Chapter 157 Keep the Baby
In the middle of the night, Anne had texted Meryl, asking her to come to the hospital this morning. After quickly getting ready, Meryl hurriedly caught a cab over.
At that moment, Dante was in Anne’s hospital room, looking worn out with dark circles under his eyes. His stubble had grown out, and he appeared quite disheveled. Anne didn’t look much better; though she had managed to get some sleep, a visible imprint from the hospital pillow marked her smooth cheek. Dante had stayed by Anne’s bedside all night long.
Anne was admitted because her pregnancy was unstable, and she was showing signs of a possible miscarriage. Dante had only found out the reason for her hospitalization when he arrived. Thinking of how he had been out playing cards while Anne was in agony at home, Dante felt like a complete jerk.
So, even though Anne was giving him the cold shoulder and refusing to speak to him, Dante remained at her bedside. Anne managed to catch a few hours of sleep in the latter part of the night, but Dante hadn’t closed his eyes once. When Meryl arrived, Dante moved aside to give her space.
“Anne, are you hungry? I’ll go get you something to eat.” With that, Dante headed out.
As he left, Meryl gently took Anne’s hand. “How are you feeling?”
Anne managed a faint smile. “I find it quite amusing. Last night, he was by my bed, confessing his sins. It’s just so ironic. All I can think about now is how he used to protect Lola.”
Anne’s smile faded as tears welled up in her eyes.
Meryl handed her a tissue, gently wiping away her tears. “After you left last night, Dante said he would never see Lola again.”
Anne shook her head. “It’s no longer important to me.”
Meryl’s gaze shifted to Anne’s abdomen. “Still planning to go through with it? Once Dante finds out, he’ll try to stop you.”
If Meryl remembered correctly, Anne’s abortion surgery was scheduled for ten o’clock. Dante probably didn’t know this yet, assuming Anne was in the hospital just to stabilize her pregnancy. Meryl glanced at the clock on the wall; there were less than twenty minutes left until ten.
With a fifteen-minute prep time for the surgery, that meant Dante had just five minutes to convince Anne to keep the baby.
While they were talking, Dante returned with the food.
“The options near the hospital are pretty basic. Eat something now, and when you’re out of here, let me know what you want. I’ll make sure it’s ready for you.”
Dante laid out the food in front of Anne. Seeing it, Anne suddenly gagged. Dante looked alarmed, quickly moving to comfort her and taking the food away.
“I need to tell you something,” Anne said suddenly.
Meryl hesitated, guessing what Anne might want to discuss. She quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
“You’re saying?” Dante asked with his attention fully on Anne.
“I’m planning to…”
Suddenly, Dante’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and cut the call off, signaling Anne to continue.
Anne took a deep breath. “I’m planning to…”
Another ring interrupted her. Dante’s impatience was evident as he showed a look of irritation. Noticing it was a different number, Dante finally said, “Hold on a second, I need to take this call.”
Anne lay back on her pillow, her expression steady as she watched him leave.
Dante stood in the corridor, holding his phone with one hand on his hip, leaning against the wall. Meryl was nearby. The phone’s loudspeaker allowed her to overhear the conversation.