Janice knew Ariel and Jayson needed their space, and she wouldn’t intrude.


    Janice’s voice lingered in his mind. Jayson didn’t respond for a long while. <fn04e3> Readplete version only at F?ndNovel</fn04e3>


    Over the past couple of days, he had hardly slept, rushing from one task <i>to </i>the next just to get back as quickly as possible.


    He had expected Ariel to wait for him before making her final decision, and at the very least, respect him


    as the father of their child.


    But no matter how fast he rushed, he still missed the moment she made her decision.


    It seemed she never intended to wait, and she wasn’t giving him even the slightest chance.


    Ariel woke from anesthesia sooner than expected. When she opened her eyes, she sensed someone at her


    side.


    She turned and met Jayson’s pale face. He had been sitting by her bedside for who knew how long without any expression. His emotions were tightly restrained.


    A sudden buzz ran through Ariel’s mind.


    Her body felt hollow, and the subtle connection to life inside her was gone. She understood immediately that the baby was no longer in her body.


    Even though she hadn’t nned on keeping the baby, the suddenness of this loss left a bitter taste in her mouth. Yet, she couldn’t let herself grieve because she didn’t even feel entitled to it.


    So, she simply stared at Jayson.


    A long, tense silence stretched between them, like knives sliding across their hearts.


    Finally, Jayson cleared his throat and slowly tucked the nket around her. His voice was hoarse, almost stripped of warmth. “Does it hurt anywhere?”


    He spoke as if it were an ordinary question, but something had changed.


    Ariel’s fingers, hidden beneath the nket, dug into her palm. She showed no expression. “No.”


    “Why didn’t you wait for me?” He didn’t look at her. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the nket. Even though he didn’t raise his voice, she could feel the weight of his interrogation.


    “Would it have made a difference if I had?” There was no clear answer for what had happened, and she couldn’t make sense of them.


    She needed the truth, but she also felt wronged. None of this had happened by her own choice.


    Jayson’s eyes shed red, and he finally looked straight at her. “Do you hate me that much? It was <b>my </b>baby… our baby… and you couldn’t wait to get rid of it?”


    Ariel’s throat tightened. No words came out.


    “Or was it because Lucas called off his marriage?” He asked the question he had dreaded most, the <b>very </bst words quivering.


    His gaze stayed fixed on Ariel because he didn’t want to miss a single hint of emotion on her face. “Did it make you so determined not to have the baby<b>?</b>”


    The timing was always so cruelly precise, like a sword piercing through the scab of a wound he had barely begun to heal.


    By choosing to give up the baby, Ariel seemed to be telling him that there was no ce for him in her heart, and not a trace of love had ever existed. It was as if she didn’t care at all how much pain it would


    cause him.


    Ariel looked away, staring at the harsh light above, which made her eyes sting. “If you’re already certain, why do you need me to confirm it? If I said no, how much of that do you believe?”


    That was the root of the problem. She knew Jayson wouldn’t ever fully believe her.


    He remained silent for a long moment.


    Finally, a bitterugh escaped his throat. A surge of burning pain welled up in his chest, but he couldn’t release a single bit of it. All he could do was feel it slowly cool.


    He rose slowly. “If that’s what you truly want, then I’ll let you have it.”


    +15 BONUS<b>. </b>