Chapter 2

The warm, big hand gently touched my ankle, and I couldn’t help but shrink away.

A voice filled with obvious remorse sounded in my ears, “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Does it still hurt? Did you take any medicine?”

“The house has already been tidied up. I mean, why are you so stubborn? Tonight, the company’s top management came over. It was just a joke, and no one took it to heart. You’re still so angry; it’s not good for the child.”

“Do you still care about the child?” The sarcasm in my tone made him freeze for a moment.

Just before he approached, I grabbed his hand and placed it on my swollen body. The bulging and spongy texture made him reflexively recoil as if he had seen a ghost.

Realizing his strong reaction, he was about to apologize, and I made an excuse to go to the bathroom. The door closed behind me.

When Josiah returned to the bedroom, his face was gloomy. “Why didn’t you come to the meeting yesterday?”

“What did you say to Aurora? I have already explained to you, why do you still want to bother her? It’s snowing outside in the middle of winter, how do you expect a little girl like her to go back?”

“Hazel, I never thought you were this kind of person!”

I just realized that she was the one who closed the door.

In the midst of his tirade, Josiah had already quickly changed his clothes. I was forcefully dragged out of the room, not given a chance to explain. With my injured foot, I limped, but he turned a blind eye.

“Stop pretending! If anything happened to Aurora, I won’t let you off the hook!”

“You were the culprit!”

“How would I know if she went out? I didn’t see her at all just now!” My defense was lost in the cold wind, and the bandaged wound oozed blood once again. He just accelerated without caring, his eyes searching...

Half an hour later, we finally saw Aurora’s figure on the roadside. She squatted on the ground, hugging herself, crying in grievance.

Josiah immediately turned red-eyed and warned me, “You better pray that Aurora is okay, otherwise I won’t let you off the hook!”

He pushed me into the back seat and carried her to the passenger seat. Throughout the journey, the car was filled with nothing but her cries.

At the hospital, he accompanied Aurora for the examination, while he forcibly pulled me outside to wait. The continuous hours of turmoil caused my abdomen to gradually cramp up. I leaned against the wall, almost unable to stand.

For a long time, Josiah finally noticed my pale complexion. But he sternly reprimanded, “Stop pretending in front of me. She was the one who came out in the middle of the night, not you!”

“Hazel, I thought you were just tough on the outside but kind-hearted inside. Tonight, you have truly shown me a different side of you. You have utterly disappointed me!”

The doctor who had just scheduled the abortion procedure for me passed by, his gaze shifting back and forth between us. Doubtfully, he opened his mouth and said, “Who is this gentleman? Weren’t you saying…”

I broke out in a cold sweat on my forehead, worrying about how to explain to the doctor when suddenly Aurora cried out in pain in the hospital room.

The next second, the man beside me disappeared without a trace. I pulled at the corners of my lips and sighed with relief.

“It’s okay, my friend. The young couple had a fight and she ran away from home at night.” The doctor nodded knowingly.

“They had a quarrel, so you shouldn’t get involved. It’s a big month, so you have to be careful with everything, especially now in winter when it snows and the roads are slippery. It’s better not to go out unless necessary.”

Listening to the stranger’s advice, my heart became sour and bitter.

Before I could even recover, Josiah violently dragged me into the ward. “Aurora doesn’t blame you, but tonight’s incident was indeed your fault. Apologize to her, and we can move on.”

I was stunned for two seconds and burst into laughter. “Apologize? Josiah, are you out of your mind?”

“Tonight, the person who was humiliated is me, and the person who was kicked out is also me. She should be the one apologizing to me!”

As the words fell, he slapped me across the face, his eyes turning red with anger.

Aurora, on the bed, immediately tried to dissuade him in a gentle voice. “Sorry, it’s all my fault. Hazel, don’t be angry with Mr. Gilbert. I just made a joke without thinking, hoping to make everyone happy. I didn’t expect it to have such consequences.”

“I apologize to you and ask for your forgiveness. Please don’t argue because of me.”

I couldn’t hear what she specifically said anymore. Covering my swollen face, there was only disappointment and numbness left in my heart.

Josiah did not look at me and kept giving me ultimatums.

“Hazel, don’t you understand human language? I told you to apologize!”

“You have crossed my bottom line tonight.”