Derek's POV
Joanna shot me a weird look, as if she was puzzled.
I knew why she was feeling that way. My concern for Tabitha these days was evident to everyone.
Even though I was about to marry Daphne, my care for Tabitha was genuine, and everyone in Rose Manor could tell.
But here I was, totally clueless about how she was handling her pregnancy.
Joanna wasn't a long-standing member of the Black Thorn Pack.
So she didn't really know the history between me and Tabitha.
"I heard Ms. Hartley say that she had no idea what she was doing with her first pregnancy. She had morning sickness for three months and the fetus seemed to be in a bit unstable condition. In the early stages of pregnancy, she had to get shots to keep the baby safe every day. My mom had to do that too, and it hurt like hell."
Joanna's words hit me like a punch in the gut. I had never thought that Tabitha would go through such pain.
"However, Ms. Hartley was really excited about the baby, even though there was no fetal heartbeat after more than forty days since she got pregnant. The doctor advised her to terminate the pregnancy, but she begged for another week. She was very scared during those days, but she held on, and finally, the heartbeat showed up at fifty-something days."
Hearing all this made guilt and sorrow flood over me like a tidal wave.
Joanna sighed, "But she had a stroke of bad luck. Around two months along, she suddenly started bleeding, and she was terrified. She had to stay in the hospital for a week just to keep that baby safe."
Her words made me slowly visualize the period of time that I had deliberately ignored.
I couldn't imagine how Tabitha, the girl who grimaced at a slight scratch, faced all of this all by herself.
She did call me crying when she had her first prenatal check-up and the doctor said the condition of the baby was unstable, asking me what to do.
But what did I say to her?
I just answered coldly and harshly, "So you won't be able to keep it? Then don't bother." Then I hung up the phone, completely ignoring how desperate she was on the other end of the line.
Back then, she was just a girl pampered by me and John. She wasn't even mature yet. How could she take on the role of a mother?
Since that call, she didn't tell me anything about her pregnancy again. I had no idea that she actually went to the hospital every day to get those shots.
One night, when she was two months pregnant, she came to the nightclub to find me, asking me to go home with her.
Back then, I ignored her pregnant state and made her wait out in the freezing cold hallway. I guessed it was probably the time she almost suffered from a miscarriage.
I remembered when I saw her pale face, all I was thinking about was how I could torment her to vent my distress. I didn't even consider she was carrying my baby at all.
How scared must she have been when she was alone in the hospital trying to keep her baby? How did she manage to get through those snowy nights alone at home?
Joanna spoke so casually, but her words stung my heart like a thousand needles, drowning me in agony. "Is that all?" I rasped, desperate to find out more.
Joanna studied my expression for a moment before continuing, "Ms. Hartley seems to really love kids. Her early pregnancy symptoms were worse this time, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through. Watching her throw up like that broke my heart."
I was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness and guilt.
"Alpha Derek, are you still with me?" Joanna cautiously asked.
"Keep going," I commanded her.
I needed to know more so that I could make up for my past ignorance and indifference.
"Seeing Ms. Hartley like that really pains me. Alpha, could you please treat her better? She's done so much for the baby."
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks.
She was right. Tabitha had sacrificed too much for our pup.
I never thought that one day I would learn about Tabitha's pregnancy journey from someone else.
Turned out that in the year I neglected her, she went through so much hardship alone.
Tabitha was right. I was such a bastard.
As her mate and the father of the baby she was carrying back then, I had actually let her face all of this alone.