Chapter 171 Three days
June
My eyes went wide, taking in what he just said. This has to be a joke, right? Some kind of sick prank.
"Why do you mean get rid of it?" I asked, my face pale, my hands instinctively clutching my stomach.
Lucien turned slowly, settling onto the bench. He let out a soft sigh. "How sure am I if it's my son's," he said.
My fists balled instantly. I couldn’t believe the accusation thrown at me just now.
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Lucien, but I won’t take that insult. Hermes is the only man I’ve been with. This is his child." I fired, pointing at my belly fiercely.
Lucien just looked at me calmly, and that infuriated me even more.
"And he doesn’t even remember one bit of it. He remembers everything else but that tiny detail. You." His expression was unreadable.
My heart skipped a beat. He was right. I and the baby must be so insignificant to Hermes’s life.
But that wasn’t going to stop me from trying to get him back.
"I should remind you, sir, that he gave me permission as his guardian to sign the papers that saved his life. He didn’t give you that control. He gave me and—"
"And he almost died because of you!" Lucien cut in, his voice higher than normal. I flinched, surprised. Lucien never raised his voice.
A thick silence settled between us, and then he cleared his throat. "Listen, June. I’m looking out for you. You’re still young. You wouldn’t want a baby coming in the way of your career. I heard you won a competition and were to go to Germany for a good stable job, but you opted out because of Hermes. The one man who doesn’t recognize you. This is your chance to validate yourself."
I shake my head, almost scolding myself for even thinking about what Lucien just said.
"No. This is my life, my choice, and I won't let you erase it. That's not how validation works." I breathe out, my fist trembling.
Lucien glances at me and goes back to staring at the flowers in the garden.
"And might I remind you, sir, that Hermes loves me. He still does. I can feel it. So I know he will appreciate the baby."
Lucien stops, turning fully to me, "Well, you aren't going to be by his side for long if you don't take my little advice."
"To terminate your grandson?" I ask, my pupils shaking.
Lucien responds dryly, "I can have other grandkids later on in the future. One gone wouldn't hurt."
"How about if I tell Hermes everything." I dare, stepping forward.
"You wouldn't dare!" Lucien roars, "You will not spoil the chances of Hermes's natural and prescribed recovery process all because of your greed."
He stands up, "Tell me... How much do you need? Name your price. Anything. I'll give it."
A drop of tear falls from my eyes. I realize I have no upper hand. I too don't want to spoil Hermes's recovery process. I love him too much to do that. But this was getting really complicated. I don't know what to do.
"Sir, Mr. Lucien," I say, immediately getting on my knees. "Give me three days. Just three days," I plead, rubbing my palms together, "Three days to get Hermes to remember everything, then he can make that decision. Please. Give this child a chance to know if their father wants them." I beg as tears fall from my eyes.
Lucien stares at me, brows drawn. He looks around, seeing people staring at us.
"Get up. Get up right this instant. Fine. I agree." He snaps and raises me up.
"Three days of doing what the doctor suggested," he adds.
I nod, grateful he accepted.
"And don't try anything funny. My men will be watching your every move. Three days." He says, holding up three fingers.
"Yes. Three days." I nod again.
He sighs and then leaves.
I quickly rush back to the hospital building and make my way to Ted's office.
As I'm ushered inside, my words spill out like a torrent.
"I need help, Ted. I need advice on how to get Hermes to at least remember something about me, or else in three days, I'll be gone from his life."
Ted looks surprised, holding up his hands slightly. "Slow down, June. You're talking way too fast. What happened?" He gestures gently toward the chair.
I take a deep breath and sit down, trying to calm myself. Then I explain everything—Hermes’s father now knows about my pregnancy and has given me an ultimatum.
Ted rubs his chin thoughtfully and sighs deeply. "Look, I’ll write down some natural ways you can try to make him remember. First of all, you need to leave this hospital with him. He’s stable enough to go out for a few hours."
I nod quickly, grabbing a sticky note and pen, jotting down what he says.
"Take him somewhere peculiar to both of you. Maybe the place you first met, and try to reenact the moment."
I groan, shaking my head. "We met at a club bar, Ted. I asked for his number, and we had sex that night. How can I possibly take a recovery patient to a club bar and have him drink vodka or tequila to reenact our first meeting? His father would kill me."
Ted nods as he writes something on the paper. "You're right. Let’s think of something else. The second time you saw him, or the third—"
I collapse into the chair, burying my face in my hands. "I was his assigned secretary, and he tortured me. We can't reenact that one, can we now?"
"Hmm… let's think of something else," Ted mutters, stroking his chin.
I exhale softly, staring at the ceiling. What can I possibly do? I would’ve asked for a month, even a week.
Shit. I fucked up.
Suddenly, my eyes lift as an idea hits me—the one safe place that narrates Hermes and my story. I’ll take him there.
"Ted, I just got an idea. I’ve an idea!" I say quickly, snapping the note he was writing and storming out of the room.
I made my way to Hermes’s ward quickly and noticed the guards weren’t standing at the door anymore.
Forgetting to knock, I entered inside and saw Hermes sketching.
"Mr. Hermes—" Before I could finish, he swiftly hid the book and sat up.
"What do you want?" He said, straightening.
I moved closer, hands behind my back. "I came to apologize for what I said last night. I was harsh and extremely insensitive. I sincerely apologize and, to make up for it, I decided to take you somewhere."
His head snapped up. "Somewhere? Where?"
"Outside the hospital," I forced a smile, pointing toward the door.
He took his time staring at me, then clicked his tongue. "Well, apology accepted, although I feel I should also apologize. Not because of the kiss or—"
I tapped my shoes impatiently on the floor. I didn’t have time to wait for his apology speech. The guards might come back and start asking questions.
I quickly grabbed his hand. "Let's go. Will we be late?"
He stumbled slightly, following me. "
Don’t I have to change into something more appropriate—"
"You’ll change at Ted’s office," I said. There wasn’t time.