Chapter 12

Fortunately, Tyler was quick enough to react and caught Josephine in his arms. He felt the heat on her shoulders and looked at her in surprise. "She has a fever."

Startled, he then called out, "Quick, go find a doctor!"

Josephine seemed to have fallen into a long dream where she went back to her childhood.

Daphne had locked her inside a storage room. The house was dark, and she was swallowed by the darkness as if falling into a black vortex.

She desperately pounded on the door, but no one answered her.

When she was in utmost despair, the closed door slowly opened, and a beam of light shone through the crack. It got bigger and brighter, illuminating her eyes.

That tall and majestic figure was bathed in the holy light like a god coming down to drive away the gloom around her.

He reached out his hand and rolled up the sleeve of his white shirt. His slender fingers then appeared in front of her, breaking through all her defenses.

Like the hand of God saving the world, she became his most devout follower from then on.

Trembling, she reached out her hand to grab his, but the hand suddenly withdrew.

She hurriedly got up and tried to catch that hand, but she missed it. In the end, the door closed again, and she fell back into the darkness once more.

Josephine shot open her eyes. The light above her head was blinding. She gasped heavily for air, unable to shake off the chaos in her dream.

"She’s awake." Avery’s voice sounded next to her.

"You tell her."

"I...Shouldn't you tell her, Tyler?"

"Do you think it’s appropriate?"

Josephine turned her head and saw Tyler and Avery standing at the bedside, arguing about something.

Tyler cleared his throat, patted Avery’s shoulder, and turned to leave.

Josephine propped herself up and gestured to Avery, "What were you guys talking about?"

Avery sat down at the bedside with an uneasy look on her face. She grabbed Josephine’s hands, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Josephine stared straight at her. She waited for a long time, but what Avery wanted to say remained unspoken.

She let go of Avery’s hand and gestured, "Avery, do I have a terminal illness? It's okay. I'm mentally prepared. Tell me."

If it really was a terminal illness, she wouldn't have to agonize about the meaning of life every day.

Avery slapped her hand and argued, "Hey, don't be ridiculous. You don't have a terminal illness. You're just pregnant."

After saying that, Avery shut her eyes in frustration, thinking that it would have been better if Josephine really had a terminal illness.

Josephine’s mind went blank, and she felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her. She sat on the bed in shock, staring at Avery.

After a while, she regained her composure and gestured frantically with her fingers.

"Slow down. You're too fast. I can't understand."

Avery had only learned sign language for a little over a year, and there were many things she had to think about before she could recall what the signs meant. How could she understand if Josephine was signing that fast?

Josephine paused, trying to calm herself down and slow down the speed of her signs.

“Did the doctor misdiagnose me? I took medicine, and we used protection.”

Avery understood this time. She took out the nearby test report and handed it to Josephine. "Here, take a look for yourself."

The woman took the test report and carefully read the words on it. It said she was five weeks pregnant.

She got pregnant more than a month ago.

She had a hand over her heart, which was pounding violently. She closed her eyes and carefully recalled what had happened more than a month ago.

It was Lewis’ birthday, and they went back to Alvarez Manor. That night, Lewis had had a little too much to drink and stayed up with her all night.

She woke up too late the next day and was scolded by Nancy, so she forgot about it.

It should be that time.

Avery looked at her pale face and sighed, trying to comfort her, "It's okay. It’s only been five weeks. Getting an abortion won't have much of an impact."