The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1047

The housekeeper had dinner ready, and Katrina helped her mother up and over to the table.

Just as she sat down, Katrina caught the scent of the baked salmon. Her throat tightened inexplicably, and her stomach did a harsh flip.

Willa noticed her daughter's reaction and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Katrina had been obsessing over getting pregnant, tracking her cycle like clockwork. This sudden wave of nausea immediately made her mind race to one specific conclusion.

Her time of the month was supposed to start right around now.

It hadn't arrived yet, and now she was having this kind of reaction...

Could the honeymoon trip have actually worked?

But without absolute confirmation, she didn't dare say a word to her mother. She was terrified of getting Willa's hopes up over a false alarm. So, she shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just swallowed wrong. I'm starving."

Willa didn't overthink it, and the mother and daughter sat down to eat.

After dinner, Katrina decided to spend the night at her mother's house.

She had originally planned to sneak out to the pharmacy downstairs to buy a pregnancy test, but it was raining and freezing outside, so she scrapped the idea.

That night, when Naylor video called her, she debated telling him but ultimately decided to keep her mouth shut.

The next day at work, she ordered a quick boxed lunch that happened to include salmon. The moment the fishy smell hit her nose, her throat seized up again, and she instinctively gagged.

A colleague sitting nearby turned around in alarm.

"Katrina, are you okay?"

Katrina quickly plastered on a smile to cover it up. "It's nothing. I just think the salmon smells a bit fishy today... maybe it's not super fresh."

Her colleague nodded in agreement. "Yeah, now that you mention it, the fish does smell a little off today."

Even though her colleague agreed, Katrina knew the truth deep down. There was an eighty percent chance she was pregnant.

Her heart started hammering in her chest, and her hand shook so much she could barely hold her fork.

She rushed through a few more bites, checked the time, and saw she still had plenty of time before her afternoon shift started. She grabbed her purse and hurried downstairs.

She intended to head to the pharmacy for a test to check for herself first, but while she was standing in the elevator, her phone rang. It was her mother-in-law, Professor Penn.

"Hello, Mom," Katrina answered. She suddenly remembered her mother's advice from the day before. She had planned to call her in-laws today, but the morning had been so chaotic she completely forgot.

Since Professor Penn had called first, Katrina quickly added, "I was just about to call you on my lunch break, but you beat me to it."

Professor Penn chuckled. "Did you need something?"

Looking at the lab results, Professor Penn burst into joyous laughter. "Katrina, you are incredible! You've only been married for two months! You're pregnant! Hahaha—"

Professor Penn's joyous laughter echoed through the entire department, drawing her colleagues over to see the commotion.

"Wow, that was fast! Congratulations, Professor Penn!"

"Dr. Penn, you're going to be a grandmother!"

Katrina stood frozen, completely overwhelmed by a wave of pure happiness. She couldn't even form the words to speak.

All she could think about was breaking the news to Naylor!

Unexpectedly, Professor Penn grabbed her arm and urgently whispered, "Katrina, don't tell him yet. Wait until he gets back from his trip. I want to see the look on his face in person."

Hearing this, Katrina understood immediately and couldn't help but smile warmly. "Okay, I promise."

"Now that you're pregnant, you really need to make sure you're resting enough. Don't push yourself too hard at work. And as for your meals, see if you'd prefer to come eat with us, or I can send my housekeeper over to your place to cook for you." Professor Penn immediately shifted into full planning mode, absolutely terrified that anything might jeopardize her daughter-in-law's health.

But as soon as she said it, she quickly reeled herself back in. "I'm just giving suggestions. Wait until Naylor gets back and discuss it with him. If you guys find a routine that works better for you, do whatever you think is best. You don't have to listen to me."

Clearly, Professor Penn possessed incredible boundaries. She offered her expert advice but refused to dictate the young couple's lives.

Katrina deeply appreciated her mother-in-law's kindness and nodded sweetly. "I'll come over for dinner with you and Dad tonight. As for the rest, I'll wait until Naylor is home and we can figure it out together."