Chapter 5 The Hardest Decision
788 Words
Her phone kept buzzing, a nonstop stream of harassment calls and abusive messages from unknown numbers.
The video had gone viral. Everyone online called her a "top-tier manipulative woman" and a "professional mistress."
Serena shut the phone off.
She wandered aimlessly toward the street, head down, oblivious to the car speeding around the corner.
A screech of brakes, a sudden impact, and she was thrown several inches, hitting the ground hard. Pain shot through her body like lightning.
She curled up on the asphalt, unable to make a sound, darkness creeping at the edges of her vision, ears ringing.
People gathered around, shouting, some calling 911, some trying to help her up.
Through blurred vision, she saw a black Rolls-Royce parked by the curb.
Julian was there, holding Evelyn carefully, opening the car door for her.
Evelyn's eyes landed on Serena on the ground. She feigned surprise and whispered something to Julian.
He glanced at Serena.
For a moment, their eyes met. Serena's heart clenched. She thought he might come over, even just out of human decency.
But he didn't.
Julian only gave her a cold, indifferent glance before turning away, guiding Evelyn into the car.
Evelyn paused at the door, looked back at Serena, and a faint smile curved her lips, a smile of triumph, mocking and cruel.
Then she reached up, hooked her arms around Julian's neck, and kissed him.
Julian seemed surprised at first, then wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss.
They kissed at the entrance of Shaw Holdings, oblivious to Serena lying a few inches away, blood soaking her hair.
The ambulance siren grew louder.
The last image Serena saw was Julian and Evelyn disappearing into the car together, so perfect, so painfully dazzling.
******
When Serena woke up at the hospital, it was already noon the next day.
The doctor explained she had a mild concussion, cracked ribs, and multiple contusions.
"The car wasn't going fast, or you wouldn't have survived."
Serena listened numbly, her mind blank.
A nurse cleaned her forehead wound and scolded gently, "You need to be more careful. How can you cross the street without looking? And your body is weak, especially since you're pregnant. You have to be careful."
Serena's eyes widened. "…Pregnant?"
The nurse hesitated. "You didn't know? The blood test confirmed it—five weeks along."
Her mind went completely blank.
'Pregnant. Five weeks.'
Calculating the time, it was roughly the night a month ago when Julian had come to find her after arguing with Evelyn.
That night, he had been drunk and unusually rough. She begged him to stop several times.
He covered her mouth, not stopping until it was over.
Afterward, she was bleeding, terrified.
Julian had only said coldly, "You won't die," tossed her some ointment, and left.
She had thought it was nothing. But that night, a life had already begun inside her.
Her hand trembled as she touched her lower abdomen. It felt flat, nothing yet noticeable, but inside, a small life was growing. It was her child, her and Julian's child.
"Doctor…" She grabbed the nurse's hand, voice trembling violently. "I want to terminate it."
The nurse froze. "What did you say?"
"I want an abortion." Serena repeated each word slowly, as if forcing them from her teeth. "Now. Immediately."
"Are you crazy?" the nurse exclaimed. "Your body is weak, getting pregnant is already hard, and it's twins! Ending it would be such a waste!"
'Twins?'
Serena's heart sank.
"So what?" she said, tugging at the corner of her mouth, the smile twisted and bitterer than tears. "The father doesn't want me, doesn't want the children. I won't let my children be born as unwanted bastards."
The nurse opened her mouth to argue, but Serena had already thrown off the blanket and swung her legs out of bed.
Ignoring her pain, she staggered toward the obstetrics department.
Alone, she registered, waited in line, and finally was called.
The corridor outside the consultation room was full of expectant mothers, some accompanied by husbands, some by their mothers, faces radiant with hope and happiness.
Only Serena looked pale and hollow, like a wandering ghost.
The doctor, a woman in her fifties, examined her reports, then looked at Serena's ashen face with concern.
"Are you sure? Twins are rare, and your uterine lining is thin. If you terminate now, it might be difficult to conceive in the future."
"I want it." Serena's voice was quiet but resolute.
The doctor sighed and began preparing the paperwork. "Is a family member here? You'll need a signature for the procedure."
"No family. I'll sign myself." The doctor paused, looking at her. "The father? Does he know?"
Serena smiled bitterly. "He doesn't need to."
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