Chapter 137

The car fell silent. It took a moment for me to react; I coughed lightly. "I mean, what happened? Did Hayden really throw Zachary in there?" Changing the subject seemed to ease the tension.

Ethan replied, "Yes. Initially, Joanna took Hayden into the room and appeared to drug his drink, but Hayden had someone switch them beforehand, so Joanna was the one drugged. She pleaded with him, but he ignored her and let Yasir bring people in. After Zachary was thrown onto the bed, they left and locked the door. You knew what happened after that."

He hadn't planned on witnessing it last night, but Hayden locked the door after leaving. Ethan couldn't have escaped even if he'd wanted to. Fortunately, he hid well and wasn't discovered; otherwise, things would have become far more complicated.

I was surprised. "He even locked the door? Was that Hayden's idea too?" I froze, pondering, "What was Hayden doing?" Two months ago, he'd returned to the country with Joanna. They were so affectionate then. Why had his attitude toward Joanna changed so drastically? "Is a man's love so fleeting? It's only been two months..."

"What does he want?" I blurted out.

The car stopped at a red light. Ethan looked at me through the rearview mirror. "Didn't you ask him?"

I came to my senses and scoffed. "No. It's their business."

Ethan didn't look back. The light turned green, and he accelerated. The car drove steadily. A surge of anger filled me. What do Hayden and Joanna have to do with me? Why should I even care?

Now that Jackson Group was in my hands, and the three months were nearly up, I would soon be free of Hayden completely. I didn't need to ask about any of this anymore.

I spent the entire day on the ship dealing with business, and Hayden didn't reappear. When I finished my work and was enjoying the sea breeze on deck, Marlon arrived. He handed me a contract; Bert had signed it. From then on, whether to sell Jackson Group was my decision.

I looked down. The distant sea breeze blew gently, as if carrying the depth of the ocean into my heart. If I sold Jackson Group, my father would undoubtedly seek me out. That would be far more troublesome than anything before. I would have to leave the Jackson family afterward.

"Marlon, if it were you, what would you choose?" I looked up at him. He was one of the few who hadn't betrayed or taken advantage of me; I'd always trusted him implicitly. Aside from Lucy, I rarely felt this way about anyone else.

"Sell Jackson Group and move far away," Marlon answered swiftly, without hesitation. He made it sound so simple that, for a moment, I wondered if I could make the decision so quickly.

Marlon seemed to understand. "You hesitate because you still care about your family."

I remained silent. Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over me. I quickly covered my mouth, thinking I was going to vomit, but the feeling subsided quickly.

"What's wrong?" Marlon asked, concerned.

I started to explain, but before I could finish, another wave of nausea hit me.

Marlon frowned. "Let's go to the hospital."

"I'm fine," I shook my head. I barely ate anything; stomach problems were a chronic issue.

Marlon, however, reacted as if facing a grave emergency. He rushed me off the ship. Overwhelmed by nausea, I didn't even notice Marlon fastening my seatbelt.

At the hospital, they found no stomach issues. Instead, the doctor delivered a different kind of shock. I was pregnant.

"You're over six weeks along. You're too thin, so you need to pay attention to your nutrition," the doctor advised, but my mind was blank. I am pregnant? Is it because of that time Hayden forced himself on me in the car? It was only once.

Seeing my lack of response, the doctor asked again, "Miss Jackson?"

Marlon recovered first and answered for me, "Doctor, we understand." He helped me up, and we left.

Silence filled the hallway. The wind howled outside, as if mocking me. Marlon spoke first. "Yvonne, what... what are you thinking?"

I shook my head, still reeling from the reality. How can I be pregnant? I had finally let go of Hayden and decided to move far away, to start a new life. But fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on me.

"About the child," Marlon continued.

"Stop it, I'm not pregnant," I interrupted.

Marlon was silent for a moment, his voice raspy. "Yvonne, the doctor made it perfectly clear."

"How could I be pregnant? How could I be carrying that person's child?" I couldn't hold back my sadness any longer and shouted. The more I cried, the harder my tears fell. The humiliating memories of that day flooded back, engulfing me. An intense feeling of suffocation made me refuse to accept it.

Marlon saw my panic and quickly grabbed my hand. "Yvonne, calm down! So what if you are pregnant? Besides, this is your child!"

I was too preoccupied to notice the tremor in his voice. "I can't calm down! It's all that bastard's fault! He forced me; otherwise, I would never have this child!"

In a daze, a surge of intense hatred consumed me. This is all because of Hayden! I clenched my teeth, wiped away my tears, and ran toward the exit. Marlon stood there, dumbfounded. "Forced? That bastard!" He quickly chased after me, "Yvonne, where are you going?"

Once I left the hospital, I hailed a taxi and went straight to the company. Richard called at noon, saying Hayden would be at the company that afternoon to handle some business. He was indeed in his office. Richard stood beside him, holding an open folder. "Mr. Parker, it seems the shares of the Parker Group under Mrs. Parker's name are going to be sold. Many people are bidding. Do you want to..."

Before he could finish, I stormed in angrily and slapped Hayden across his face. The sharp sound echoed throughout the office.