Chapter 61 To Give Birth or Not?

Yvonne covered her mouth and ran out to the corridor outside the private room. A gust of wind blew in from the half-open window, bringing some relief to her stomach. That overwhelming feeling had been suppressed, for now.

"What's wrong?" Elijah's deep voice came from behind her.

He handed her a glass of water.

As she rinsed her mouth, she rubbed her stomach and said, "I've been feeling a bit uncomfortable in my stomach these past few days. Just the sight of meat makes me nauseous."

Elijah's expression froze. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"It's the end of the year, and our department is rushing to meet deadlines every day. Who has time to go to the hospital?" She leaned against the open window, taking a deep breath.

Elijah thought for a moment. "After we finish dinner, I'll take you to see a doctor."

"I'm not that ill." Yvonne reluctantly rallied and teased him, "It's been over a month since we last saw each other, do you miss me, Mr. Harper?"

"What do you think?" Elijah met her gaze with a guarded expression.

Her makeup was exquisite, but the paleness and tiredness in her eyes were apparent.

"Only you know if you miss me or not. But I know that even if you do, you won't admit it." Yvonne took out a cigarette from her pocket, which Elijah immediately snatched away and threw out the window.

"Let's go, don't keep Hannah and the others waiting for too long." Elijah beckoned to her.

The two of them returned to the private room.

Hannah and Philippe asked Yvonne what was wrong. She replied, "My stomach problem is acting up again. I'll just take some stomach medicine for a few days, and it'll be fine."

Hannah urged her to rest properly.

Due to her stomach discomfort, Yvonne only picked at some broccoli and pasta. After a little over an hour, the French cuisine was finished.

Philippe and Hannah left together, walking side by side.

Elijah got into Yvonne's car. Yvonne prepared to take him to Rhode Hills, but Elijah insisted on going to the hospital.

"You've completely cut ties with me, yet you still care for me so much. It's truly surprising," Yvonne deliberately revealed his shortcoming.

With a serious expression, Elijah asked, "Think carefully, how long have you been experiencing vomiting symptoms?"

"For about a week," Yvonne replied.

Elijah pursed his lips. "How long has it been since your last period?"

"It was supposed to come last week, but it still hasn't..." Yvonne suddenly realized what he was thinking and gasped, covering her mouth. "No way..."

"Go to the hospital and get checked. That will give us the answer." Elijah said calmly.

Yvonne slammed on the brakes and pounded the steering wheel in despair. "If I'm pregnant, it's all your fault! Last month, you said it was a safe period, and we didn't take any precautions!"

"It's my responsibility, and I will bear it," Elijah said in a low voice.

Yvonne still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking that she couldn't possibly be so unlucky!

Forcing herself to calm down, she started the car again. Her body continued trembling, so she switched seats with Elijah.

Elijah drove slowly, while Yvonne's face turned paler. She remained silent throughout the entire journey.

Mute.

At the hospital, Elijah helped her make an appointment for a gynecological exam. After the ultrasound, the doctor's diagnosis was: five weeks pregnant with a single fetus. Yvonne clutched the diagnosis sheet, almost fainting. Elijah drove her to Sunshine Community, and when she got out of the car, she almost fell. Unable to bear it, Elijah picked her up and carried her upstairs.

After opening the door, she collapsed on the couch, touching her lower abdomen, tears streaming down her face.

Elijah poured her a cup of hot water and sat across from her, speaking softly, "Yvonne, I want to hear your opinion."

"This child cannot be kept." she said, wiping away her tears.

Frowning, Elijah asked, "Why?"

"Our relationship hasn't reached the point of having a child," she said slowly, "and I won't be like Joseph's mother, giving birth and leaving the child to be raised by you alone. The best solution is to... terminate him."

When she uttered those last words, her heart was bleeding. But she couldn't think of a better way. In her current situation, if she didn't work, she would have to beg, and she would have no means to support a child.

"Although this pregnancy is unexpected, it is still a life." Elijah's voice sounded sincere. "What I would like is for you to give birth to him. Of course, I will compensate you double the market rate for any loss of income during your pregnancy. I will take care of all the expenses after the child is born."

Yvonne's heart immediately turned cold upon hearing "compensate double the market rate". She thought Elijah would bring up many noble reasons and insist on giving the child a home. She was merely a fling to Elijah, and the child was just an accident. The fact that Elijah didn't give her money to terminate the pregnancy was already a huge "favor"! She had overestimated her position in his heart!

"You already have Joseph, so you don't need to worry about this child. I'll handle this myself." she forced a pale smile, even though her heart was filled with sorrow. She couldn't lose her dignity.

This month, she had been smoking, drinking, and staying up late regularly. Her lifestyle was irregular, and she couldn't ensure the health of the fetus in her belly. Elijah was only interested in paying money, so she had better forget it.

"Joseph is Joseph; he is him. Don't mix them up." Elijah's deep eyes concealed countless tender emotions that she couldn't see. "Yvonne, as long as you give birth to him, I will take care of everything afterwards."

"Give it to you?" Yvonne irritably took out a cigarette, but felt it was inappropriate, so she crushed it and threw it into the trash can.

"Yes, you've already raised one child, so you have experience in taking care of them; it'll be easy to raise a few more."

Elijah's gaze suddenly softened as he looked at Yvonne. "This is a matter concerning a person's life. Calm down and think about it carefully."

"Upon hearing that I'm pregnant, you immediately assume it's yours and take responsibility. Are you so certain that the child is yours?" Yvonne felt anger in her heart and believed that saying this would provoke the man in front of her.

"He is mine." Elijah's voice was deep and resolute.

His hand suddenly fell on Yvonne's face and he gently caressed her cheek.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Their past appeared before each other's eyes like a movie.

Their encounter, their acquaintance, all stemmed from her initiative.

At that time, Elijah treated her like a venomous snake.

She discarded her dignity and reputation, approaching him, seducing him, and finally achieving her goal of sleeping with him, getting her revenge on Grace.

Grace married Edward and had completely vanished from Elijah's world. Yvonne had initially intended to distance herself from Elijah afterwards and return to her own life.

But she and Elijah ended up in this complicated and inextricable relationship.

She was well aware that Elijah's attraction to her was merely the result of a man's possessiveness toward a woman.

Every time their relationship was about to end, Elijah always found the right moment to pull her back into the realm of physical transactions.

In her eyes, his actions were nothing more than indulgence in lust, devoid of any emotions.

Only if she lost her mind would she have a child with a man who felt nothing for her! She didn't want her life to be tied down by a child!

Yvonne avoided his approach and said coldly, "There's nothing to think about. I'm planning to have an abortion at the hospital the day after tomorrow."

Elijah's handsome face tightened, and he fell silent.

The two of them remained in this silence.

Yvonne sat on the couch, and Elijah stood by the window with his back facing her.

"Mr. Harper, please leave. I need to rest." Yvonne said hoarsely.

Elijah snapped back to reality and looked deeply into her eyes. "Rest well, goodnight."

Soon, the lock turned, and Elijah had left.

Yvonne felt a tightness in her chest and a storm brewing in her stomach.

She rushed into the bathroom barefoot and emptied her dinner, finding relief in her stomach.

These days were tormenting her, she didn't want to live another single day like this!

Lying in bed, she searched for a private hospital with good confidentiality on her phone and made an appointment for the abortion surgery the day after tomorrow.

That night, she tossed and turned in deep guilt.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw a lovely baby calling out to her as "mom".

Despite her efforts, she couldn't determine the gender of the child, but she could distinctly feel the joy and intimacy of the mother-child bond.

Now, she didn't know who her biological parents were.

This unexpected little being in her womb brought her both trouble and an unreachable sense of family.

She cried all night.

The next day, while doing her makeup, her eyes were as swollen as peaches, and foundation couldn't cover up that she had had a night of crying.

She would have to wear a pair of black-framed glasses to hide them when she went to work later.

Elijah called, showing an unprecedented gentle demeanor. "Have you considered it?"

"I've already made the appointment. I'm going for the surgery tomorrow." She suppressed the urge to cry and tried to sound like an emotionless executioner.

"Think about it some more, hmm?" Elijah patiently pleaded, "Yvonne, this is our child. I hope you can give him a chance at life."

Yvonne's heart clenched together.

"It's getting late, and I still need to rush to work. Goodbye." Yvonne evaded, skillfully dodging his words.

Elijah called out to her, "Let's meet for lunch. I'll wait for you at the Western restaurant across from the FA Center Company."

"I'll probably have to work overtime, so don't get your hopes up." Yvonne firmly hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Elijah was still lying in bed.

He had insomnia last night.

It wasn't until just before dawn that he finally fell into a deep sleep.

He had witnessed Joseph, who was once a screaming baby in diapers, grow into a lively and sensible child. Despite having a nanny and an aunt helping out, his heart was burdened.

When he found out that Yvonne was pregnant, he felt remorse and guilt, devoid of the joy of becoming a father for the first time.

It was his own greed and indulgence that led to Yvonne's unexpected pregnancy. Regardless of the choices Yvonne made, the physical harm she endured couldn't be compensated with money.

His initial reaction was for Yvonne to terminate the pregnancy, but that thought only lasted a few seconds before changing.

Regardless of any feelings he had for Yvonne, it was a living, breathing life.

Moreover, it was his own flesh and blood.

In his heart, it was a completely different situation from Joseph.

He could provide Yvonne and the child with the best life possible, but temporarily, he couldn't give them a legally recognized home with him because he believed his physical desires for Yvonne were superfluous to emotions.

Philippe had asked him multiple times if he had fallen for Yvonne, and each time, he scoffed at the idea.

Later, when he felt himself becoming more attached to Yvonne, he decisively ended their relationship.

For this past month, he hadn't contacted her, trying to numb himself with busy work.

When he heard about her award, besides being genuinely happy for her, he also hoped she would call him, but she didn't!

Once again, he deviated from his own decision and went to the French restaurant to meet her.

Sometimes, he questioned if he was going crazy, playing this cat-and-mouse game for a woman.

In his eyes, Yvonne was a friend with benefits, with no emotional involvement between the two of them!

But he couldn't figure things out all night. If Yvonne gave birth, their future lives would inevitably be intertwined, affecting his future relationships and life. Why did he still want Yvonne to have the child?

She didn't want to have it, but he wanted her to. Since there seemed to be no win-win solution, he could only resort to some unsavory means!



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