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Gerald leaned close, his voice sickly sweet as he uttered, “You’re all equally pure and guiltless.”
The fowl resting on the limbs scattered at the sound of his words. Snow tumbled from the trees, removing the ice from the branches and leaving them exposed and fragile against the crisp white Scenery of winter. The young man from that New Year’s Eve… he
forever.
was gone
The fragments of the shattered locket cut into my hand, but I felt no discomfort.
“Gerald,” I uttered, my voice unsteady, “Joanne confessed to
murdering my sibling. You were present, didn’t you hear her? And when she collided with me, causing me to hemorrhage while “expecting your offspring, why won’t you even review the vehicle camera footage to verify the facts?”
Joanne’s eyes grew wide in astonishment, tears forming as she gazed at me in disbelief, “Eleanor, what are you implying? You’re… pregnant with Gerald’s baby?”
Her mouth trembled as she went on, the epitome of heartache, “No wonder you’ve always harbored ill feelings towards me. You must have worried that my presence would jeopardize your connection with Gerald.”
“If that’s the situation, Eleanor, I’ll arrange a flight overseas immediately. I’ll consent to the prearranged marriage my parents have organized for me and I vow I’ll never show my face to Gerald
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again in this lifetime!” With a despondent look at Gerald, she hesitantly took out her phone and feigned searching for a flight. “Joanne, cease this absurdity! There’s no possibility Eleanor is carrying my child!” Gerald’s voice cracked, revealing a hint of anxiety.
He dried Joanne’s tears and for the first time,
time, his gaze
aze turned threatening, a facet of him I’d never witnessed before.
If you doubt me,” he said icily, “I’ll cut open Eleanor’s abdomen right here and show you whether or not she’s expecting a child.” I gaped at him, completely dumbfounded. I could never have. envisioned that he would go to such extremes for Joanne. As he moved towards me, his expression severe and determined, fear engulfed me.
Shielding my stomach protectively, I retreated, “Gerald, what are you doing? This is illegal!”
Agony shot through my midsection. The bleeding that had only recently stopped began anew. In my bewildered state, I recalled our final Christmas in university.
Gerald had placed a Santa cap on my head, affectionately tappingf my nose as he jested about us having multiple children in the future, so Christmas would feel more jubilant.
He’d said, “Eleanor, what if we name our firstborn ‘Sean‘? You look radiant today, I want to commemorate it.”
“Sean… Sean…” The name surfaced in my mind and before I ‘realized it, I had spoken it aloud.
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For the first time in a while, my baby stirred, kicking gently as if pleading for aid. A faint glimmer of hope alleviated my despair.
“Gerald, I’m not deceiving you,” I begged. “If you don’t believe me, touch my belly… Sean is kicking me…”
“Eleanor, you never change. Don’t blame me for being merciless, then!” He seized my arm and began hauling me toward the
operating room.
A nearby nurse intervened, alarmed, “Mr. Riverton, your wife is under special care as per Miss Barren’s instructions. This doesn’t seem appropriate…”
She exclaimed, “Sir, please desist! What Eleanor said is accurate. Miss Barren was indeed in the same vehicle as her. Miss Barren
even experienced premature labor due to the collision. She’s currently undergoing examinations at the maternity center next door. Eleanor wasn’t lying!”
Upon hearing this, Joanne’s expression darkened, though her eyes shimmered with feigned sincerity.
Joanne approached me with reddened eyes and frowned, “Eleanor, I didn’t think you’d stoop so low as to bribe Gerald’s interns just to corroborate your act. No wonder you managed to secure this VIP
ward.”
At her words, Gerald’s face contorted with rage. “Eleanor,” he bellowed, “bribing medical staff is a grave offense! Do you comprehend that? If you don’t cease this nonsense immediately, it won’t just be about cutting you open to check for a pregnancy!”
