When Isaac woke up, his nostrils were stung by the pungent scent of medicine. As he slowly sat up, his secretary came by to help. "Mr. Jefferson."Isaac waved her off. "I'm fine," he said, taking a moment to compose herself before asking, "How's Stan?""He's unconscious, but the doctor already operated on him, so his life isn't in danger," the secretary replied. "The doctor has also advised you to rest since you had a minor concussion. Why don't you rest a little?" Isaac remembered the blood on Whitney's legs just then. Pursing his lips in silence for a while, he eventually ended up asking, "How's Whitney Cox?""The doctor said that she had a miscarriage. She's fine otherwise apart from minor lacerations. She woke up when I arrived—she's in the next ward."Then, hesitating for a moment, the secretary asked, "Should I call for her?"Isaac raised a hand to stop her.He was feeling mixed emotions just then—despite his disgust toward Whitney, and his reluctance to let her be th
Irene decided that she would be out of line if she kept her place as Mrs. Jefferson.Nearby, the leaves on a tree were rustling from the touch of a slightly chill breeze. It was the early days of autumn, and the sun was much milder.Tightening her clothes, she hurried along, having planned to cook dinner for Isaac tonight before asking for a divorce.That was when a car suddenly screeched to a halt, blocking her path while several men quickly alighted. Without saying a word, one of them pulled a black sack over her head while another clasped a hand over her mouth, dragging her into the car before speeding off."Oof—"Irene was immobile and completely under their control.There was no telling how long had passed when she was finally dragged out of the car.Although the black sack still kept her blind, no one was keeping her from talking."Who are you people? Why did you kidnap me?""CLOUD B, 778VQ—that's your car, isn't it?""Yes," Irene replied.Her mother had spent all her
"Mom, Dad, you have to help me, or I'll definitely end up in prison!" Ricky Spencer was crying out even as he tugged on Samantha's hand.Lionel glared at his incorrigible son. "What have you done this time?" he growled—it was certainly not Ricky's first offense. "I-I was just trying to practice my driving ahead of my driver's test. Irene's SUV was just sitting there and no one's using it, so I drove it around, and then I got caught in an accident…""What?!"Lionel almost died from a heart attack right then. "Just days ago, you almost blinded someone with a skewer, and I had to spend so much on damages and apologize to finally resolve it! Now, you're telling me you caused an accident? And without a license?! You honestly don't appreciate being alive, do you?""Calm down, Lionel. Ricky's your only son, and he hasn't completed his studies yet! You have to help him—he can't go to prison. Would he have a future if he does? The SUV is Irene's, so just say that it was her…""Dream on
With those words, Lionel headed upstairs.Samantha was left pouting, but there was no way she could abandon her son to his own fate right now—she had to listen to Lionel's instruction. "Let's go. Tell me where it happened," she said as she pulled Ricky along."But Dad just—"Ricky had more to say, but Samantha cut him short right then. "Just stop it and deal with your own mess right now! I was just humiliated because of you!"…Upstairs, Lionel found Sheryl packing her bags, and walked over to pull the dress she was holding out of her grasp. "We've been married for most of our lives. Do you really think a divorce is necessary?"Sheryl sneered. "What, I'm supposed to let you keep using me like a tool, and ruin my daughter's life?""How did I ruin her life? Do you have any idea how much money I spent on her as a child, the lessons I paid for?" "You know very well why you paid for all that. Also, I've given up on you ever since you've used my illness to coerce Irene into that a
"I'm Zachary Slate. Irene is slightly hurt, and she's having surgery right now," Zachary answered—he was standing right outside the operating room.Sheryl felt as if her heart had stopped right then. "What happened? Did my daughter get hurt?""Yes," Zachary replied. Flustered and anxious, Sheryl quickly asked, "Which hospital?""Central Hospital at the Second Militarized Zone.""Okay, I got it." Sherly hung up, and promptly hailed a taxi to head there.…On the surgical table, Irene caught the scrubs of the doctor who would be operating on her. "Can you save my baby?"She had already been screened, and while it was confirmed that she had suffered a miscarriage, one of the twins could still be saved."Are you sure you want to keep it?"Irene's cheeks were as white as a sheet, and her lips were dry and bleeding. "I'm sure," she answered hoarsely. "I'm counting on you.""I'll do my best," the doctor replied. Zachary was a thoracic surgeon, so he had to get the best obstetr
Zachary poured Irene a glass of water, and she drank half of it to ease the dryness of her throat. She felt a little just then better, but she was still aching all over."What happened? Who did that to you?" Zachary asked, unable to hold back his indignation and firing a guess. "Could it be Whitney?"Irene shook her head—she would have believed that herself, if her mother did not tell her that Ricky was driving her car. But now, everything was clear: Ricky was driving her car, and got into a car accident involving Isaac.The concerned departments would have gotten involved if it had been serious, but Isaac had decided to punish whom he presumed to be the culprit—meaning he was either seriously hurt, or very pissed off.The thought that she was assaulted because her stepbrother was involved in an accident left her feeling especially indignant. "Zachary, I've made up my mind—I'll divorce Isaac soon," she said quietly. "I've lost one of my children, and the other might not be sa
When Isaac took the sheet of paper and saw that Irene's name was on it, he frowned. "This isn't the driver!" The driver he saw was a young man!The secretary had no idea why Isaac was suddenly hostile, but admitted, "The SUV was registered under Ms. Spencer's name…""And that makes her the culprit?" Isaac growled as he got off the hospital bed and leveled an icy glare at her. "Is she the one you punished?"The secretary kept her head down in silence.Fuming, Isaac bellowed, "I'm asking you a question!""Yes, sir," the secretary finally replied.Isaac was hyperventilating from sheer frustration, and the secretary quickly apologized. "Sorry, I slipped up…"Isaac completely ignored her and stormed outside.Whitney, who had been standing by the door and trying to get in, saw him coming out. After that accident, it was perfectly reasonable to say that she had lost their child, and Isaac would not be able to say anything against that."Isaac," she called out, and reached for his
"Irene Spencer!" Isaac bellowed, breathing each syllable louder than the next as his cheeks flushed crimson and turned dark, the veins in his neck bulging as if something could pop just then.Seizing her neck, he snarled, "I'll strangle you to death right now!""I know you will," Irene replied with equal resolve and determination. "But I'm not afraid. I hate you!""Just because I slipped up and caused your miscarriage?" he asked, and continued before she answered, "I would've made you get an abortion even if I didn't—I'd never let you give birth to a b*stard just to mess with me! Everything's just fine now, since I don't have to do it myself. Guess even someone up there is refusing to let you have that b*stard, that's why the mistake happened in the first place!"Her repetitive use of 'b*stard' stung Irene in the heart, leaving her utterly hysterical. "I hate you! I wish you were dead!" Irene shouted.Hate and fury blazed within her eyes.On the other hand, Isaac's hands flinch