Chapter 100 Test Tube
If anyone else had said this, Gloria would definitely think they were joking, but the person saying it was Caspian.
He was absolutely not the type to joke around.
This circle never lacked gossip, especially on set, where even the janitors could casually drop bombshell news.
Whenever everyone chatted about gossip, Caspian would either walk away or stay silent.
He never said a single word about anyone behind their back.
Gloria had no idea how he managed to hold back, remaining unmoved even when hearing juicy gossip about catching someone cheating in bed.
You should know that Gloria had even found out exactly how many scratch marks the cheating man got from his wife.
One second Gloria was still stuck in a gloomy mood, but Caspian's words caught her completely off guard, and she sprayed water all over his chest.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Gloria quickly grabbed tissues to wipe it for him.
Caspian was just wearing a white shirt, and as her small hand wiped randomly, she easily felt the firm muscles beneath the fabric.
That little hand was like a kitten's paw teasing back and forth on Caspian's heart.
His deep pupils darkened, he took a deep breath, then stepped back to create distance between them.
"It's fine."
Gloria keenly sensed the scent of big news. She hadn't been sleepy to begin with, and now she was completely energized.
Her mood had improved too - she was actually learning about Maria's huge scandal.
Just as Caspian was about to speak, Gloria stopped him: "Wait a second."
Caspian looked up at Gloria as she quickly walked to the living room, picked an orange from the fruit bowl, and grabbed a bag of chips while she was at it.
Caspian was speechless.
He remembered how back on set, besides calling James, her greatest pleasure was gathering around the stove with a few women, eating snacks while chatting.
She had an easygoing personality, laughing heartily without caring about her image when something was funny, and lowering her voice when discussing gossip, her eyes darting around like a cunning fox.
The Gloria he'd seen since their reunion was like a mirror full of holes, without any life in her.
Only now did he feel she had finally come back to life.
She peeled the orange. "I'm ready, go ahead."
Caspian sat on the single sofa nearby and slowly began under her intense gaze:
"Two years ago, Maria was with a producer who got her lead roles in several low-budget web series. The returns were decent, but most of the money was taken by that producer, so even though Maria gained some fame, she didn't have much savings. That was until six months ago when she ran into James by chance. James thought she looked somewhat like you, so he approached her with a plan to have a child."
Gloria's eyes widened. She knew this gossip would be explosive, but she never expected Caspian to know so much detail!
"And then?"
"Their first attempt failed four months ago."
Gloria's heart tightened. "There's another one besides that?"
"Yes, IVF can't guarantee success on the first try. Plenty of people need several attempts. About three months ago, they did a second embryo transfer."
Gloria held the orange segment but didn't eat it, unable to describe what she was feeling.
James had actually done IVF twice.
That meant he had to provide sperm samples at least twice. Even though he hadn't been physically intimate with Maria, Gloria still felt disgusted.
"Did it work?"
Caspian's gaze imperceptibly swept over the shadow of gloom between her brows, and he took a breath before continuing: "The embryo was successfully transferred into her body. The day after that, Maria made an emergency hospital visit, but she didn't go to the hospital where the transfer was done. Instead, she rushed overnight to an illegal clinic in the suburbs."
Gloria had already guessed the reason. "The baby was lost?"
"Yes, she had a miscarriage."
Gloria was confused. "But she's definitely pregnant now, what's going on?"
"There's only one possibility - she happened to be ovulating the same month as the miscarriage, and then got pregnant with someone else's child. Each embryo develops at different rates, so even if she went for checkups, they would just think her baby was developing slowly."
Gloria frowned. "Is this information reliable?"
Caspian pulled out his phone and opened some photos. "This is that illegal clinic. I had someone investigate it. The person inside is Maria's distant relative, and he confirmed the fact of Maria's miscarriage."
Then he played a recording - it was the voice of the person who had been tricked into talking.
Gloria suddenly looked up, staring directly at Caspian, her eyes clearly questioning: "This is a secret even James doesn't know - why do you know so much detail?"
How could Caspian tell her?
When Gloria chose to retire that year, he quietly left Silverlake Springs.
He had thought the two would have a grand wedding - he had even prepared a wedding gift - but James kept her hidden and never announced it.
Caspian left someone to watch over Silverlake Springs. He wouldn't let Gloria suffer even the slightest grievance!
Although she had forgotten her childhood memories, he had long decided to protect her.
Gloria had no parents - he would be her support.
So when James chose Maria and prepared to do IVF, Caspian received the news and had someone watch Maria.
James didn't plan to have physical relations with Maria, so it was actually better that she wasn't a virgin. He just had someone check that she was healthy and suitable as a vessel to carry the embryo.
Caspian was different - he was thinking of Gloria. He had actually hesitated about whether to tell Gloria the truth. What would that make him?
Wouldn't he be the mastermind destroying someone else's marriage?
All he could do was watch Maria, just in case.
And sure enough, he found something. Maria was followed the very day she went to the illegal clinic.
Caspian had known everything months ago. When Gloria first contacted him, he was somewhat surprised, but more than that, he was delighted.
He finally had a reason to act.
But Gloria couldn't know these things - his love would scare her.
Caspian's expression remained calm. "A friend in the circle knew a bit. When you asked me for help recently, I had someone dig deeper, and all this came out."
He glossed over it. "The reason James doesn't know the truth is because he never cared about Maria as a person from start to finish, so he's been kept in the dark."
Gloria breathed a sigh of relief. "Caspian, thank goodness for you."
He really was like a god tearing through the darkness, appearing in her world with light.
If not for him, she would still be trapped in that marriage with James, unable to move an inch, only able to watch helplessly as Maria showed off in front of her.
Caspian's news made the suffocating frustration in her chest disappear completely.
Seeing her brow relax considerably, Caspian spoke again: "So, are you going to tell James the truth?"