Kiara stood on the stairs, gripping the railing tightly with her left hand.
After a moment of silence, she couldn't hold back any longer. She turned her head to look at Georgia, whose face had turned ashen, and said, "Auntie, I used to believe you had Sister Ariana's best interests at heart—that you were kind to me, too. But no matter whether someone misled you or whatever the reason, what you said today was completely out of line." With that, she quickened her steps and headed upstairs.
She didn’t linger for even a second longer.
Hearing these words from Kiara, who had always been obedient and sensible, struck Georgia differently.
She froze in place.
By the time she snapped out of it, reality came crashing down on her.
In an instant, her face paled drastically. Though she still convinced herself she wasn’t wrong, an uneasy guilt gnawed at her. The thought of her husband finding out when he returned—what would she even say to him?
Considering how much Gilbert adored Ariana, Georgia felt her mind go blank.
She lingered in the living room for what felt like an eternity before finally stumbling upstairs in disarray. Once in her bedroom, she pulled out her phone with trembling hands and dialed Irene’s number.
She desperately needed to hear her daughter’s voice.
To be told that she hadn’t done anything wrong.
As luck would have it, Irene was free at the moment. Recognizing Georgia’s call, she answered. The moment the line connected, Georgia’s voice quivered with barely suppressed tears as she choked out, "Irene..."
On the other end, Irene raised an eyebrow before softening her tone into feigned concern. "Auntie, what’s wrong?"
Overwhelmed, Georgia hesitated for only a second before pouring out everything that had just happened.
Between shaky breaths, she lamented, "Why can’t Ariana understand? Even if she forces herself between you and Lambert, how could she ever be happy? It might hurt now, but isn’t it better than suffering forever?"
Irene was utterly dumbfounded by what she heard.
For a full minute, she stood frozen, struggling to process the words. When she finally snapped out of it, she didn’t know whether to laugh or scoff. Laugh at the absurdity that Ariana actually had a mother like this. She truly hadn’t expected Georgia to say such things to her own daughter—
What kind of mother would ever advise her pregnant daughter to get a divorce?
Honestly, the sheer audacity of it left Irene speechless.
She had never encountered such a foolish socialite in her life.
The fact that this woman had survived this long… was nothing short of a miracle. But then again, the thought of how miserable Ariana must be right now instantly lifted her spirits. Clearly, the heavens were on her side, blessing Ariana with a mother like this.
With a mother dragging her down like this, how hard could it be to find Ariana’s weaknesses?
A smirk curled at the corner of Irene’s lips.
Surprisingly, she found herself growing rather fond of Ariana’s mother. Then, with feigned concern, she sighed, "Auntie, please don’t worry about me anymore. Lambert and I… we were never meant to be. We’ve already agreed to cut ties. He has so many children now—I can’t let him be an irresponsible father."
Georgia blinked in shock. "But… what about you? What will you do?"
Ariana had managed to keep her composure while at the White residence, but the moment she stepped outside, she instinctively pressed a hand to her abdomen.
A flicker of pain crossed her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself into the car.
Once inside, she drove straight to the hospital.
Since it was the Stone family’s private facility, she was ushered straight in for an examination. After running some tests, the doctor administered an IV drip and sighed. "Young Madam, you’re carrying a child now. Try not to get too worked up—it could harm the baby."
At this early stage, unless there’s physical trauma, emotional distress is the biggest risk.
Otherwise, the condition wouldn't be this severe.
Ariana gently caressed her lower abdomen before nodding slightly. "Alright, I understand. Thank you."
Private physicians were naturally different from regular hospital doctors.
They carried none of that professional arrogance—after all, they were essentially employees. When the young mistress expressed gratitude, the doctor was visibly surprised, his impression of her improving markedly. The Stone family had frequently summoned private physicians for injuries or illnesses before, but few had been as courteous as Ariana.
Rarely inclined to chat, the doctors found themselves exchanging a few extra words with her before instructing the nurse to attend to her and heading off to the research lab.
Ariana reclined quietly against the pillows, her gaze drifting toward the window.
The nurse tended to her for a while before leaving to fetch water. By the time Lambert arrived, this was the scene that greeted him: her serene profile framed against the window, eyes deep and still as undisturbed water.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana)