جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

The spontaneous offer caught Abigail completely off guard.If she hadn’t already made plans with Mark, she might have gladly accepted his help.The problem was, Mark had made it very clear that he would be picking her up.If Mark happened to see Ian driving her to the hospital, Abigail couldn’t even imagine what poisonous remark the man might throw at her this time.“No need, Mr. Harrison. There are a few things I need to take care of first. You can go ahead,” Abigail declined as gently as she could.She braced herself for Ian to insist. Strangely, however, his persistence seemed to vanish all at once. Ian merely nodded, though the hint of disappointment on his handsome face was impossible to miss.After Ian and Nora left, Abigail sent Mark a brief message to let him know she was ready. She grabbed her bag, slipped a few essentials inside, and headed out of the house.She had barely locked the front door when the low rumble of a luxury engine approached from beyond the gate.A sleek b

Failed.Mark stared at his phone screen far longer than he should have.The quantitative beta-hCG test result displayed on the screen read 1.2 mIU/mL—a negative result confirming that Abigail was not pregnant.Ignoring the puzzled looks of the people waiting for his instructions inside the conference room, Mark waved a dismissive hand, ordering them all out of his office.One by one, the executives filed out, their faces etched with concern, leaving only Jasper behind.“What’s wrong, sir?” Jasper asked worriedly, noticing how pale Mark had suddenly become.Instead of answering, Mark held out his phone, showing Jasper the result.“She failed,” Mark muttered, his voice tense.Even Mark didn’t understand why his chest felt like it was burning.This wasn’t the first time he had received news like this. Over the past five years, he and Lily had tried countless methods, only to end in failure each time.He should have been used to it by now, shouldn’t he?And yet, for some reason, this time

Abigail suddenly fell silent. Her little daughter’s innocent question felt like a pinch in her chest.For the past few weeks, she had been so caught up in everything going on that she had completely forgotten to ask Lily about Veronica’s condition. She should have asked for the contact information of the hospital where her mother was being treated so she could keep track of her condition. But her mind had been so consumed by this insane arrangement that she had overlooked something so important.“Mommy isn’t going to see anyone. I just have something important to take care of with someone,” Abigail answered honestly. She had no intention of asking Mark for permission again just to visit her mother. She didn’t want to provoke another possessive outburst and have him yell at her like he had the other day. “What would you like Mommy to bring you when I come home?”Amora furrowed her brow for a moment before naming several of her favorite snacks. Abigail smiled warmly and nodded, promisin

Abigail and Jasper exchanged a brief glance, both trying to hide the confusion on their faces.“I’m accompanying my cousin for a routine medical checkup, ma’am,” Jasper answered, half-truthfully—or perhaps completely truthfully, considering the lie he had just invented.“Are you having some kind of health problem, dear?” Margaret asked, turning to Abigail with warm concern.Abigail offered a faint smile and shook her head. “Mmm... nothing serious, ma’am. I just have irregular menstrual cycles,” she replied. It was the only plausible explanation that had come to mind while standing in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.“Oh, thank goodness. Most irregular menstrual cycles are caused by stress and hormonal changes. Take good care of yourself,” Margaret said kindly.Abigail’s smile grew more awkward, guilt creeping into her heart for lying to such a warm and gracious woman.“Are you heading home now, ma’am? Let me drive you home,” Jasper offered politely.But Margaret casually wave

Mark returned to his residence carrying a large bouquet of red roses, along with a bag containing a luxurious, newly released jewelry set that Jasper had just purchased. He had also hired one of the finest private chefs to prepare an intimate dinner at their home.He had done all of this purely as an apology for neglecting his duty to pick Lily up from the airport earlier that afternoon.“Darling, this is too much,” Lily whispered coyly. She planted a warm kiss on Mark’s cheek before inhaling the sweet fragrance of the bouquet in his hands. “Thank you so much.”“How was your business trip?” Mark asked as he slipped an arm around his wife’s waist.“Exhausting,” Lily replied with a soft sigh, handing the bouquet to a passing servant to arrange in a vase. “But I’m genuinely happy. I made so many new connections, and they all praised my latest fashion collection. Mark, I’m thinking about opening a new branch in S City soon. What do you think?”Mark fell silent for a moment, discreetly cal