Chapter 30 Heartbeat
Without waiting for her response, he strode towards his car. It had been parked for a while, causing the cars behind to switch lanes, but his Lamborghini remained at the crosswalk.
Alison watched him walk towards the Lamborghini. In that moment, she wanted to escape this world because the memories of that day in the woods, the suffocating pain, came rushing back.
But she couldn't.
She couldn't let him see anything unusual because she was Alison now, not Emily.
"Hey, why don't you park your car in the lot over there? You helped me find my phone, I should at least thank you."
Already seated in the driver's seat, Jack glanced at Alison, annoyed at his momentary lapse. Even if it was really her, so what?
He had already punished her.
They were strangers now.
"No need. Goodbye."
With that, the Lamborghini roared to life and sped out of the intersection, leaving behind the short-haired girl smiling at him.
Jack knew that the short-haired girl wasn't the one he couldn't let go of. Her smile was so bright, so pure, she wouldn't face him so calmly. Yet, for some reason, seeing her made his heart skip a beat.
When Jack's car finally disappeared from Alison's sight, she slowly crouched down, her heart still pounding.
She thought she could let go, but seeing him again, his image still so clear, she realized she still couldn't hate him.
All that remained was an indelible, burning pain.
Just then, a coworker from the ice cream shop walked over. "Alison, are you okay?"
Alison forced a smile. "I'm fine, just dropped my phone earlier, but I found it."
"It's so hot out here, get up, don't squat like that." The coworker extended a hand to help her up. "Alison, you really cut your hair! I still think your long hair was prettier, so flowing and charming."
"It was too long, no time to manage it. Short hair is more convenient, quicker to wash and comb."
"What girl doesn't love looking pretty? Your long hair was so beautiful." The coworker said regretfully.
"What, you don't think my short hair looks good?" Alison raised an eyebrow, pretending to be annoyed.
"No, no, Alison, that's not what I meant. Your short hair looks great too." The coworker quickly laughed, pulling Alison to her feet.
As soon as Alison stood up, she felt dizzy and her stomach churned. She quickly let go of the coworker's hand and crouched down again.
"Alison, what's wrong?" The coworker looked panicked, not understanding what was happening.
Alison couldn't speak, feeling nauseous. She pushed the coworker away and finally couldn't hold back, vomiting.
She felt awful, tears and snot streaming down her face.
When her stomach was empty, she stood up shakily, gasping for breath.
"Alison, did you eat something bad?"
Alison found it strange too. "Do you have any symptoms? We eat and live together, it can't just be me."
The coworker shook her head. "No, I'm fine, my stomach's okay."
At that moment, a woman in her forties passing by looked at Alison, hesitating before saying, "Girl, you should see a doctor. You look like... like..."
Alison froze, then understood what the woman meant.
She quickly did the math in her head. Oh my God, her period was two months late!
The last time was in the apartment, and it hadn't come since.
Alison panicked.
It couldn't be.
What were the chances?
She always remembered to take her pills.
"Auntie, what's wrong with her?" The coworker asked the woman.
Alison quickly composed herself, grabbing the coworker's hand. "I'm fine, let's go." She turned to the woman. "Thank you, I'll get checked."
The woman shook her head and walked away with a sigh.
Alison blushed, awkwardly pulling the coworker back into the ice cream shop.
She busied herself, serving drinks, wiping tables, cleaning up, but no matter how busy she was, the shadow in her heart wouldn't go away.
Holding a half-full drink cup, about to pour it out, the nausea hit again...
The manager walked over, concerned. "Alison, are you feeling unwell? Maybe you should take a break?" The coworker had already told the manager that Alison had thrown up outside.
Alison left work early and headed straight to the nearby pharmacy. But when she saw the pregnancy tests on the shelf, she was too embarrassed to buy one.
The sales clerk approached, seemingly reading her mind, and asked disdainfully, "Miss, do you need this?"
Alison nodded, handing over the money.
With the test in hand, Alison hurried back to her dorm.
Following the instructions, Alison sat in the chair, stunned.
Two lines.
She was pregnant.
The baby must be Jack's, but during their three months together, she had always taken her pills.
This baby came at the worst possible time. When did it happen?
Alison thought hard, then remembered.
That time in the woods, the one time she didn’t take her pill, and now she was "lucky."
That morning, she had cut her hair during a quiet time at the ice cream shop, wanting to start fresh and track down the person who had taken her photos.
But just as she decided to act, fate handed her a baby.
Keep it? Or not?
The question kept repeating in her mind.
Logically, she shouldn’t keep the baby. She wasn’t married, no father, it would affect the child’s life.
But if she didn’t, it would be ending a life.
She touched her belly, where a new life was growing.
Thinking about it, she felt a surge of maternal longing.
She sat in a daze all night, skipping dinner, unable to decide.
Forget it, she’d go to the hospital tomorrow for a proper checkup. Maybe the test was wrong.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Alison endured a sleepless night.
At dawn, she got up.
Alison arrived at the hospital early, registered, and waited for her turn.
"Next, Alison."