Chapter 1 No More Chances

The man on the other end of the phone gave a quiet chuckle. "Have you made up your mind?"

I answered calmly before hanging up.

Just then, a coat was draped over my shoulders from behind.

Nolan stood behind me and slipped a bracelet onto my wrist, his voice hoarse. "June, I'm heartbroken about what happened to the baby too."

The moment I saw the bracelet on my wrist, I couldn't help but cry.

It was my mother's keepsake, something I had lost many years ago. I never expected Nolan to find it and bring it back to me.

My heart wavered. Choking back a sob, I said, "Nolan, send Wendy away. We—"

But Nolan didn't seem to hear me at all. He continued on his own, "Wendy didn't mean anything by what she said. It was just a careless babble. What's done is done. Don't hold it against her."

Color drained from my face at once, yet he remained completely oblivious and continued, "The baby is gone, but we can always have another one."

I clenched my fists. But remembering the promise I had made to that man, I forced my tears back.

When Nolan saw that I wasn't answering, he lifted the bag in his hand. "Wendy specially brought you some chicken soup to help you recover. She wanted to apologize."

I lowered my eyes and saw the restaurant's name printed on the box. Wendy had just posted about that very spot on social media.

Because of one careless remark from Wendy, I had nearly bled to death on the operating table while Nolan had been sitting with her in a luxurious restaurant, enjoying a carefree evening together.

When I made no move to take it, Nolan sighed and opened the container himself, only to pause when he saw the gnawed chicken bones sitting in the soup.

He quickly put the lid back on and pretended nothing had happened. "It's gone cold. I'll have someone send over another one."

I let out a cold laugh. "A bowl of slop for an apology? Is she apologizing or deliberately provoking me?"

Nolan frowned unpleasantly at once. "June, Wendy's still young. It's normal for her to be reckless sometimes. Your health is also partially why the baby never made it. She's already trying to give you a way out. Can't you stop making things difficult for me?"

My whole body trembled, tears welling in my eyes.

Seeing me like that, Nolan softened his voice. "June, once you've recovered, we'll have the wedding. I promise there won't be any more accidents this time."

Just then, I received a refund notification from the postpartum care center.

Wendy called a moment later, her voice sickeningly sweet. "June, I canceled the postpartum care center you booked. You won't be needing it, anyway. And as for your seven-day hospital bill, please foot it yourself. I'm the company's CFO now, so I have to keep an eye on costs."

I whipped my head toward Nolan. There wasn't the slightest trace of surprise on his face. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint, mocking smile.