Chapter 175
Matthew had reached the doorway when he heard her request. He stopped and turned back, studying her face.
Willow tried to appear composed. "Charles doesn't actually know I'm pregnant. He was just using it as a threat against you."
"I'm in the middle of divorce proceedings with him. If the Lancaster family finds out about my pregnancy, I'm afraid they might try to take my child, and..." She hesitated, leaving the thought unfinished. "Please, just keep this between us."
Matthew stared at her for a moment. "I'll keep your secret, but if there's something more going on, don't hide it from me. Since my grandmother died, I consider you my only family left."
A warmth spread through Willow's chest. She smiled at him. "I feel the same way."
Matthew nodded and left without further comment.
The hospital room fell silent. Willow lay in bed, gazing at the white ceiling, her hand resting on her still-flat stomach as she exhaled slowly.
So she was pregnant. That explained why she'd been feeling so weak lately and tired so easily. At least it wasn't a serious illness—just pregnancy.
Pregnancy...
Her hand stilled on her abdomen as the full weight of the situation hit her. Sterling was the father.
She'd been careless. The pharmacist had warned her that contraceptive pills weren't 100% effective. She should have gotten checked sooner.
What was she going to do now? This baby's timing couldn't be worse.
If she chose to have the child, what happened that night would become public knowledge. She, Sterling, and the baby would all become subjects of gossip. Sterling's reputation might suffer as well.
But if she terminated the pregnancy...
A look of reluctance crossed her face. She was already two months pregnant. This was a living being inside her—connected to her by blood. How could she bring herself to end it?
Willow's heart was torn with indecision.
When the doctor came to check on her and noticed her troubled expression, he assumed she was feeling unwell.
Willow hesitantly asked, "Doctor, is my baby okay?"
The doctor's eyes held a note of reproach. "Two threatened miscarriages, and the baby survived only by sheer luck. If it happens a third time, I can't guarantee the outcome."
Willow bit her lip guiltily. After a moment of silence, she struggled to form her next question. "What if... I..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. The baby had already fought to survive two near-miscarriages. If it could somehow hear its mother saying she didn't want it, wouldn't that be heartbreaking?
The doctor understood her meaning. He looked at her seriously. "If that's what you're considering, I recommend doing it soon. The further along the pregnancy, the greater the risk to your health."
Willow lowered her eyes and nodded. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. "I'd like... to think about it a bit more. Thank you."
"That's fine," the doctor replied. "Your current physical condition isn't suitable for surgery anyway. Come back for another assessment in a week. If you've made your decision by then, we can proceed quickly."
Willow agreed.
After confirming with the doctor that she could recover at home, and worried about her grandmother, Willow decided not to stay in the hospital and was discharged that same day.
She had just finished at the payment counter and was turning to leave when she ran into Rachel, who was coming in.
Rachel looked haggard. She was holding medical records and some test results while talking on the phone.
"There's nothing wrong with my baby! Those incompetent doctors just don't know what they're doing!"
"I'm at the hospital now. I'm getting another examination right away! With a different doctor, the results will be fine!"
Her voice was filled with frustration. She hung up abruptly.
Looking up, she spotted Willow trying to walk around her. Rachel's expression instantly changed.
"Willow!" she snarled. "You heard everything, didn't you?"
Willow had anticipated a confrontation the moment she saw Rachel and had tried to avoid her, but to no avail.
"If you mean your phone conversation, there are too many people here. Even if I wanted to listen, I couldn't have heard anything."
Willow had no desire to argue and kept her explanation brief.
"Ms. Smith, if that's all you wanted to confirm, I can assure you I heard nothing. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Rachel glared at her with hatred. "Charlie went to see you again today, didn't he?"
Earlier that morning, Rachel had felt discomfort in her abdomen and wanted Charles to accompany her to the hospital, but he had refused, rushing out the door. For some reason, Rachel had an intuition that he had gone to see Willow.
The thought that Charles would prioritize Willow over her and their unborn child filled Rachel with loathing.
Willow frowned. "I haven't seen him..."
"Impossible!" Rachel cut her off obsessively. "Only after seeing you does he get that expression! I've memorized it over the years! He always looks that way after meeting you!"
Having learned Charles's true character and now hearing about his apparent feelings for her, Willow felt nauseated.
She tried to explain that she truly hadn't met with Charles, but Rachel wouldn't let her speak.
"Don't get too smug, Willow. So what if Charlie still likes you? I'm the one carrying his child! He promised to make things official with me as soon as he divorces you!"
Rachel didn't care that they were in public, shouting at Willow without restraint.
"We're the real family! We even bought baby clothes together! He's been taking care of me these past few days when I haven't been feeling well! You'd better back off and stop pursuing him!"
Her voice quickly drew the attention of passersby.
Already exhausted both mentally and physically, Willow felt her temple throb as curious onlookers gathered.
Yet her eyes held only pity as she regarded Rachel.
Rachel kept insisting that Charles treated her well, but anyone could see that wasn't true. It seemed more like Rachel was emphasizing this point to convince herself and to claim some superiority over Willow.
Willow sighed inwardly.
"We really haven't met today," she said flatly. "And I can promise you that except for divorce matters, I won't contact him. But likewise, please stop harassing me."
Rachel's sensitive ego was wounded again. "Shut up! I don't need your pity! Charlie was always meant to be mine!"
Seeing Rachel's continued obsession with Charles, what little sympathy Willow had left for her instantly evaporated.