were. But seeing him up and about, his injuries probably weren’t too serious, right?

Jenson Forrest nodded, leaning half his weight against Zinnia. "The room is just next door."

Zinnia immediately began helping Jenson Forrest toward the hospital room. As he passed Timothy, Jenson Forrest turned his head to glance at him. That one look sent a chill down Timothy’s spine.

Zinnia helped Jenson Forrest lie down on the bed. She kept her head down, feeling she must look like a complete mess with her face all stained with tears. She wanted to go to the bathroom to clean herself up, but just as she turned to leave, Jenson Forrest grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

Zinnia stumbled onto Jenson Forrest, instantly worrying that she had pressed on his wound.

The man embraced her, a chuckle in his voice as he spoke softly in her ear. "So, if I had died, Seventh would be this heartbroken and cry so many tears for me? Brother feels that even if he really had died, he would have had no regrets..."

Zinnia didn’t want to hear such unlucky words. She clutched the fabric of his hospital gown at his waist and said through her sobs, "I still have so much I haven’t told you. I haven’t even had the chance to tell you that I’m pregnant. I’m carrying our baby. You’re going to be a father. Don’t you dare say things like that! If you dare to really die, I’ll immediately find a new father for Coco!"