Chapter 107 Consequences
Dominic remained rational, his voice steady. "It is what it is. What's done is done. There's no point dwelling on it now."
Actually, Dominic had overheard Elara's phone call with Joanna earlier and had a pretty clear picture of what happened last night.
Emily was the one carrying the baby—she was the one who should have been most careful and responsible for herself. Instead, she got into an argument with Gabriel in the car, causing the accident. Gabriel might bear some responsibility, but she bore far more.
After knowing her for so many years and being married for over a year, he knew better than anyone how reckless Emily could be when she lost her temper.
This whole ordeal could serve as a lesson.
Without the baby, whether they divorced or stayed together, everything would be much simpler.
After hanging up, Gabriel kept thinking he should still go to the hospital to check on things, so he had his driver turn around and head there.
When he arrived, Emily had already finished her ultrasound.
The situation was exactly as the doctor had predicted. The fetal heart rate was dangerously low, with barely detectable movement. The doctor concluded it was likely fetal demise and recommended a D&C procedure.
Upon hearing this news, Emily flew into a rage, sweeping everything from her bedside table onto the floor, "I won't do it! No one is touching my baby! He's going to be fine—he has to get better!"
Seeing Emily's hysteria, Elara's heart broke. She rushed forward to embrace and comfort her, "Emily, you're still young. There will be other opportunities. Let's listen to the doctor, okay? Otherwise, if we drag this out, it'll be bad for your body too. What if there are complications that affect future pregnancies? That would be even worse."
"No, no way, Mom... I've made it this far. I'm almost at the three-month mark. How can this be happening? Let's give the baby more time—I know he can recover."
Emily sobbed uncontrollably, refusing to accept the doctor's recommendation.
The attending physician watched helplessly, shook his head, and left the room.
During pregnancy complications, the last thing you want is extreme emotional fluctuations. Intense joy or anger could make an already fragile fetus even more vulnerable.
Emily had been emotionally unstable since arriving at the hospital, which was extremely dangerous for the baby.
Of course, the doctor couldn't say this out loud—it would only cause more distress.
Just as the medical team left, Gabriel pushed open the door and entered.
Dominic looked up at him, eyebrows raised slightly, "What are you doing here?"
"How could I not come?" Gabriel gave a bitter laugh, thinking to himself that he bore significant responsibility and, both morally and practically, should be here to apologize and take accountability.
On the hospital bed, Emily saw Gabriel and her tear-filled eyes showed a moment of stillness.
Elara turned around, and seeing him, her expression immediately turned stern and displeased.
"What are you doing here? Haven't you hurt Emily enough? She barely made it through the most difficult three months of early pregnancy, was about to start regular prenatal care, and the baby was developing steadily. Then you caused this!" Elara's maternal fury made her lash out at Gabriel without restraint.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis." Gabriel's expression was heavy with guilt, and he could only apologize.
"Mom... it's not Gabriel's fault. I was careless myself." Emily tugged at Elara's sleeve, choking back tears as she defended Gabriel.
Seeing this, Dominic felt his presence was unnecessary. His face cold, he turned and walked out.
Billy observed the scene, his eyes darkening slightly as he approached the bed, "What's done is done. Let's stop pointing fingers and listen to the doctor. Handle this properly, and once your body heals, there will be other chances."
Billy, speaking from a man's perspective, felt for Emily but was clearly more level-headed and rational.
The three families had business relationships—they couldn't let this ruin everything. How would they cooperate in the future?
Moreover, he knew Emily was partly to blame, wavering between two men in this messy relationship. Otherwise, today's incident would never have happened.
So minimizing the damage was the priority now. Continued conflict would benefit no one.
Hearing Billy's dismissive tone, Elara whirled around and exploded, "Easy for you to say! Do you have any idea what miscarriage does to a woman's body? As her father, you don't even care about Emily—why should you expect other men to?"
Her pointed words were understood by everyone present.
Fortunately, Dominic had already stepped outside and didn't have to face Elara's barbed implications directly.
In the tense silence, Gabriel's phone rang.
Seeing it was a call from a company executive, he stepped out to take it.
Billy looked at his wife and daughter, "What's done is done. What good does your hysteria do? Didn't Emily want a divorce anyway? Maybe losing the baby is for the best—a clean break without future entanglements and endless conflicts."
Hearing this, Elara glared at Billy with hatred, "So this is the outcome you wanted?"
"What do you mean, what I wanted? Of course I feel for Emily, but does feeling sorry solve anything? While she's young, she can heal her body, get divorced, and start fresh. Isn't that better than a lifetime of resentment?"
Elara was speechless but looked unconvinced.
Emily continued shaking her head, refusing to accept reality, mumbling "save the baby, don't terminate..."
Outside the room, Gabriel finished his call and saw Dominic smoking in the corridor. After hesitating, he walked over.
"Didn't you quit smoking? Why are you back to it?" he asked with a frown.
Dominic used to smoke but quit before marriage because Emily disliked the smell.
Actually, he couldn't say he didn't love Emily—otherwise he wouldn't accommodate her in everything.
It was just that his love wasn't pure or flawless.
But then again, how many people in this world could love so purely and steadfastly? Wasn't everyone entangled with self-interest?
Marriage's essence, when you got down to it, was collaborative partnership aimed at achieving synergy.
In dating, the core interest was appreciation and emotional exchange. In marriage, it was mutual benefit and value exchange.
Dominic flicked his ash, brow slightly furrowed, "Been stressed lately. Smoking helps clear my head."
Gabriel knew what was troubling him. He stepped forward and let out a heavy sigh, "So what's your plan now?"
Dominic appeared nonchalant, and after blowing out a smoke ring, said unhurriedly, "I never intended to divorce, whether she has the baby or not. Once she calms down, life has to go on."
This attitude surprised Gabriel.
"But you know her temperament—she's willful. Now that she's lost the baby, she'll probably push even harder for divorce. So I guess we'll take it one step at a time." As he finished speaking, Dominic's cigarette was nearly done.
He stubbed it out in the gravel ashtray on top of a nearby trash bin and turned to Gabriel, "You should go. I'll go back in and check on her."