Chapter 97: Chapter 97



Joelle’s eyes fluttered open, her hand instinctively moving to protect her abdomen. “Baby… my baby!” she murmured, fear lacing her voice.

“The baby is fine,” Adrian reassured her gently.

“Really? Don’t lie to me.” Joelle’s voice wavered, her eyes brimming with tears, fearing the reality might slip away like a dream. When she fell into the pond, her first panicked thought was for her unborn child. She had bombarded the doctor with questions, never imagining such a mishap could endanger her pregnancy.

“I wouldn’t lie about this,” Adrian said, meeting her gaze with earnest seriousness. It took Joelle a moment to absorb his words, her mind grappling with the implications. Outside, the darkened sky hinted at rain, casting a chill through the air.

“I didn’t mean to keep it from you. We haven’t been on the best terms, and the baby… It could change everything between us. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” Joelle confessed, her voice softening.

Adrian watched her silently for a long moment, choosing then to shift the conversation. “We need to tell the others you’ve had a miscarriage. It’s the only way we can corner Spencer effectively.”

A bitter smile touched Joelle’s lips. She and her unborn child were merely pawns in Adrian’s strategy against Spencer. Yet, she accepted her role, resolved to see this deception through if it meant securing a safe future for her baby. “I understand. I’ll play along with you.”

After a pause filled with heavy silence, a piece of paper fluttered down beside her hand. Joelle picked it up, confusion clouding her features. “Consent for abortion?” she read aloud, her confusion turning to shock.

She stared at Adrian, her voice trembling with disbelief. “What are you saying, Adrian?”

Adrian stood by the bed, his voice devoid of warmth. “We can have another child.”

“I need an explanation, Adrian!” Joelle’s anger surged, causing her to sit up abruptly, only to be met by a sharp pain in her abdomen. She caught her breath, struggling with the pain before she could speak again. “You don’t want our baby?”

Adrian’s face remained impassive. “Ned Garner has confessed,” he stated flatly.

Joelle recoiled, the name Ned Garner slicing through her attempts to forget. She knew him well—the man who had once tried to rape her. “So?” She forced a smile through clenched teeth. “You believe you’re not the father? You trust a stranger instead of me, huh?”

Adrian met her gaze steadily. “I won’t raise another man’s child. If you agree to the abortion, we can start over. We’ll have the life you always wanted.”

Joelle’s response was fierce and final. “Get lost!”

“You have no proof this baby is mine, do you?”

“Go to hell!” Joelle crumpled the consent form and hurled it at Adrian. It hit him without effect.

Adrian caught her wrist, his grip firm. “Why the anger? You knew about the pregnancy; Rafael knew too. If this child is really mine, why would you hide it from me?”

The sound of a slap echoed sharply in the room. Joelle’s eyes blazed with tears. “You’re despicable, Adrian. The biggest mistake of my life was ever meeting you! Leave now!”

He chuckled dryly, his voice devoid of warmth. “The feeling’s mutual.”

A sharp pain seized Joelle’s heart. Her hand trembled as it clutched her chest. Adrian adjusted his shirt, his tone businesslike. “You have three days to decide. I’ve made arrangements. In three days, you can have the abortion.”

Joelle’s gaze burned into him, her body nearly collapsing from the shock.

The next day, after gathering her strength, Joelle initiated a conversation with Adrian. She sat on the hospital bed, draped in a white gown that seemed to highlight her frailty, the unborn child draining her vitality like a malevolent force.

“Adrian, I need to be clear. Ned never touched me that night,” she asserted.

“Then why would he confess?” Adrian countered, skepticism lacing his tone.

“I don’t know,” Joelle admitted, her eyes fiercely holding his. “But you are the father of this baby. You can’t make me have an abortion.”

“Joelle,” Adrian called out, his hand brushing her cheek gently, noting how she had visibly lost weight in just a few days. “This isn’t up for discussion. Even if it’s mine, the doubt will always bother me. The abortion must happen.”

Joelle’s eyes dimmed with resignation. “What if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll make it happen by force.” His voice was icy, his demeanor resolute.

Joelle shuddered, feeling the chill creep from her toes upward as despair set in. Isolated in the hospital, with Katherine and Shawn abroad and Adrian cutting her off from everyone, she felt utterly alone.

On the third night, she managed to get a message to Rafael, pleading with a nurse to fetch him. “Rafael, Adrian is insisting on terminating my pregnancy.” Rafael could not see any sadness on her face. Perhaps she had turned her sadness into some sort of power. “Joelle, Adrian has scheduled the abortion. I’ve tried to reason with him, but he’s unyielding.”

Her hands balled into fists, and after a tense pause, she declared, “I want a divorce.”

Rafael regarded her calmly, having anticipated this. “Joelle, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Interrupting her swirling thoughts, she asked, “What?”

“I have feelings for you.”

In a sudden move, Rafael reached out and cradled the back of her head, causing Joelle’s eyes to widen in surprise. Outside the door, Adrian watched the intimate exchange with a cold, unreadable expression.

.

.

.