Chapter 0449


    Abby


    Chloe and Leah stare at me incredulously after what | just told them. Their expressions are a blend of surprise and concern, and


    | can’t me them; | did, after all, just inform them that | n on trying to have a baby.


    “But Abby,” Chloe says, standing and pointing incredulously at Karl, “how the hell is he supposed to help you heal your


    infertility?”


    | meet Karl''s gaze once more, finding his shock mirroring my own. The truth has tumbled out, raw and unfiltered, and there''s no


    retracting it now.


    “Karl has been speaking to a doctor,” | say. “A doctor who might have some experimental treatments that could help me have a


    baby.”


    But Chloe just shakes her head, her face a mask of frustration. She runs both of her hands over her hair; it''s a gesture of hers


    that’s a telltale sign of anger and confusion.


    “Abby, you need to listen to what you’re saying right now,” she says quietly. “Experimental treatments? A baby? Who would the


    father even be, hm? Would you be a single mom? Would Karl help you? What if the treatments don’t work and your heart just


    gets broken all over again? What then, Abby?”


    Chloe’s barrage of questions hits home, but only because I’ve asked myself these questions relentlessly over the past few days.


    She’s not wrong; this could end very badly. The possibilities are endless. But at the same time, it’s something that I’ve decided to


    go through with on my own, without Karl’s influence. The risks might be great, but so might be the rewards. | want to try to have a


    baby the natural way.


    And if there are treatments for my body that could heal my infertility so | can achieve that, then I’m willing to try them.


    “Look, | know it sounds utterly nuts,” | say softly, taking another step forward. “But again, Chloe, I’m an adult; and this is the


    decision I''ve made. | want to try to have a baby. | know the risks, and I’m willing to take them.”


    As | speak, my gaze shifts over to Leah. Her eyes are lit up with what looks like hope, and there’s a soft smile tugging at the


    corners of her lips. She’s always understood the depth of my longing for a family, and has always stood by me through the highs


    and lows. Despite whatever reservations she may have, | know that she''ll stand with me.


    But Chloe is different.


    She’s never been quick to trust anyone, and she’s more emotional than Leah. She has never been the type to mince words,


    even when it makes other people ufortable or downright angry. | often admire that about her, but sometimes, it can be a bit


    much. Even now, her eyes drill into me, sharp and probing.


    It''s as if she’s trying to dissect theyers of my revtion, to find what lies are hiding beneath the surface. | can tell that she


    doesn''t believe the entire story; it’s possible she can even tell that Karl and | are, indeed, sleeping together, and that he would


    even be the father of the baby if these experimental treatments wind up working.


    But right now, | can’t confirm nor deny that. | think I’m entitled to have a little privacy, too, aren’t I?


    “Well I, for one, think that’s amazing,” Leah breathes out, her voice tinged with genuine happiness. She steps closer, wrapping


    me in a hug that feels like a safe haven. “I know how badly you''ve always wanted to be a mom. If this is what you really want,


    then I’m here for you.”


    Chloe, however, hesitates. Her steps are measured, her hug restrained, but it’s a hug nheless. When she pulls away, her


    eyes are still narrowed.


    “You know I’m here for you, too, right?” she says, a forced lightness in her voice. “Especially if you’re braving the path of single


    motherhood.”


    Her embrace isforting, familiar. And yet the words she whispers next send a shiver down my spine. “Just be careful not to


    make a choice you''ll regret. Okay?”


    | pull back slightly, searching Chloe’s face for a hint of her real thoughts. She’s normally an open book to me, but right now, she’s


    closed off and reserved. | can tell that she’s trying to hide her worry, but it’s notpletely masked.


    The room suddenly feels too small, the walls inching closer. Leah, the eternal optimist, tries to shift the mood. “How about we


    celebrate this news?” she suggests, her voice bright. “Dinner tonight, with the whole team?”


    “Sounds perfect,” | reply, grateful for the change in topic. “There’s a nice ce in town we could all go to.”


    After Leah and Chloe leave, | turn to Karl. He’s standing now, as silent as ever. | can tell that my admission took him by surprise.


    “| didn’t mean to tell them everything,” | admit, feeling an unexpected need to apologize. “It just sort of... tumbled out.”


    Karl shakes his head, a gentle understanding in his eyes. “It’s your right to share if that’s what you want, Abby,” he says. “Just


    make sure you really are certain about all of this—about the treatment, our deal, all of it. | mean what | said earlier.”


    Asigh escapes me. “The baby part, I’m sure of. The rest... it’splicated. But I''m not nning on pulling out now.”


    He nods slowly. “Well, like | said, it’s your choice,” he says.


    His words areforting, but they


    also remind me of the intricate web


    the two of us are Suna weaving


    Two lives gonneeted by a shared


    g Mt Sat tangled up in all of the


    drama we''ve been through in the


    past. | can tell he wants the baby, too,


    which only adds to theplexities.


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    Thankfully, though, dinner that night


    feels like a reprieve, with the team


    laughing and chatting ver drinks ahd


    ici alg\(Pa\a relief to be with


    thém after what feels like an eternity,


    and since Karl and | announced a


    “rtionship” at the masquerade, |


    feel like | can rx a bit in public.


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    NovelDrama.Org.


    However, Chloe is as quiet as ever.


    She talks andughs along with


    group, but her smi edodsr''t quite


    reganaet byes. It''s clear that she’s


    thinking, analyzing, weighing the


    words | had shared earlier. Please


    read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Chloe''s earlier whisper echoes in my mind, though, and | can’t get it to stop whirling around in there. “Don’t make a choice you''ll


    regret.”


    Despite my reservations, | know that Chloe is always right in some regard, and especially now. This could end in fire and mes.


    It could end in heartbreak, anger, frustration, and who knows what else.


    But it could also end in happiness, in dreams being fulfilled, in sessful careers.


    And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, there will be another alternate ending. One that involves love andmitment, and new


    chances.


    And as | look at Karl from across the candlelit table, his brown eyes meet mine. For that brief moment, | allow myself to indulge


    in the fantasy.


    | allow myself to imagine what it could be like if | said ‘I love you’ first.