Chapter 209 Faye's Abortion
Alexander didn't even hesitate. "Not happening."
For one thing, it was too late—already close to nine, and Arabella was pregnant. She needed rest. For another, karaoke bars weren't exactly ideal for the baby.
On Frank's end, Tiffany's gentle voice filtered through. "Frank, have Alex put Arabella on. Let me talk to her."
"Sure," Frank agreed, then turned back to the phone. "Alex, Tiffany wants to—"
Alexander cut him off. "Whatever she needs to say, she can say to me. Leave Arabella out of it."
If Tiffany asked Arabella directly, she agreed out of politeness even if she didn't want to go. Alexander shut down that possibility before it could happen. Frank paused. "Alright, then. We'll—"
Tiffany's voice chimed in again before he could finish. "Alex, just because you don't like going out doesn't mean you shouldn't consider Arabella. She works so hard all day—getting out and having fun would help her relax. It's good for the baby too."
Alexander's brow furrowed. He didn't appreciate being badgered about something he'd already declined, not even by Frank's girlfriend. More than that, Tiffany's words bordered on offensive. With women who weren't Arabella, he never bothered with niceties.
"Frank." Alexander's voice dropped, carrying a clear warning. "Control your woman."
"Yes, Alex," Frank said quietly.
Alexander tossed his phone into the center console. Arabella opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but ultimately swallowed the words back down.
Sitting this close, she'd obviously heard the entire conversation. Honestly, she didn't care one way or another about going to karaoke. If they'd asked her directly, she probably would've agreed even if she didn't want to. But since Alexander had already declined on her behalf, she was happy to be off the hook.
Meanwhile, back at the karaoke place, Tiffany looked at Frank expectantly. "What did Alex say? Is he coming?"
Frank shook his head. "Alex doesn't like being pushed. Don't keep pestering him about things, okay?"
Tiffany's face fell, her expression turning pitiful. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just feel terrible that you guys are fighting because of me. I thought if we all hung out together more, they'd get to know me and accept me. Why did it turn out like this?"
Seeing her upset, Frank quickly tried to comfort her. "Look, I know you mean well. But Alex isn't the type to let things slide. I'm just warning you for your own good—don't do that again." He paused. "You know my family's business depends on Alex's support. He's already been more than generous."
Tiffany pouted. "If today doesn't work, what about tomorrow? Maybe Alex could bring Arabella out for a get-together."
Frank looked at her, genuinely confused. "Why are you so fixated on Alex and Arabella? Blake's my friend too, but I haven't heard you pushing to hang out with him."
A flash of panic crossed Tiffany's eyes before her expression smoothed back to normal. She laughed self-consciously. "Blake's easy to get together with. Once we nail down Alex's schedule, Blake's just a phone call away, right?"
Frank supposed that made sense and didn't press further. "I'll ask Alex tomorrow, see if he's free."
Tiffany wanted to say more but worried about raising his suspicions, so she just nodded.
The next day when Arabella arrived at the office, she was surprised to find Faye already there. She sat at her desk looking like she'd been through hell—face pale, eyes red and swollen, hair a mess. Gillian was beside her, trying to offer comfort.
Arabella paused, then walked over and handed Faye the breakfast she'd brought. "What happened?"
Though she already had a pretty good guess.
Faye's eyes were bloodshot. When she opened her mouth, her voice caught. "Arabella, Karl... he cheated on me."
A sense of inevitability washed over Arabella. Why things had turned out this way—she and Gillian knew perfectly well. Gillian grabbed a box of tissues for Faye and tried to console her. "Finding this out before the wedding? That's a blessing in disguise. Thank god you discovered his true colors before you got married. If this had happened after, getting out would've been nearly impossible."
Faye covered her face with tissues, sobbing.
After listening for a while, Arabella finally pieced together what had happened. After dinner yesterday, once Arabella had sent that email to Faye's parents, they'd immediately called Faye home and shown her the video. Faye hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but when her parents confronted Karl directly, he'd admitted everything.
Instead of being nervous about getting caught, Karl had been cocky. Banking on the fact that Faye was carrying his baby, he wasn't afraid of her parents' anger at all. He'd even told Faye that as long as she obediently went home with him, he'd pretend nothing had happened.
"He threatened my parents," Faye continued, voice shaking. "Said I'm already pregnant, and if I get an abortion, I'll be 'damaged goods' and no one else will want me." She wiped at her eyes. "Then he demanded my parents buy him a house and a car, or else he'd 'reconsider' marrying me. I just... I don't know what to do anymore."
The more Arabella heard, the more alarmed she became. "What do you mean you don't know what to do? After everything he's done, you're seriously considering forgiving him?" She leaned forward. "Get the abortion, move on with your life. You're still young—you have your whole future ahead of you. Don't be foolish about this."
Faye didn't respond, just kept crying.
Arabella pulled up a chair and sat beside her, speaking earnestly. "Faye, don't let him brainwash you. So what if you get an abortion? You took your relationship seriously. You were committed. He was your first love." She paused. "Even though he was broke and unmotivated, you stayed with him for years. You only left because there was no future. Walking away now is the smartest thing you can do."
"You're a good person—you just had bad luck with men. Don't doubt yourself or put yourself down. You'll meet plenty of other people." Arabella's voice softened. "If a future boyfriend judges you for having had an abortion, that just proves he's not right for you. You'll find someone better. Someone who truly loves you will only feel heartbroken about what you've been through."
As she said this, something caught in her chest. Was that how Alexander felt about her? He'd said more than once that knowing what she'd endured—the forced egg retrieval, the IVF—broke his heart. When she'd first married him and mentioned she couldn't have children, he'd told her something similar: someone who truly loves you won't care whether you can have children.
Her emotions tangled as Faye suddenly threw her arms around her, sobbing. "Arabella, I know. I know all of that logically. But it hurts so much. I loved him for so many years, I gave him so much..." Her voice broke. "And I'm scared. I'm scared of the abortion. I heard it's really painful."
Arabella could only pat her back gently. "It'll be okay. This will all pass."
The fact that Faye had chosen to come to the office today already spoke volumes. Otherwise, she'd be chasing after Karl, begging for his mercy. Faye had so much hurt and sadness bottled up inside. She cried for a long time before finally stopping, but then just sat there in a daze for the entire morning, barely moving.
At lunch break, she found Gillian and Arabella and took a deep breath. "Arabella, Gill... I've made up my mind. I'm getting the abortion."
Both of them felt a quiet sense of relief.
Faye looked at them pleadingly. "Would you... could you come with me? I'm really scared to go alone. My mom loves me so much—I don't want to worry her."
Arabella and Gillian agreed immediately.
Gillian quietly remarked to Arabella later, "See? This is what happens when a kid grows up loved. Even when she gets confused for a bit, she has the courage to walk away and start over. If she'd grown up starved for affection, she'd probably be throwing away the rest of her life right now."
Arabella wholeheartedly agreed.
That afternoon, the two of them took time off to accompany Faye to the clinic. But right after Faye went into the procedure room, Karl showed up. He immediately started yelling at Gillian and Arabella. "You two made her do this, didn't you? What gives you the right to interfere in our business? Where's Faye? Get her out here! She has no right to abort my son!"
Gillian, never one to hold back, was already fed up with Karl. This just pushed her over the edge. "Your son? Wow, you must've done a gender test then. Real piece of work, Karl—stringing my girl along while hooking up with other women on the side." Her voice rose. "Who the hell do you think you are? I'm warning you right now—stay away from Faye. You two are done!"
Karl's face turned purple with rage, his eyes bulging. He lunged forward to hit Gillian. "Who the fuck do you think you are, butting in? Faye wants to have my baby—what's it to you? Fuck you, you stupid bitch!"
He grabbed Gillian by the throat, snarling viciously. "Where's Faye hiding? You better get her out here now, or I'll kill you!"
Arabella, pregnant herself, didn't dare get involved physically. She immediately called the police, then ran to the adjacent hallway to get help. Within moments, several family members from nearby waiting areas came running. Together, they managed to pull Karl off Gillian and restrain him.
Medical staff rushed over, scolding, "This is a surgical area! Can't you see the signs? No loud disturbances allowed!"
Karl wasn't backing down, his face still flushed red. "I don't care! I don't consent to Faye getting an abortion! Bring her out right now, or I'll trash this whole hospital!"
The medical staff exchanged uncertain glances. This wasn't their area of expertise—someone went inside to consult with Faye. Gillian and Arabella both tensed up. If Faye wavered now and couldn't go through with it, she'd never be able to escape him.
Fortunately, the nurse emerged shortly after and stood before Karl with a stern expression. "She's made her decision to proceed with the abortion. Reproductive rights belong to her. Please stop causing a disturbance, or we'll have to call the police."