?Chapter 1373:


    She felt humiliated, unable to even look him in the eye.


    At the hospital, the entire process had already been arranged. Jewell had taken care of everything ahead of time—registration, tests, payments. All Ste had to do was follow the attending doctor and go through the motions.


    Two hourster, she returned, report folder in hand, and passed it to Jewell. “Now you can report back to him,” she said quietly.


    The results confirmed what she already knew—she wasn’t pregnant.


    Jewell flipped through the pages briefly. Something about it gave him pause. He couldn’t exin it, but he had a feeling that delivering this report might not go over well.


    He held the folder out to her instead. “You should keep it. He’s supposed to return tonight.”


    The unspoken message was clear—it wasn’t something he wanted to be the middleman for.


    As they made their way down the hospital corridor toward the underground garage, Ste seemed distracted. She walked with him, quiet but visibly conflicted, like there was something on the tip of her tongue.


    Jewell didn’t push her. Not until they were standing at the elevator. “If there’s something you want to say,” he told her casually, “say it now. Once we’re in the car, the opportunity’s gone.”


    She nced at him, surprised that he’d picked up on it.


    They waited in silence for the elevator to arrive. Just before the doors slid open, she took a breath and asked, “Dr. Vance… since you’re a doctor, could you… get me a few boxes of birth control pills?”


    He turned to look at her, brow lifting slightly. “What do you need those for?”


    She didn’t answer. She looked down, biting her lip, too ashamed to exin.


    But he understood. He didn’t need her to spell it out.


    “I’ll bring some the next time William asks me to check on you,” he said after a pause. “But I can’t bring too much at once.”


    hosts great stories


    Ste’s face broke into a real smile. “Thank you.”


    It was only a small box of birth control pills, but the relief in her eyes made Jewell’s chest tighten with something he couldn’t name.


    “All medicine is a little poison,” he said quietly. “I’ll remind him to use protection.”


    “No!” The word flew out faster than she meant. “It’s not because of him.”


    Not William?


    A faint blush rose on her cheeks. “I just… want to look after myself. It has nothing to do with him.”


    She never knew when William might force himself on her again. Daily pills were safer than hoping he’d ever think to protect her. This medication could control hormones and was safe for the body, unlike emergency contraceptives. It was the best answer she coulde up with.


    And expecting William to use anything himself? She wasn’t that naive.


    Every time, he was rough, more like a reprimand than anything else.


    Jewell decided it was their private business. If she said it wasn’t about William, he’d take her at her word and let it drop.


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