Chapter 239
Inside the chaotic, noisy bar.
Gideon sat in the booth, downing whiskey after whiskey.
He couldn't shake the image from his mind—Josephine looking at Cedric with that trusting gaze, and Cedric holding her hand as they left together.
Like a nightmare.
All of that used to belong to him.
Now, he had this sinking feeling that no matter what he did, he'd never be able to tear those two apart.
Josephine would never come back to him.
It was more terrifying than any nightmare.
He didn't know how long he'd been drinking when he sensed someone approaching. Opening his bleary, drunken eyes, he saw Lorelei standing beside him, her belly swollen with pregnancy.
"Gideon, why are you drinking so much?" Lorelei's voice was gentle as she reached out to help him.
Gideon shoved her away. "Get lost."
"Gideon..."
"Get the hell out! If it weren't for you, why would Jojo have left me?" At the sight of Lorelei, Gideon's reaction grew even more violent. Reeking of alcohol, his eyes burned with viciousness and disgust.
Lorelei's face went deathly pale. "Gideon, what are you saying? This is our baby..."
"Baby... baby..." Gideon muttered, his gaze dropping to Lorelei's stomach. Her belly had grown large—even her dress couldn't hide its outline.
He stared at it. There was no tenderness of a father in his eyes. Only a chilling frost that made her blood run cold.
"Gideon..." Lorelei regretted coming here. She'd only wanted to take care of him, to show him that at a time like this, she was the only one willing to stay by his side, to look after him...
She forced a smile. "Let me take you home."
Gideon set down his glass and stood, mumbling, "It's because of this baby that Jojo won't come back to me. If this baby were gone, everything could go back to the way it was."
He grabbed Lorelei's hand. She'd craved his closeness, his touch, but now she recoiled from it like poison, struggling desperately.
Gideon had drunk too much. Everything in front of him was distorted. He could barely walk straight. After only two steps, he tripped over a chair.
Lorelei seized the chance to break free. Not caring about him anymore, she turned and ran.
Outside the bar, she felt like she'd just escaped death.
She pulled out her phone and called her driver, telling him to take the wasted Gideon home.
Lorelei stood outside, one hand resting on her belly, a chill seeping through her heart.
Josephine, Josephine, Josephine!
That bitch who wouldn't leave them alone!
Just then, her phone rang—an unsaved number, but Lorelei recognized who was on the other end.
"I know. I'll have the baby as soon as possible."
"Don't worry. He won't find out."
After hanging up, Lorelei gently stroked her belly, murmuring, "Baby, don't blame Mommy. Your birth is going to solve a lot of problems... Mommy and Daddy will love you so much..."
Josephine had just finished a meeting and was heading downstairs for lunch. Between the office and the restaurant was a quiet alley where hardly anyone passed through. So when Lorelei emerged from the shadows, Josephine jumped.
"What are you doing lurking here?"
Lorelei stared at her hard. "I just don't get it. What's so special about you that two men are obsessed with you?"
"You're insane." Josephine turned to leave, not wanting to waste time on this pointless conversation.
A sharp pain shot through her wrist. Lorelei had grabbed her, her nails digging in so hard they nearly broke the skin.
"Don't walk away! Tell me—what will it take for you to let Gideon go? You're already married to Cedric. Why are you still holding onto Gideon?"
Josephine tried to shake her off. "Are you out of your mind? When have I ever held onto Gideon?"
"Then why do you keep showing up in front of him? Why does he call your name when he's drunk?" Lorelei was agitated, her eyes burning with alarming hatred. "You already have Cedric. Isn't that enough?"
"Let go." If it weren't for the fact that she was pregnant, Josephine would've fought back already.
A flash of malice crossed Lorelei's eyes. She suddenly yanked Josephine's hand and threw herself backward. Josephine instinctively grabbed her wrist, but Lorelei violently shook her off.
Lorelei fell to the ground. Blood quickly spread across her dress.
She clutched her stomach, too pained to speak.
Josephine's face went white. She immediately called for an ambulance, then with trembling hands, dialed Gideon's number.
Outside the emergency room.
She sat in a chair, not even noticing when Gideon rushed in.
Her mind was filled with the blood on the ground, the dress soaked red, as if she'd been thrown back to that day—when she'd been the same way... and lost her own child.
She'd decided to keep that baby.
"What happened?" Gideon arrived in a rush, breathing hard.
Josephine didn't answer. She just stared at the emergency room door.
Gideon didn't ask again.
They both waited in silence.
Briana arrived in a hurry and immediately slapped Josephine across the face. Gideon reacted too late to stop her, only managing to restrain Briana before she could strike again.
Unable to reach Josephine, Briana cursed furiously. "You curse! You vicious monster! You went after a child! Are you insane? If you have a problem, come after me! How could you hurt a baby? Have you no shame? Why don't you just drop dead?"
Gideon's voice was stern. "Enough. We don't know what happened yet."
Josephine lifted her head. Her face was red and swollen, but her eyes had grown calm. "I didn't push her."
"Still lying! You attacked a pregnant woman! Aren't you afraid of karma?" Briana was like a rabid dog, ready to tear Josephine apart. Gideon gripped his mother's wrist tightly and looked at Josephine. "You should go."
Josephine stared at him numbly. "I didn't do it."
Gideon paused, then said quietly, "I know. Just go home."
He glanced at the hem of Josephine's dress. She was also stained with blood. It looked disturbingly vivid.
Josephine left.
She walked out of the hospital in a daze.
She didn't know where she was going until the blare of a car horn sounded and a pair of strong hands pulled her into an embrace.
Cedric looked down at her, his eyes filled with shock and anger. "That was dangerous!"
Josephine saw him, and her body went limp. She fainted.
The long staircase. She'd cradled her stomach as she tumbled down, desperately trying to protect the fragile life inside her.
But she'd been covered in blood, lying in agony on the operating table, still feeling him slipping away.
That slow, agonizing sense of loss.
"No!"
She woke with a start, sitting up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, her eyes full of panic.
Cedric, who'd been on the phone outside, heard the noise and rushed into the bedroom. Seeing her soaked in sweat, his heart tightened. He spoke into the phone. "Look into it the way I told you."
He hung up and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her into his arms. Only then did he realize her clothes were soaked through. "Bad dream?"
Josephine nodded dully. "I dreamed that I..."
She closed her eyes in pain. She couldn't say it.
Cedric gently patted her back, his voice soothing in her ear. "Don't be afraid."
Maybe it was because he was so gentle. Josephine clutched his shirt like a lifeline. "I didn't push her."
"I know."
"I do hate her. I wanted revenge on her and Gideon. But I would never hurt a child!"
She'd been a mother once. She wouldn't do something like that.
Children were always innocent.
Seeing her growing more agitated, Cedric gripped her shoulders, making her panicked eyes meet his. "Josephine, I believe you."
The panic faded, leaving only confusion and bewilderment. "Why?"
"Because I know you. You're not that kind of person." Cedric pulled her back into his embrace.
The moon hangs high because its light never fades. It is always pure, beautiful, and something to aspire to.
It may be briefly obscured by clouds, but it will never fall into the dust.
At this moment, having someone firmly say they believed her was an immense affirmation for Josephine.
Before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep in his arms.
She woke to a phone call.
Cedric was no longer there. Josephine stepped out of the bedroom and smelled food drifting up from downstairs.
She picked up her phone and answered as she descended the stairs.
"Dr. Foster."
Dr. Foster was the director at Radiant Life Medical Center a year ago. He'd gone abroad, and they hadn't been in touch since.
Dr. Foster said, "Ms. Kennedy, I'm so sorry. Before I left the country, I asked my assistant to send you and Mr. Getty's test results, but I just found out today that they were sent to the wrong address by mistake. I've already mailed the reports to you. Make sure you get them."
Dr. Foster seemed busy. He hung up before she could say anything.
Josephine didn't get a chance to say, "We're divorced. Just mail them to him."
She walked into the living room and saw Cedric busy in the kitchen. She smiled.
The doorbell rang.
A delivery had arrived.
Dr. Foster's name and number were on the package.
Josephine signed for it and opened the file in the living room. Inside were two reports. When she opened them, her hands trembled. The test results fell to the floor.