Carol felt restless and irritable, deciding to retreat to her bedroom for an afternoon nap.
In the late afternoon, as the doctor arrived for a house call to examine her, he prescribed medication to help sustain her pregnancy. Hesitating, she eventually asked, "If I don't want to keep the baby, is now the best tto have an abortion?" The doctor's hands trembled with the medication, his eyes darting towards Felix.
Felix's face was dark and intense as he stared at her unwaveringly.
"Do you not want this child, or do you not want me?" Carol's heart skipped a beat, the image of him leaping from the helicopter replaying in her mind.
The sense of helplessness irritated her, yet the thought of compromise tasted bitter.
She felt like a butterfly trapped in a glass jar, unable to break through the invisible barrier.
The doctor, sensing the tension, quietly packed up his things and left.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtCarol remained silent, her hand subconsciously resting on her still-flat belly.
The living room fell into silence. She lowered her lashes, catching sight of Felix sitting down beside her, then pulling her into his embrace, burying his head in the crook of her neck.
Carol intended to push him away, but as her hand touched him, she felt his wet cheeks. His shoulders were slightly shaking. Suddenly at a loss for words, she withdrew her hand quickly.
She had suspected Felix might cry, but now she was acutely aware of his tears.
But what good were tears? She had cried many times before, to the point where she no longer had any tears left.
Tears were the cheapest commodity.
She opened her mouth to speak.
But just then, Felix released her, grabbed his blazer, and stormed out the door.
A sudden pain clenched at Carol's heart, as if bitten by a venomous creature.
She lay there on the couch, suddenly feeling the weight of life's exhaustion.
Maja was perusing the latest financial news at Greenfield Gardens when the maid mentioned Felix had arrived.
She thought she must have misheard. Felix at Greenfield Gardens? What business did he have here? Frowning and somewhat reluctant to meet him, she thought of Carol and, holding her nose, allowed him to be shown in. When she first laid eyes on him, she was about to mock him, but then he dropped to his knees with a thud.
Maja's newspaper fell to the floor as she called upstairs.
"lan, cquickly, you have to see this." lan, who was upstairs with sdocuments for her, hurried down upon hearing her voice.
Upon seeing Felix kneeling by the coffee table, his eyebrows arched in surprise.
"What's the meaning of this, Mr. Brown?" It seemed the possibility of Carol aborting their child had left him completely distraught.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBefore he could speak, tears were already rolling down his cheeks.
Maja was truly taken aback; the Felix she knew was either cunning and powerful, or roguishly dark-humored. This tearful, sorrowful man was completely new to her.
It was likely a once-in-a-lifetsight.
She instantly guessed that perhaps Carol didn't want the baby.
As Carol's friend, Maja naturally hoped she would go through with et the abortion and then move to another city with Abner. S However, Carol's health was fragile, and an abortion might mean she could never conceive again.
She might not regret it now, but what about when she's forty and the regret hits? These things are unpredictable; people change their minds at different stages in life.
Remembering the lengths he had gone to get Carol pregnant wiped away any scant sympathy she had.
She settled back on the sofa, flipping open her newspaper, and spoke up.
"Isn't this the SMr. Brown who just a few days ago toldto mind my own business and keep out of your affairs? You've certainly givena fright with your entrance. Did you get your cues wrong? Would you like to try entering again?" lan glanced at her with a touch of resignation, understanding she was venting on Carol's behalf, and did not intervene. MS Felix remained kneeling, allowing her to trample over him with her words.