Chapter 3

Jordan's POV

Seeing the shock on my face, Melanie quickly stopped talking.

I looked at the thick stack of transfer requests on her desk and laughed until tears filled my eyes.

During the seven years I'd lived apart from Sharon, I'd exhausted myself trying to transfer to the hospital near our house. I'd submitted one transfer request after another, only to have every single one rejected.

And because I lived so far apart from my family, I hadn't been able to see Mom one last time. Worse still, I couldn't even make it home for her memorial every year.

I'd thought I simply wasn't qualified for a transfer. It turned out Sharon had deliberately pulled strings to keep me far away.

Melanie held up the approval stamp and asked me one more time, "Are you really going overseas for further training? You need to understand that you won't be able to come back for at least five years."

I nodded, finally at peace with my decision.

As soon as I stepped out of the office, I heard a couple of young nurses whispering.

"Isn't that Dr. Jarquin's wife? She just found out she's pregnant. But who's the man helping her?"

I followed their gaze. Xavier was supporting Sharon as she walked with a pregnancy report in her hand.

When Sharon saw me, she didn't even try to hide anything. "We came here to tell that I just found out I'm pregnant. It's Xavier's child."

I stood there, feeling my blood run cold from head to toe.

Sharon softened her voice, as though she were trying to soothe a child. "You know your condition… Since you can't have children anymore, Xavier has to step in. He's your brother, so the child carries your blood, too."

To my surprise, I remained completely calm.

I stared at her slightly rounded belly before looking at Xavier. "How far along is she?"

Xavier turned his face away awkwardly, unable to bring himself to meet my eyes.

Sharon answered for him. "Three months."

"Three months…" I repeated under my breath.

Three months ago, I'd been in a serious car accident. Torrential rain had washed the blood from my body as I lay at the scene helplessly.

I'd called Sharon countless times.

Crying guiltily, she'd told me, "I'm dealing with something here. Even if I leave now, I won't make it in time. I'll call 911 for you…"

That was when I'd suffered devastating injuries to my lower body. The doctors had told me I'd never be able to have children.

And that was when they'd conceived theirs.

I clenched my fists. The pain from my injuries made it difficult for me to stand upright.

Xavier came over to support me. He said in an aggrieved tone, "What happened that night was an accident. She'd had too much to drink and mistook me for you… Please don't divorce her because of this baby."

I braced myself against the wall and forcefully shook off his hand. I didn't even do it that hard, but Sharon immediately panicked and grabbed my wrist.

She scolded, "Why are you taking your anger out on him? I'm the one who chose to have his baby!"

Her eyes burned with fury.

In seven years, she'd never once lost her temper with me. But now, she berated me for the sake of the man I hated most.

I laughed bitterly and pulled a printed divorce agreement from my bag. "If you care that much about him, then let's get divorced."

Sharon froze. She frowned hard, and she opened her mouth to say something.

At some point, Xavier had gotten hold of a scalpel from somewhere. He dropped to his knees with tears streaming down his face.

He cried, "If you can't accept me and this baby, then do it. Kill me, and the baby will be yours."

He grabbed my hand and held on so tightly that I couldn't break free.

I shouted, "Let go! Are you insane?"

I never could have expected the shocking turn of events that would happen in the next second. Xavier wrapped my hand around the scalpel and drove it deep into his own abdomen.