Chapter 175 I Owe You
Harriet slowly closed her eyes, responding to Tristan's kiss.
As if suddenly stimulated, Tristan deepened the kiss.
The two embraced and fell onto the sofa, with only increasingly heavy breathing filling the air.
After a long, long while, Tristan reluctantly left her lips.
"Mrs. Lancaster, stop seducing me."
"I did no such thing!"
Tristan gazed deeply at her beautiful face. "Mrs. Lancaster, I'll definitely work hard to make your wish come true."
Harriet was a bit confused. "What?"
"Didn't you say you wanted a son first, then a daughter?"
Harriet couldn't help but laugh. "Mr. Lancaster, I have faith in you."
"It's a deal."
Life returned to its initial calm.
Tristan quit smoking and started preparing the nursery. He even began looking for a nanny early on, getting ready to welcome the child's arrival.
But Harriet's morning sickness kept getting worse. She couldn't sleep well at night, waking up several times, and once awake, had trouble falling back asleep.
Forget about going to work—most of the time she could only lie in bed and rest.
Ian came to Cloud Bay to see her.
"Mr. Jones, please sit."
"How come after just a few days, you look so pale?" Ian frowned. "Isn't Mr. Lancaster taking good care of you?"
"He's already been very attentive."
Harriet couldn't sleep well at night, suffering from dizziness and nausea. Tristan had been by her side almost constantly, keeping her company.
"I really didn't expect this pregnancy to be so difficult."
"Let me check." Ian took her hand to examine her, staying silent for a long time.
"Mr. Jones, what's wrong?" Harriet couldn't help asking. "Is there a problem? The hospital said it's severe morning sickness, but the baby is fine."
Ian smiled. "The baby is indeed fine. It's just that your constitution is weak, which is why you're having such severe morning sickness."
Harriet nodded. "My constitution really isn't very good."
"You rest well. The clinic can manage without you—don't worry about it."
"Okay."
After leaving Cloud Bay, Ian called Griffin directly. "Griffin, I need to see you."
"I'm at the Lancaster Group."
"I'll come find you now."
When Ian arrived at the Lancaster Group CEO's office, Griffin was in a meeting.
The secretary led him into the office. "Mr. Jones, please have a seat. Mr. Wallace will be here shortly."
"Thank you."
Ian looked around the understated yet luxurious office.
He had been here before.
Nothing had changed much, except the owner.
Before long, Griffin came in.
"Mr. Jones, sorry to keep you waiting."
"I'm the one who showed up unannounced."
Griffin sat down on the sofa. "What can I do for you?"
"There's something I can't ask Harriet directly, so I had to come ask you."
"Please, ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."
"I've long noticed that Harriet has a weak constitution, and it's gotten worse since she got pregnant. But it doesn't seem like a natural condition, so I wanted to ask if you know what caused this."
Griffin's brow furrowed slightly. "So can she actually carry this baby to term?"
"So you do know something?"
Griffin's expression grew serious. "Harriet once soaked in cold water in the dead of winter, and it happened to be during her period, which damaged her body. I once overheard her grandmother secretly telling her uncle that Harriet would have trouble getting pregnant, and even if she did, it would be hard to carry to term. She was afraid Harriet couldn't handle this truth, so she never told her. She didn't even dare pass on that aspect of medical knowledge to her, fearing she wouldn't be able to accept it."
Ian suddenly understood. "No wonder her medical knowledge is so broad, yet she knows nothing about gynecology."
Griffin asked anxiously, "I thought Harriet had been taking care of her health these past few years. Does this really mean, as her grandmother said, that she can't keep the baby?"
Ian sighed. "Her symptoms are too severe. Getting pregnant without completely resolving these issues will cause great damage to her body."
"So the baby can't be saved?" Griffin frowned. "She loves children so much—she absolutely won't be able to accept this."
"With my medical skills, the baby can be saved, but the damage to her will be severe."
Griffin thought of something. "So Harriet will be like Lark—only one can be saved, the mother or the child?"
Ian shook his head. "It's not as serious as Lark's case, but the entire pregnancy will cause tremendous damage to Harriet's body. If we terminate the pregnancy now, with some time and effort, I might be able to restore her health so she can have normal pregnancies in the future."
"But if she insists on having this baby, there will most likely be irreversible damage. Harriet is still young with a long life ahead of her. I really can't bear to watch her suffer from illness for the rest of her life."
"Of course I don't want Harriet's health damaged either." Griffin frowned. "But we can't make this decision for her."
"I'll go talk to Tristan. He's the child's father and Harriet's husband. Only he can make this decision."
Tristan had been staying home with Harriet these past few days.
Ian called Tristan, arranging to meet at the clinic.
Tristan had a vague feeling it was about Harriet and didn't dare delay, rushing over immediately.
The clinic had already closed for the day. Only Ian was there.
"You called me here so late—is something wrong with Harriet?"
"Yes." Ian let out a long sigh and explained Harriet's situation in detail.
"...That's how it is, Mr. Lancaster. I really don't have a better way to protect both Harriet and the baby."
Tristan's face turned white inch by inch. "You're saying that because Harriet was exposed to cold as a young girl, her constitution is weak, so the baby can't be kept?"
"Yes."
"Impossible!" Tristan looked at him coldly. "You're unhappy with me, think I'm not good enough for Harriet, so you're making this up?"
"Mr. Lancaster, no matter how unhappy I am with you, I would never joke about a child's life." Ian sighed. "You must make this decision, and you can't tell Harriet the truth. Her grandmother kept this secret for so many years precisely because she feared Harriet couldn't handle it."
Tristan laughed quietly, then his laughter grew louder, ghostly and chilling. "You're saying I should personally force Harriet to abort this baby, and I can't tell her why?" Tristan's face was dark as water. "Have you thought about what happens after I do this? How can we continue our life together? She'll hate me to the bone!"
"I know." Ian said. "If you're unwilling, I can step forward. Even if she disowns me as her teacher, I must ensure her health."
Tristan said nothing, stood up, and strode out on his long legs.
Outside the main door, Griffin stood on the steps smoking.
Seeing Tristan emerge, Griffin approached. "You can't ignore what Mr. Jones said. Between Harriet and the baby, there's nothing to hesitate about."
Tristan's handsome face was covered in coldness. "Get lost!"
"Tristan!" Griffin blocked him. "You can't be this selfish! Consider the baby my debt to you, but you must protect Harriet!"
"Your debt to me?" Tristan frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Looks like you didn't read my diary carefully." Griffin said seriously. "In any case, you must listen to Mr. Jones!"
Tristan suddenly thought of something, pushed Griffin's hand away, got in his car with long strides, and drove off.
Apex Global Group CEO's office.
Tristan opened the drawer and took out the diary.
He had thought about burning it, but for some reason, he had kept it. That's why he had prepared an identical one to bring to Griffin that day.
Tristan hesitated for a moment, then his trembling fingers opened the diary.