Chapter 192
Tears streaming down my face, I looked up, thinking Leopold had found me.
But when I recognized Ethan, my heart clenched wordlessly.
What was I even hoping for?
"Cindy, if you wanted to switch hospitals, you could've just told me. Why lie? What if something happened to you on the way?"
Ethan rushed toward me, his face etched with worry.
I wiped away my tears, forcing down my grief. "I just don't believe my baby is abnormal."
But by the end, my voice still cracked.
Ethan reached out, as if to place his hand on my shoulder.
I shifted away.
His hand hung in midair before slowly withdrawing.
"Cindy, is there some misunderstanding between us? Why are you suddenly so distant with me?"
His voice carried a careful edge. "Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you?"
I shook my head gently. "You're reading too much into it. That's not what I think."
Ethan didn't believe me. "Cindy, we've known each other for years. We understand each other. You can't fool me."
"Even though I don't know why you're suddenly so guarded around me, I still want you to know—I'll always be on your side."
Ethan slowly crouched down, meeting my eyes at eye level.
"Whenever you need me, I'll be there."
The words crossed a line—intimate in a way that felt too familiar.
He was practically laying his feelings bare.
My tone grew even more distant.
"Ethan, thank you for helping me so much, but I meant what I said before."
"I don't want to trouble you anymore."
Ethan's eyes dimmed. "I'm not afraid of trouble. Besides, you're not trouble."
I looked away, still unmoved.
Ethan's tone shifted, softening. "Let's not talk about that now. The baby's been diagnosed with an abnormality. Are you still planning to keep it?"
The word 'abnormality' pierced through me like a blade.
My gaze turned cold as I looked at him. "My baby doesn't have an abnormality. Everything was fine in Silverlight City. How could it suddenly change after coming here?"
"I don't believe this result. I'm going to another hospital for more testing."
I shot to my feet and headed for the exit.
"Cindy." Ethan hurried after me. "Please, calm down. I'm not trying to stop you from getting tested, but Ms. Salazar and I... we're both worried about you being alone."
My steps faltered at the thought of Victoria, who was still worrying about me.
My tone finally softened.
"Fine, but I'm choosing the hospital."
Choosing randomly would reduce the chances of human interference.
Ethan's expression froze for a moment before he masked it.
"Alright. I promise."
On the way here, I remembered there was a private hospital nearby.
I searched while trying to recall its location.
"Cindy, walking like this will exhaust you. Why don't you get in the car?" Ethan suggested gently.
"No need. That hospital isn't far from here." I kept searching.
Ethan's gaze swept to the head of security. "Look up nearby hospitals. Check their medical capabilities."
The captain bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Just as he was about to leave, I quickly stopped him. "No need to investigate. I can just pick one myself."
Ethan looked unconvinced. "Cindy, what if the hospital isn't capable enough? If they can't properly diagnose the baby's condition, it'll only delay treatment for you and the child."
I looked straight at him. "It's just one day. That won't make a difference. I don't want the results interfered with, which is why I want to choose the hospital myself."
"Ethan, do you understand?"
Ethan's eyes flickered rapidly. "Cindy, are you suggesting I interfered with the test results?"
"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just explaining my reasons to avoid any misunderstandings."
Even if that was what I really thought, there was no way I'd tell him.
Ethan's expression darkened slightly.
I paid no attention and walked ahead. After about four hundred feet, I finally spotted the entrance to a private hospital.
I hurried inside to schedule an appointment.
Half an hour later, the results came back.
Still a fetal developmental abnormality.
The doctor's recommendation was identical to the first: termination of pregnancy.
At that moment, I had no choice but to accept the reality of the baby's abnormality.
But my heart refused to accept it.
"Cindy, don't be too upset. You're still young. There will be other chances to have children in the future."
Seeing me clutching my abdomen in silence, Ethan tried to comfort me.
I was instantly furious and shouted at him. "Even if I have other children in the future, they won't be this one. This is my first baby. I don't want to lose it!"
"Cindy, calm down!"
Seeing my emotions spiraling, Ethan raised his voice too.
"I know you don't want to lose it, but it's not an object—it's a living being."
"Knowing it already has an abnormality and still insisting on keeping it—that's not fair to the baby either."
His words stabbed at my heart again.
But this time, I didn't argue back.
If the child had defects or other conditions, the world it would face would certainly be different from that of ordinary children.
It really wouldn't be fair.
"Cindy, I understand. This decision is incredibly difficult, but you need to think more about what's best for the child."
Ethan pressed on. "You don't want it to face unfair social pressures from birth, and you don't want it to suffer, right?"
My composure completely crumbled.
I raised my hands to cover my face and wept.
I really couldn't bear to let this baby go.
But at the same time, deep down I knew.
I couldn't keep it.
My heart felt like it was being twisted by knives, the pain tearing through me.
"Cindy."
Seeing my uncontrollable tears, Ethan's voice took on a choked quality.
"The doctor said that even though the fetus is still very small, it can sense its mother's emotions. It definitely feels how much you care. It won't blame you."
"Maybe next time you're pregnant, it'll choose you as its mother again."
Tears kept streaming down my face.
But hearing that last sentence, I felt something stir.
"Really? Would it choose me again?"
"Of course," Ethan responded with certainty. "You've protected it so fiercely. Even I can see that as an outsider, let alone the baby experiencing it firsthand."
That crushing pain finally eased a little.
I wiped away my tears and regulated my breathing, forcing myself to calm down.
If I was destined not to keep this baby, then it was better to end this suffering sooner.
I looked down at my flat abdomen, gently rubbing it while whispering to that tiny thing that hadn't even grown limbs yet.
"Then we have a deal, okay? Next time, you'll choose me as your mom again, won't you?"
I don't know if there really was some kind of telepathic connection, but after I said those words, my abdomen felt strangely warm for a moment.
As if the baby was responding.
The tears I'd just stopped began flowing again.
But this time it wasn't sadness—it was being moved.
"Ethan, then please take me back to the hospital where Ms. Salazar is."
Understanding what I meant, Ethan quickly said, "Of course. I'll arrange it."
We walked out of the hospital and were about to get in the car.
Suddenly, an abrupt and aggressive engine roar exploded through the air.
"Watch out!"
Ethan sensed danger immediately and threw his arms out to protect me.
Before I could react, a tremendous force slammed into me.
The moment I hit the ground, a violent cramping pain shot through my lower abdomen.