Chapter 63 Complaints
(*) Lucky Draw
Melody looked at Chandler, her face filled with worry and hope.
But in her eyes, Chandler saw someone else–Ginny.
When Ginny first found out she was pregnant, had she looked like this too? Filled with hope for the child, imagining what their future would be like? And when she lost the baby, was she just as shaken, helpless, and heartbroken?
And where had he been then?
He hadn’t even sat beside her. Hadn’t said a single thing like, “I was looking forward to this child, too.” Or “I’m sorry.” Not even “I’m grieving too.”
So now, trying to make up for it in some small way, he spoke softly, carefully, “Don’t be scared. It’s over now. It won’t happen
again.”
Those were the words Melody had been longing to hear. And yet, why did it feel like his gaze wasn’t even on her? Why did it feel like, even now, he was thinking about someone else?
Was it Ginny?
The thought made her clench her fists under the covers.
*****
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Chapter 63 Complaints
(**) Lucky Draw
The next morning, Chandler left early, saying something about work at the unit. As she watched his back disappear, Melody’s uncase reached its peak.
In the half hour after he left, her thoughts spun out of control.
Would he come back? Had he gone to see Ginny?
And what if Ginny forgave him? What if they got back together? What would she do then?
The anxiety nearly drove her mad. Unable to stay another minute in the hospital, Melody changed quickly and drove home.
Her parents were in the living room, chatting. They’d been planning to bring chicken soup to the hospital later, but to their surprise, Melody walked in on her own–and she didn’t look well.
Her mother rushed over, gently pulling her to the couch, voice full of concern. “Are you not feeling well, sweetheart?”
Her father glanced around. “Where’s Chandler?”
He waited a few seconds, still not seeing Chandler follow her in, then frowned. “You’re pregnant. Your health isn’t great. How could he let you come back by yourself? When he gets here later, I need to have a serious talk with him.”
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Chapter 63 Complaints
Lucky Draw
Leaning on her mother’s shoulder, Melody quickly spoke up to defend him. “Dad, he had something urgent come up. If he were around, he definitely wouldn’t have let me come alone.”
Her mother nodded, but her tone was still firm. “At a time like this, nothing’s more important than you and the baby.”
What they were both truly upset about, though, was something deeper–Melody was already well into her pregnancy, and yet the Pierce family hadn’t given a clear answer. Chandler was still tangled up with that wife of his, dragging his feet on the divorce.
If it weren’t for how much Melody loved him, her parents would’ve made her end the pregnancy and cut ties with him long
ago.
“Where did he go?” her mother asked. “Didn’t he say yesterday he was on leave from the unit?”
Melody’s face darkened. “He didn’t say.”
She snuggled a little closer to her mother, then said quietly, “Mom, Dad… if I were to raise this baby on my own, would you help me? I don’t necessarily have to marry Chandler. It’s enough for me to know he once cared about me.
“I’ll take care of myself. And I’ll take care of our child. It’s just… when the baby’s really young, I won’t have much experience. I might not be able to handle it all by myself. So I wanted to ask if
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you could help me.”
By the time she finished, her eyes were rimmed red.
Lucky Draw
Her parents exchanged a quick look, and their faces darkened instantly.
“Did Chandler refuse to get a divorce?” her father said coldly.
“No, that’s not it. You’re misunderstanding him. I know how he feels about me,” Melody said quickly.
“It’s just… he’s a special operative. His marriage is under special protection. If Ginny refuses to divorce him, it’s not easy for Chandler to force the issue…”
She pushed all the blame onto Ginny.
Her parents exchanged another glance, calm but calculated.
After Melody was coaxed into her room to rest, her father took out his phone and made a few calls to his sons.
XXXXX
Ever since graduation, Ginny had buried herself in work at the hospital. For years now, she hadn’t had a single restful night of sleep. But now that she’d resigned, she was finally free–no responsibilities, no patients, no charts to study.
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So she let herself sleep in.
(**) Lucky Draw
At around 10 a.m., a ringing phone startled her awake.
It was Ryan. She’d missed his first two calls, too deep in sleep to hear them. This was his third.
He rarely called her so urgently, which made her anxious. She picked up quickly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Check the trending topics. Now.”
Ginny frowned. Hadn’t everything blown over a few days ago?
Unless…
A bad feeling bloomed in her chest. She opened X.
And there it was. Her name. Sitting right at the top of the hot search list.
And not just her name–Ryan’s was there too.
Someone had posted a photo of him defending her. The picture was taken from an angle that made it look… intimate.
Now, the internet was full of speculation about their relationship.
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