?Chapter 1596:


    She noticed the pallor in Elsa’s face, the crease in her brow. And Ethan wasn’t with her.


    Elsa replied, “Just high blood pressure.”


    “You should go ahead. I’ll get in line for my doctor,” Gracie said.


    The maid guided Elsa away while Gracie stepped into the long queue.


    Not far away, the pediatric department was buzzing like a beehive. A boy, about twelve, cried so loudly that his sobs seemed to bounce off the walls.


    His mother stood beside him, her eyes swollen and red, caught between heartbreak and helplessness. No other family around.


    The boy shouted at his mother, “Why did you even have me? Did you ever ask me if I wanted this? I’ve grown up without a dad—do you know how people look at me? I hate you!”


    The boy was unraveling as heshed out at his mom, shouting, “Why did you give birth to me? Can you even afford to keep me fed and clothed? You can barely keep yourself together! We can’t even grab a decent meal, and you can’t buy me the cool brands. Now I’m sick, and you don’t have a dime for my treatment. You never should’ve brought me into this world!”


    His mom, barely into her thirties, stood there in threadbare clothes, faded from years of wear. The boy, though, was decked out in crisp new clothes, rocking brand-name shoes.


    The mother shrank under the weight of judgmental eyes around her, tears carving paths down her cheeks. “How can you say that, honey? I’m your mom; it rips my heart in two to hear those words. You’re my everything. I’ve given you everything I can. You’re crossing a line here.”


    The boy interjected, “I don’t care about that! I didn’t sign up to be born! Did you ever ask me? Can you give me a life worth living? You had me just to watch me struggle. I’m done with this! If you can’t give me a good life, you shouldn’t have had me at all!”


    A guy nearby, there with his own kid, had heard enough. He stepped forward, his face hard as stone, andid into the boy. “Your mom gave you life, kid. Take a good look at her—what is she wearing? Now look at yourself. Your family’s scraping by, but you’re strutting around in brand-name clothes. She has given you everyst drop she’s got, and you’re still acting like this? Shame on you. You want a better life? Study hard and make it happen yourself!”


    The crowd’s eyes softened toward the mom, their sympathy evident. Even Gracie felt her heart stir.


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    Her hand drifted to her belly, her mind caught in a tug-of-war. Should she keep this baby?


    She had the money to raise the baby, but what if her child turned out like that boy, pointing fingers and ming her for bringing them into the world without their say-so?


    As her turn in line crept closer, an older couple cut in front of her. They were VIPs at this hospital.


    The crowd muttered under their breath, but no one dared challenge the pecking order. VIPs always jumped the queue.


    They could only be patient and wait.


    “They’re that old and still trying for a kid? Aren’t they worried something could go south?” someone grumbled.


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