Wendy felt a chill run through her body. There could only be one reason Lucas had suddenly decided to call off the wedding. To her, it didn’t feel like a mere coincidence that both Lucas and Ariel were making such abrupt decisions. 1


    Wendy clenched her fists tightly for a long while before leaving quietly, careful not to let Ariel notice she


    had been there.


    The biggest issue now was that Jayson seemed to have no idea that Ariel was pregnant and nning <i>to </i>get an abortion.


    For a moment, Wendy’s ashen face went nk as she fell deep into thought.


    Lucas finally stopped staring at the floor above when he noticed Wendy approaching. Taking in her slightly pale face, he said, “I’ll send you back first.”


    Wendy bit her lip and looked straight at him. “I lost my child. Lucas, you owe me for what happened.” His steps halted, and <i>a </i>faint frown appeared on his forehead. He couldn’t deny her words–they were true.


    During their argument the other day, Wendy had used the child as leverage to threaten Lucas. But in the heat of her turbulent emotions, an ident happened.


    The induced abortion procedure had left her frail and weakened.


    “We’ll talk about that another day.” Lucas’s expression darkened as he headed for the entrance, ignoring what she had just said.


    Wendy swallowed back her urge to scream at him. Still, she couldn’t help wanting to shift the me onto Ariel–her grief over losing the child made her desperate for somewhere to direct her resentment.


    “Frankly, it was Ariel’s fault I lost my child. I wouldn’t have been so agitated if you had just settled things with her properly. My child died because I was too emotional.”


    Lucas turned and shot her a frosty look. “Wendy, let’s be fair. Don’t drag others into this. You know she had nothing to do with it.”


    Wendy stiffened. Deep down, she knew he was right. But what else could she do?


    She couldn’t bring herself to let go of Lucas, nor could she me him directly. The only outlet left for her pain was to resent Ariel.


    Lucas refused to argue further. No matter how strained things were between him and Ariel, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone attacking or criticizing her. <fn09bd> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? find?novel</fn09bd>


    Without another nce at Wendy, he got into the car.


    Wendy caressed her t abdomen before finally climbing in as well.


    News of her induced abortion quickly spread, reaching the Sandersons too. Morgan was saddened by it. He suggested Wendy stay with them for a while to recuperate.


    She didn’t refuse. Living with the Sandersons gave her more opportunities to maintain her rtionship


    with Lucas.


    Not long after her arrival at Sanderson Manor, Wendy spotted a familiar guest in the living room.


    Lori stood up, trying to mask the glee in her eyes as she approached Wendy. “Wendy, you should focus on resting and getting better. Don’t be too saddened by what happened.” (1


    In truth, she was delighted by Wendy’s loss. If the wedding were canceled too, it would be even better.


    Meanwhile, Wendy’s gazended on Cecilia, who was smilingnguidly<b>. </b>1


    “How do you know Ms. Pryce?” Wendy asked.


    Lori beamed, not borating much. “It’s a long story, but Ms. Pryce helped usnd a major overseas deal, so I invited her over today. Do you know her too?”


    Cecilia nced at Wendy but didn’t recall much. People in the elite circle often crossed paths at events, though Cecilia only made the effort to remember those from powerful, wealthy families.


    “We went to the same high school,” Wendy said tly.


    Cecilia’s brows lifted. “I remember now! Sorry.”


    Her gaze drifted toward Wendy’s lower abdomen. “What happened to your…”


    Wendy’s expression turned grim.


    Lori sighed, though a glimmer of joy flickered in her eyes. “She lost her child. You know Ariel too, Ms. Pryce. Well, Ariel and Lucas…”


    She paused, furrowing her brows. “She was the reason Wendy and Lucas fought. Now that Wendy’s lost her child, that woman had better not try any tricks to ruin their rtionship.”


    Cecilia narrowed her eyes, curious about the nature of Ariel and Lucas‘ rtionship.


    “Aren’t Lucas and Ariel siblings?” Cecilia asked pensively.


    Lori snickered. “That woman? She’s always been conniving, even as a child. She’s exceptionally good at seducing men. Even after marrying Mr. Larkin, she still kept close to Lucas.


    “One of these days, Mr. Larkin might throw her out for her inappropriate behavior. Most importantly, she had better note between Lucas and Wendy again.”


    Each mention of Ariel’s name felt like a stab to Wendy’s heart. Her voice turned icy. “That won’t happen. Ariel’s pregnant now. There’s no way she’ll still try to get close to Lucas.<b>” </b>


    Wendy bit her lip. “But… it seems she hasn’t told Mr. Larkin yet. I don’t know what she’s nning.”


    X