Chapter 2

The nurses around me started murmuring among themselves.

"That's right! Can't she appreciate having such a caring best friend? If it were me, I'd drink every last drop of the soup."

"Beef broth loses its nutrients if it sits too long, and it tastes terrible cold. What is she acting so stuck-up for?"

"If you ask me, she's just full of herself and gives Clara an attitude to feel superior."

Livid, Martha stepped forward, about to teach me a lesson when Clara shielded me behind her.

Then, she produced a cup of freshly squeezed lemonade and looked at me with pitiful eyes.

"That was my fault, Jessie. I should've thought it through better," she said softly. "But I brought some lemonade too. Why don't you have some of it instead?"

She gently pushed the cup toward me.

Martha let out a cold laugh before turning to Clara with concern. "No way. You have a cold, and the doctor said you need more vitamin C. You have to save that lemonade for yourself."

But Clara stubbornly shook her head. "Jessie recently told me that she's been craving sour things, and since she's feeling nauseous right now, this cup of lemonade is perfect for her. I don't matter."

If I had no idea what her true intentions were, I would have been touched by her thoughtfulness and accepted the drink. But now, looking at her hypocritical face, all I felt was a burning hatred toward her.

I wanted nothing more than to tear her apart.

My initial instinct was to hurl that cup of lemonade straight into the trash can and sever all ties with Clara to protect my baby. But just as I turned around, my eyes fell on the female dog Wyatt was cradling in his arms.

It was pregnant, too, with a round and bulging belly. By the looks of it, it was carrying at least five or six puppies.

I looked back at Chloe, who was staring at me with a probing look in her eyes.

A wild thought flashed through my mind.

If the dog ate what Clara personally made, would the puppies in its belly be transferred into Clara's womb?

So, I decided to run an experiment.

I suppressed my disgust and shoved the lemonade back into Clara's hands. "I've been throwing up since this morning, so I don't think I can handle lemonade either.

"But you put so much effort into this beef broth. It'd be such a shame to let it go to waste."

The moment the words left my mouth, a heavily pregnant woman who had just finished her doctor's appointment walked over, her face lighting up with surprise. "Clara? It really is you!

"I was your classmate in college. We used to be pretty close back then."

She sized Clara up and down, enthusiastically chatting away. "Did you make this beef broth yourself?"

Her eyes lit up when she saw the pot. "You used to share homemade food with me back in college, and it was always delicious.

"I haven't tasted it for so long. Do you mind if I try your cooking again?

I studied her. She was plain-looking, tanned-skinned, and short. I remembered that Clara once mentioned this particular classmate had terrible grades in college and dropped out before completing her degree.

She was such a godsend!

Clara's face turned pale. She instinctively hid the bowl of beef broth behind her back.

"T-That won't do. I made this just for Jessie," she stammered.

But the woman just smiled unbotheredly. "And what does that even matter? I just saw everything. She doesn't want it and hasn't had a single sip.

"Give it to me instead. I don't mind."

The nurses around us joined in to smooth things over.

"Exactly! You went through all the trouble to stew that beef broth, Clara. Jessie clearly doesn't appreciate it."

"Just give it to someone else then. There's no point in being so nice to her."

Clara clenched her fists tightly, and her expression turned increasingly ugly.

Just as the situation reached a standstill, her husband, Colter Gray, arrived just in time.

"No one is allowed to drink the soup!

"This morning, I accidentally knocked over the salt container while passing through the kitchen. All the salt spilled right into the beef broth."