Chapter 3

Before I passed out, I thought I saw Javon rushing toward me.

When I opened my eyes, I was already in the hospital.

"You fainted and hit the cabinet earlier," the nurse said when she saw me waking up.

"If your friends hadn't found you so quickly, that amount of bleeding could've been dangerous. Also, do you know that you're pregnant? You collapsed like that. Where's the father? He hasn't come to see you."

The wound on my forehead throbbed with a dull pain as I stiffly changed the subject. "Where are my friends?"

"They left right after paying the bill."

The last flicker of hope in my heart evaporated into nothing.

I had passed out once before, and Javon was the one who found me.

I was washing dishes at home when a sudden drop in blood sugar made me faint. I collapsed straight onto the shattered porcelain.

By then, his severe emotional dependence on me had improved, but he said he had a sudden, unexplainable sense of dread.

After calling me over a dozen times with no answer, he dialed emergency services directly. That was how I was discovered and rushed to the hospital, barely missing going into shock from severe blood loss.

When I woke up and asked how he knew, he claimed it was telepathy.

Still uneasy, Javon had driven nearly 200 miles that day to take me for a thorough medical checkup.

Later that afternoon, Abbie came to visit me. "Abilene, how are you feeling? Why was there so much blood yesterday?"

Her face was filled with genuine concern.

For a moment, she reminded me of the woman who, after hearing that I was going to the city for college, had changed her own college choices just to follow me.

I shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Javon stood leaning against the doorframe, watching me.

His expression was cold, making it impossible to tell what was going through his mind.

Suddenly, he spoke up, "If you're fine, shouldn't you reimburse me for the medical expenses first?"

Looking at the icy detachment on his face, I froze. Nothing remained in my eyes except deep bitterness.

"Right."

As I pulled out my phone to transfer the money back, Abbie placed a hand over mine to stop me. "There's no need, Abilene. You can just treat me to that spicy barbecue restaurant after you're discharged."

I nodded. "Alright, let's do it today."

I had already scheduled the abortion for later this afternoon, so today would be my final indulgence.

Abbie and I were both from Sylverton, and neither of us could live without spicy food.

Yet I overestimated what my pregnant body could handle. The moment I took a single bite, the harsh chili pepper made me cough violently.

Then, I heard Javon's voice. "Abbie, drink some water."

I reached out instinctively, only for my hand to freeze in midair when I realized he wasn't talking to me.

Javon handed the drink to Abbie, whose face was equally flushed from coughing.

Catching my movement out of the corner of his eye, he frowned, and his expression turned grim.

I wanted to explain that I had simply misheard him, but before I could utter a word, a violent wave of nausea surged up my throat.

I scrambled up and bolted toward the restroom.

When I walked out, Javon was standing a short distance away with his arms crossed over his chest.