69novels Chapter 633 - 604: Simon Forrester’s Heartache
Chapter 633 - 604: Simon Forrester’s Heartache
Before ten o’clock, Simon Forrester brought the sterilizing cabinet for the baby bottles to Sienna Thornton.Sienna Thornton was on her first day back at work, having a meeting. He didn’t find her in her office, so he followed directions to find her in the conference room next door.
However, he didn’t go in and just stood outside watching for a while.
It was late autumn, and Sienna Thornton was wearing a warm, light-colored woolen suit, with light makeup on her face and her long hair styled in a Korean ponytail, elegantly tied at the back of her head.
She occasionally frowned at the documents in her hand, sometimes looking a bit serious when talking to her subordinates.
This was her demeanor at work, careful, capable, and full of charm.
.
The meeting lasted until half-past ten. Sienna felt the pressure building in her chest, so she gave everyone a half-hour break and rushed back to her office.
Locking the door behind her, she took out and assembled the breast pump. Just as she started, she suddenly noticed the small sterilizing cabinet attached to the mini-fridge, paused for a second, then smiled with satisfaction.
Simon Forrester not only bought the sterilizing cabinet himself, but he also set it up before leaving.
In the office, the sound of the electric motor buzzed around. Sienna Thornton leaned back in her office chair, letting the double electric breast pump work while she took the opportunity to close her eyes and rest.
Their son still couldn’t sleep through the night, so she and Simon Forrester had to get up two or three times each night because the baby needed feeding every three hours.
Although the three of them were ready for bed by around nine, having their sleep divided into three parts throughout the night made them feel terribly exhausted.
When she was on maternity leave at home, it was manageable. When the baby napped during the day, she could nap too, but it was different at work. With a good seven or eight hours needing her full attention, like this morning in the meeting, she couldn’t afford to let her mind wander even for a bit.
The motor kept running, and under the rhythmic noise, Sienna Thornton almost fell into a deep sleep.
Luckily, she had set an alarm in advance.
After ten minutes, once she had finished pumping, she quickly stored the freshly expressed milk in the fridge, then took the remaining parts to the restroom to wash with warm water and placed them all in the sterilizing cabinet for sanitizing.
The sterilizing lamp emitted a blue light, performing ultraviolet sterilization. She took a photo with her phone and sent it to Simon Forrester with a note: "It’s in use already, thank you, hubby."
Simon Forrester didn’t reply, perhaps he was busy.
She put away her phone and returned to the meeting room to continue the meeting.
The meeting went on until after 1 PM. Worried that everyone might be starving, Sienna Thornton announced a half-hour break to eat lunch before continuing.
The subordinates all rushed to the staff cafeteria, but her first priority was to get back to the office, or else her chest would feel like a rock.
Throughout the entire day, she was juggling between work and maintaining the two-hour interval for using the breast pump. By around three in the afternoon, she had no more time for it, forcing her to endure until getting off work at four, planning to feed the baby once home. However, on the way back, she already felt her chest becoming cool.
It had leaked and seeped through, even soaking her undershirt.
The most disheartening part was, rushing home anxiously, only to find their son sound asleep...
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Simon Forrester also left work an hour early today.
He knew Sienna Thornton got off at four and figured, on her first day back at work after maternity leave, she’d have plenty to vent about, so he wanted to be home early to listen to her.
When he entered the living room, Auntie King was preparing dinner, and Melinda Linton was helping. He headed to the kitchen to greet them and learned that Sienna Thornton was upstairs, so he changed his shoes and went up.
In the bedroom, the child was asleep in the crib, but Sienna was nowhere to be found. He searched the study and saw her sitting behind the desk, her white shirt open, the breast pump at work while she read through documents.
He quietly approached and sat down in front of her.
She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice him come in until she lifted her head to look at the computer, finally realizing he was sitting right in front of her.
Startled, she exclaimed with delight, "Why are you home so early today?"
"I have an hour of nursing time every day too."
She laughed loudly, playfully scolding him a bit before continuing with her work.
He sat there watching her, and a few minutes later, when she was done, he got up, took over the assortment of bottles and parts, and went downstairs to handle them.
Sienna Thornton put her shirt back on and resumed her work.
Later on, feeling exhausted, she intended to lie down for a short break but ended up falling asleep. When she woke up, she was lying on the study sofa, a thin blanket covering her.
She startled like a startled bird, sitting up quickly and instinctively checking the clock on the cabinet.
It was past six in the evening.
She patted her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
For a moment upon waking, she feared she had slept through the night, which would have thrown today’s plan into chaos.
A warm desk lamp was left on in the study. She got up from the sofa and went downstairs.
Simon Forrester was busy by the stove, holding their child in one arm.
As she approached, she saw that he was preparing to make juice.
She sat on one side of the counter, rubbing her stiff neck, and asked in a sleepy voice, "Why didn’t you wake me to take care of the baby if you’re busy?"
"You were too tired, you need more rest." Simon Forrester said with a smile, tossing diced strawberries, cucumbers, and avocado into the blender.
The blender started working, buzzing away. The child, excited, kicked his legs in Simon Forrester’s arm, pointing a little fat finger at the blender, babbling away.
Simon Forrester looked down at his son, eyes full of love, but his tone feigned seriousness, "This is for Mommy to drink, not for you! Mommy worked so hard because of you, and you’re still trying to take her drink?"
The child, as if sensing his father’s reprimand, began to babble louder.
Sienna Thornton chuckled, "It’s not that tiring, it’s just that I didn’t nap at noon after the meeting, so I felt sleepy in the evening."
A glass of peculiarly colored juice was made, and Simon Forrester, holding the baby in one arm and the juice in the other, beckoned Sienna Thornton, "Come eat first."
"Oh." Sienna Thornton followed him to the dining room.
They sat down to eat.
Simon Forrester thought of letting the child sit on his lap, supporting his round little body with his left arm while using his right hand for chopsticks and a spoon.
Sienna Thornton worried that eating like this would make him uncomfortable and cause his stomach issues to flare up, so she said, "Why don’t I hold the baby first, and you can eat, and I’ll eat afterward?"
Simon Forrester picked an okra and placed it in her bowl, "It’s quite nice this way, giving the baby an early appetite boost, so introducing solids won’t be too difficult later."
Sienna Thornton nodded, didn’t say more, and lowered her head to eat the okra.
The baby, held by his father, remained calm, his curious gaze darting from his father to his mother sitting across, occasionally kicking a leg or babbling a sound.
After a while, Simon Forrester said, "I’ve been thinking about how we can help you sleep better at night."
Sienna Thornton, now working during the day, and under significant stress, couldn’t manage without proper nighttime rest. Over time, it would take a toll on her body.
He considered moving with the baby to the nursery at night, feeding him warmed expressed milk when he needed it. But then considered that Sienna Thornton would still have to get up every two to three hours to pump milk, night or day.
Compared to his concerns, Sienna Thornton’s tone was light, "It’s impossible to sleep well during the breastfeeding period; I’ve already mentally prepared for it."
"Or... should we slowly wean him?"
——
Haha, the third update for tonight is finally out before I go to sleep!
There are two things to mention here:
① Shadowsweet has a major recommendation on Tuesday, I’ll start adding more updates for October’s monthly ticket, so Tuesday will have three updates (one being a bonus for monthly tickets)! It should also be posted around 11 PM.
② On November 11th at 9 PM, the benefit group will hold a lottery event. Readers who reach a fan value of 4000 by 8 PM on November 11th can join the group to participate in the draw! The prizes are roughly set: a moon and star clavicle chain, a Zojirushi thermos cup (light pink, very girly, I love it myself), 6666 red sleeve points, Revlon lipstick (shade optional), so readers who meet the fan value requirements should quickly contact the group owner or administrator privately (if you are already in the "Buddhist Girls Group," just private message, if not, quickly join: 689739517)