Chief Stone was startled. She looked at Heinz in silence. There was no exchange of words for a long time.
Heinz frowned even harder and asked, "Is her health very poor?"
"Her uterine wall is very thin," Chief Stone explained. "It may be difficult for her to bear a child in future."
Heinz was shocked and asked in a hurry, "Why is it thin?"
Chief Stone's eyes flashed dangerously as she said, "There are many possibilities. For example, it could be due to too many past miscarriages. It could be congenital. Or, perhaps she had given birth previously. There are all sorts of possibilities."
Heinz froze, then he asked, "How do we nurse her back to health?"
"I gave her a prescription to strengthen her body," Chief Stone said. "She would need at least a year before she can bear a child. Before that, you must use contraception. Do you understand? Furthermore, before planning to have a child, she must have a physical examination to ensure that her uterine wall is back to normal. Or else, it might endanger her life."
"Oh, I understand," Heinz replied while nodding his head and looked solemn. He thought to himself, "Can Grace not bear another child for me?"
Chief Stone looked at him and asked, "Do you know about her past?"
Heinz could tell that there was a hidden meaning in Chief Stone's words.
He raised his head and looked at her. Then, he said, "Aunt Stone, I know that Grace has given birth to a child."
Chief Stone was taken aback. Although Grace had told her earlier that Heinz knew that she had given birth to a child, Chief Stone still found it hard to believe.
She was testing him because of her doubts. Unexpectedly, he supported Grace's statement.
"Do you really know?" Chief Stone asked in astonishment.
Heinz nodded and said, "Yes, I know."
"Heinz," Chief Stone sighed and her eyes flashed with sympathy. She said, "Even if you can't forget about Jodie, you shouldn't find a woman with a child."
Heinz breathing got heavier and there was a touch of deep emotion in his eyes.
He finally understood what Chief Stone meant.
"Aunt Stone, you seem to have misunderstood," Heinz said.
Chief Stone sighed and looked at him with pity, "Heinz, we all know that you were good to Jodie and her parents. It was a pity that she wasn't as blessed. Even if you can't have Jodie, you shouldn't be too casual."
"Aunt Stone—" Heinz said.
"Heinz." Chief Stone cut him off and said earnestly, "Even though Grace seems to have a good character and is beautiful, she has a child. I really don't understand why you are so insistent on having a relationship with her"
"Aunt Stone, listen to me," Heinz answered in his deep voice. "Grace gave birth to my child."
Chief Stone looked extremely shocked as she asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"Aunt Stone, that child is mine. She has suffered a lot all these years," Heinz said.
Chief Stone looked at him in silence. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions. Then, she said, "I can see that she is a good lady. You said the child is yours. When did you have a child with her? How old is the child?"
"Five years old," Heinz replied.
"Heinz!" Chief Stone was shocked and exclaimed, "You-"
She suddenly stood up and her body was trembling.
Heinz seemed a little helpless. He looked at her and said, "Aunt Stone, it's not what you think. It was an accident."
Chief Stone stared at Heinz intently with a complex look in her eyes.
"Heinz, Jodie left six years ago," she began. "I thought it would good for you to start over again, but I didn't expect you to start over so quickly."
"Aunt Stone, it's really not what you think," Heinz hesitated for a moment. Then, he looked at her and said, "No matter what, Jodie is gone and I have recovered from it. Let's all move forward."
"I understand," Chief Stone said while sitting down.
The atmosphere was a little stifling. It was so quiet that it was frightening. No one said a thing. The both of them sat in silence.
After a while, Chief Stone asked, "Is your child a boy ora girl?"
"He's a boy," Heinz was very proud when he said that. His eyes were filled with fatherly joy.
Chief Stone smiled at that too. Then, she said, "That's great. Remember, you can't have a child in this coming year. Take good care of Grace's body. It's too weak and the uterine wall is very thin. If she gets pregnant, it'll break the uterine wall and cause heavy bleeding."
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