Jennifer looked at Cheryl’s examination sheet again. The patient’s name was Cheryl Lynn; her cousin-in-law’s last name was Lynn. She wondered if her husband’s last name was also Lynn. Since she was a single mother, why would she accompany her cousin-in-law for a checkup? Had she remarried?

Jennifer was plagued by questions and couldn't concentrate on work. Before long, the department head arrived. Jennifer explained she felt tired and wanted to change shifts.

The department head said, “Dr. Nelson, do you get tired too? That’s surprising! You’ve been at Nareigh Maternal and Child Health Hospital for over six months, and this is the first time I’ve heard you say you’re tired.”

Jennifer rubbed her temples. “Maybe I didn’t rest well last night. I’d like to take a short nap.”

The department head sighed. “Alright, go take a break. You’re our star doctor. We can’t have you worn out.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Jennifer said.

Teresa had already driven off, taking Cheryl away from the hospital. Cheryl had stopped crying and was smiling foolishly.

Teresa sighed. “Just keep laughing. I wonder if you’ll still be laughing once your family finds out you’re pregnant.”

Cheryl’s smile vanished. “Well, I’ll hide it for as long as I can. At worst, I’ll raise this child secretly, just like you did.”

“You’re too naive! How can you be like me? Do you have a house? A steady job? Are you never going to see your family again? Most importantly, are you never getting married? Are you just going to raise the child like this?” Teresa scolded. Cheryl felt overwhelmed. “Teresa, please stop. I just want to play it by ear.”

Teresa said, “What I’m saying is the reality. You’re not a student anymore. You’ve entered the real world. There are some things you need to be more mature about.” She had also forced herself to grow after divorcing Jonathan. Some things had to be handled alone. It was exhausting, and she had to make her own decisions. This was the harsh reality of adulthood.

Cheryl started crying again. “If my parents find out I’m pregnant, they’ll kill me.”

Teresa was at her wit's end. “Well, both options are equally bad. You have one option now—”

“What option?” Cheryl asked, tightly grabbing Teresa’s arm.

“Find out who the father is, hold him accountable, and marry him. That way, you can get married and have the baby. Everyone will be happy,” Teresa said.

Cheryl started crying again. “That’s almost impossible. I can’t just go and do DNA tests on every guy.”

“Do you have no recollection of who he was at all?” Teresa asked.

“That guy…” Cheryl said, “He had a men’s orchid fragrance on him, probably doesn’t smoke, and his voice was quite refreshing. If I see him again, maybe I could recognize him.”

“From your description, he sounds like a wealthy guy,” Teresa remarked.

Cheryl replied, “Maybe. Anyway, I lost my virginity at Rosary Night.”

‘Rosary Night?’ Teresa almost choked. She had been there when she was younger too, but she never lost her virginity there. Instead, she had gotten drunk and draped herself over Jonathan’s neck, yet he had kindly taken care of her the entire night.

Teresa snapped back to her senses. “I have a friend who’s quite familiar with Rosary Night. Should I ask him to help you investigate?”

“Teresa, is your friend a guy or a girl?” Cheryl asked.

“He’s a guy, a silver-spooned child from a well-off family, and he has a good relationship with Jonathan too,” Teresa replied.

“Then forget it!” Cheryl shook her head vigorously. “I’d rather not involve Jonathan’s friends.”

Seeing this, Teresa said nothing more. They accompanied Cheryl to a nearby pharmacy and bought some dydrogesterone. Since there would be no abortion, Cheryl decided to play it by ear. Teresa told her to handle it as she saw fit.

“Teresa.” A voice called out. A black sedan lowered its window; it was Truman.

It had been a while since Teresa last saw him. Truman said, “I was transferred to another city by my superiors. It took a lot of effort to get transferred back to Nareigh. It might have been Jonathan’s doing.”

Teresa was taken aback. ‘What does Jonathan have to do with this?’ she wondered.