Chapter 98: Chapter 98



Rafael leaned in, about to kiss Joelle, but he halted when her eyes widened in shock. With a reassuring smile, he gently rubbed the back of her head. “I’m just kidding. Feeling any better?”

Joelle turned her head away, her voice tinged with distress. “Rafael, that’s not funny at all.”

The following day, the doctor entered Joelle’s room for a pre-surgery checkup, with Adrian present. Joelle lay on the bed, feeling each moment weigh down like a life sentence. The doctor, with clinical detachment, informed them, “Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller is ready for the surgery.”

“Okay. Proceed with the preparations,” Adrian responded curtly.

Once the doctor had left, Adrian lingered by Joelle, trying to offer some reassurance. “Joelle, we’re young. We can have another child.”

It was the first time Joelle had spoken to him in days. “Adrian, please, can I keep the baby?” she asked, her last trace of hope lingering.

His reply was cold and final. “Don’t be willful, Joelle. I can’t accept the baby.”

As Joelle was wheeled closer to the operating room, each turn of the wheels echoed in her heart, a grim reminder that she was moving closer to losing her child. Despite the father’s rejection, the mother’s heart yearned for her unborn child’s survival.

In a last, desperate plea, Joelle turned to the person pushing her wheelchair, her voice breaking. “Please, stop! Don’t take me in there. This is a life, my baby’s life!” Her cries echoed down the hospital corridor, her pleas for help desperate and raw, yet met with only cold stares and passing glances.

Before the procedure, she caught sight of Adrian and stumbled towards him, falling to her knees. “Please, Adie, I don’t want to lose our baby! Let me keep it!”

Her tears dampened his trousers as she clung to him, her pride abandoned in the face of her maternal instinct. Adrian lifted her effortlessly, his voice devoid of emotion. “Joelle, be good.”

“No!” Her refusal was vehement, even as she was ushered towards the operating room by two nurses.

“Mrs. Miller, don’t worry,” one nurse reassured as they guided her inside. “Mr. Miller has instructed us to make this as painless as possible.”

“No! Not my baby! Please, no!” Joelle’s cries filled the corridor, a haunting lament for her unborn child.

As she was positioned on the operating table, another nurse tried to calm her. “Just relax. It’ll all be over soon.” Joelle’s eyes, red and swollen from crying, slowly shut as the last of her sobs trailed off, tears still tracing lines down her cheeks.

Outside, Adrian’s expression grew increasingly grim. Rafael, donned in a white coat, approached and stood beside him, both men staring at the red light above the operating room door.

“Adrian, are you sure about this? Do you truly have no regrets?”

Reflecting on the scene of the previous night, Adrian’s hands formed into tight fists. “Should I care? A bastard should never come into this world.”

Rafael regarded him coolly, his voice tinged with a hint of satisfaction. “I’m glad you see it that way.”

Adrian’s brow furrowed in displeasure at Rafael’s tone. “Rafael, ever since I married Joelle, it was time for you to step back.”

Rafael met his gaze, unflinching, his eyes sharp. “If you had ever treated her properly, I would have. But have you? She was on her knees, begging, and you felt nothing. Adrian, even if you’re not the biological father, you are her husband, but you’ve shattered her heart.”

Adrian’s expression turned icy. “I don’t need your concern over my relationship with Joelle. Stay out of it!”

Rafael lingered momentarily before departing, understanding all too well Adrian’s possessiveness. Any further argument would only worsen Joelle’s situation.

Hours after Rafael’s departure, Joelle, pale and weak, stumbled out of the ward. As she attempted to walk, her legs gave way, and she collapsed, only to be caught by Adrian.

In his chilly embrace, Joelle sobbed. “Adrian, our baby is gone…”

“Be strong. We’ll have another. I’ll make it right,” he murmured.

Exhausted, Joelle wrapped her arms around his neck, too weary to do anything but lean on him.

Halfway through the drive, she stirred. “This isn’t the way home. Where are we going?”

“To the Miller Mansion,” Adrian replied, taking her hand gently. “After our last act, you need a proper rest.” Joelle’s face turned ashen, her forehead damp with perspiration. “I’ve just had surgery, Adrian.”

“That’s precisely why we should visit Grandma now,” Adrian countered smoothly.

Realization dawned on Joelle. He was using her condition to garner sympathy, leveraging their family drama to his advantage. With a painful smile, Joelle understood her role in his schemes. “So, I’m just a pawn in your quest for power.”

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