Terasa glanced at Jennifer’s stomach, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Didn’t you always say you didn’t want kids and would never have them? So, how did you end up pregnant?”

“It was the night of our… tingagement. We were both totally drunk,” Jennifer rubbed her forehead in frustration. She blamed herself for being careless. She should have taken contraceptive pills afterward; if she had, she wouldn’t be so distraught now. Teresa’s pregnancy had also resulted from a night when she and Jonathan were both drunk.

Jennifer let out a sigh. “What do you think I should do, Teresa?”

Teresa asked, “What do you mean? Are you saying you don’t want the baby? If you were in Cheryl’s shoes, not even knowing who the father is, I’d tell you to consider an abortion. But you’re not.”

“You and Donald are about to get married. Haven’t you told him you’re pregnant?”

Jennifer asked, “How am I supposed to tell him? If I do, he’ll definitely want me to keep the baby.”

“Then why not keep it?” Teresa asked.

Jennifer didn’t answer, but her silence spoke volumes. Seeing the hesitation and a hint of coldness in Jennifer’s eyes, Teresa grew even more confused. She said, “Donald treats you well. Cathy and Werner are good to you, too. They’re not like Irene, who’s always making trouble. If you tell them you’re having Donald’s baby, they’ll be thrilled and treat you even better.”

“You keep talking about them, but what about me? I have my own career, and this baby will mess everything up for me,” Jennifer said.

Every time Teresa thought about this, it annoyed her. She told Jennifer sarcastically, “Your job came from my ex-husband’s connections. You’re not even thirty and already a deputy department head. What more do you want?”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you always looking down on me,” Jennifer said. “I was planning to become department head in the next couple of years, but this baby has thrown all my plans into chaos.” Jennifer pressed her hand to her forehead, clearly agitated. “I really don’t know what to do.”

This wasn’t the life she wanted. Genevieve raised her from childhood, and she grew up in a girls’ school, always taught to be independent. She got into a top university, not to end up as someone’s wife and mother, or to be a nanny for a man. That was never the plan.

“I want to get an abortion,” she said firmly.

Teresa fell silent and then asked Jennifer, “If you’ve already made up your mind, why are you telling me all this? Just to make me feel bad? Or do you want me to help you keep it a secret?”

“You’re my sister,” Jennifer said, enunciating each word. She continued, “I help you cover for Mike every single day. Shouldn’t you help me keep this a secret, too? I’m just so upset that I wanted you to comfort me, but all you do is say things I don’t want to hear.” Jennifer let out a weary sigh, her eyes looking even more exhausted.

Teresa said angrily, “What do you want me to say to comfort you, Jennifer? Should I say, ‘Sis, just get rid of the baby. Don’t overthink it. Have the abortion, and I’ll be there with you the whole time.’ Is that what you want to hear?”

Jennifer didn’t say anything; she just pressed her lips together. Teresa stared at her calm face in disbelief. “You really want me to say that? You actually want me to go with you for the abortion?”

“What else can I do? I can’t have the abortion at my own hospital. Everyone here is a colleague. I have to find somewhere nobody knows me,” Jennifer replied.