Chapter 445

He loosened his grip slightly but continued hugging her. "Sis, don't ever tell me you want to break up, okay?"

He lowered his head. A profound distress glittered in his eyes—something she'd never seen before. It was as if her mentioning a breakup would be devastating, utterly disorienting him. Was she that important to him? So important that he couldn't even consider a hypothetical scenario?

Grace felt a tightness in her chest, a deep discomfort. She couldn't resist returning his hug.

"Okay, Jay. I'll never say the word 'breakup'," she promised impulsively. She didn't consider the implications of that promise; she just couldn't bear to see him like that. It would break her heart.

That afternoon, Grace and Jason returned to the hospital to collect her check-up reports. Her main concerns stemmed from old injuries. Though healed, cold, humid weather still caused some joint pain. The doctor reassured her that this was simply a matter of needing more time to fully recover; it wasn't a major problem.

The more significant issue was the injury to her uterus.

The gynecologist explained that she needed extensive recuperative care before they could proceed with an operation that might improve her prognosis and increase her chances of conceiving.

"I still have a chance to have a baby?" Grace was thrilled. This was a deeply held, suppressed wish. Now, there was hope.

"We'll have to see how your body recovers. Right now, you have about a 30% chance," the specialist said.

30% might be low for most, but for Grace, it was a significant number.

"Then let's start the process," Jason immediately decided.

After collecting her medication, Grace and Jason left the hospital.

"Jason, thank you!" Grace said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Why are you thanking me? There's no need for thanks between us."

"If you hadn't brought me for a check-up, I wouldn't have known I still have a chance to be a mother," Grace whispered.

Hope bloomed—hope for motherhood, for a blood relative, for an end to her loneliness.

Jason quietly watched Grace's excited expression. This was the first time she'd shown such excitement for herself, not for family or friends. Previously, she seemed to have resigned herself to fate's cruel hand…