The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 887

However, Ivy laid down some ground rules: no overtime, and no surgeries lasting longer than three hours.

Jamison valued his life more than ever now. He wanted to be a superhero for his kids, meaning he couldn't risk a relapse, so he gladly dialed back his once-grueling pace.

He came home on time every evening, rubbed stretch mark oil onto his wife's belly, and read bedtime stories to the twins.

All of Ivy's anxieties and uncertainties about pregnancy melted away in the face of his unwavering devotion.

It proved the old saying true—who you chose to spend your life with made all the difference in the world.

A healthy, high-quality marriage fostered growth and healing for both partners.

Anchored in their strong bond, they faced the world with increasing grace and calm. No amount of turbulence could break down the fortress they had built out of love.

By six months, the babies were constantly kicking.

Whenever Jamison read his stories, the two little ones would even respond with sharp jabs against her stomach.

Watching her belly contort into odd shapes, Ivy would groan, "We are so screwed. They're way too rowdy. It has to be two boys."

She didn't really care about the gender, but the thought of raising two wild boys gave her a preemptive headache.

Davina had warned her more than once from personal experience that boys were born troublemakers who loved tearing the house apart.

Even Halley, who looked like a perfect little angel in public, frequently drove Thad and Davina up the wall at home.

"They're kicking constantly now. I'm telling you, it's two boys," Ivy sighed, staring at her jutting stomach.

The mere thought of two boys made Jamison want to drop the storybook entirely, but he rallied to comfort his wife. "It's fine. I'll keep them in line. They won't get away with anything."

Ivy scoffed, trying to suppress a grin as she remembered Davina's rant in the family group chat yesterday. "If they're as creative as Hal, I doubt you'll be able to handle them alone."

A few days ago, it had been Thad's birthday. They hadn't thrown a massive bash, opting for a quiet family dinner at their own place instead of heading to the Ludwig estate.

Halley, allegedly trying to set the mood for his parents, blew up a bunch of balloons to decorate the master bedroom.

Except!

Those weren't actual balloons.

The little terror had somehow picked the lock on their nightstand and fished out two boxes of condoms.

And then!

He filled every single one of those latex sleeves with water, turning them into giant water balloons.

She knew exactly how it felt. Even working from home in investment banking meant endless overtime, often bleeding into Saturdays.

Behind every glamorous career was a mountain of unseen struggle.

"Yeah... and life isn't any easier. My mom's illness... I don't know how much longer she can hold on." Katrina's recent haggardness was deeply tied to her mother's failing cancer treatments.

But the most devastating factor was her relationship with Naylor.

Two months ago, she had initiated their breakup.

The reason was simple: she decided to honor her mother's dying wish and try dating a promising young man her mother approved of.

If things went well, they'd lock down a wedding date before the end of the year.

"I might actually be getting married. It's my mom's biggest, and likely last, wish." As Katrina murmured those words, her gaze suddenly locked onto a spot down the pedestrian street.

A strikingly handsome man was walking out of a designer boutique. Beside him was a young woman carrying a shiny new shopping bag, clearly holding a freshly purchased purse.

Laughing and chatting, the pair crossed the street and slid into a luxury sports car parked by the curb.

Katrina knew that car intimately. She had spent countless hours in that very passenger seat...