7
Realizing what might have happened, I shakily grabbed the car keys and headed to the hospital where Cora had her Prenatal Checkup. But Cora wasn’t at that hospital. The on–duty doctor hesitated and looked at me with a hint of sympathy.
“Ms. Cora had scheduled an Abortion Procedure for this morning.”
Hearing this felt like a bolt of lightning. I stood there, frozen, my mind blank. My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, snapping me back to reality. With a flicker of hope, I fumbled for my phone, but my expression quickly darkened when I saw the caller ID. It wasn’t Cora. It was Adeline. Disappointment washed over me, and I didn’t have the energy to deal with Adeline. I mechanically pressed the hang–up button.
But Adeline was persistent, calling again and again. I had no choice but to answer. On the other side, Adeline sounded upset, “Nolan, where did you go? I’m scared… Are you leaving me again?”
I used to fall for Adeline’s antics, but now her whiny tone only irritated me more. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke in a hoarse, exhausted voice, “I’m not available right now. I’ll talk later.” Then I hung up.
My heart was entirely with Cora. Where was she? Where could she go? She was pregnant and accustomed to a life of comfort–was she in danger? Where was the child?
It was only at this moment that I realized I had developed feelings for Cora without even realizing it. I cared about her far more than I had imagined.
Unable to reach Cora, my only option was to check one hospital after another. I arrived at the hospital where Adeline was staying and asked the information desk if a pregnant woman named Cora had visited the maternity ward today.
The nurse checked and informed me “The pregnant woman wae hrought in by ambulance Her ahdamon had suffered avtornal impact and
12:24 PM
000
D
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Unable to reach Cora, my only option was to check one hospital after another. I arrived at the hospital where Adeline was staying and asked the information desk if a pregnant woman named Cora had visited the maternity ward today.
The nurse checked and informed me, “The pregnant woman was brought in by ambulance. Her abdomen had suffered external impact, and the child was already lost when she arrived. After undergoing an Abortion Procedure, she insisted on leaving the hospital.”
I was still reeling from the massive shock of the nurse’s words, standing there, dazed and lost. At that moment, Adeline ran over and hugged me. “Nolan, I knew you wouldn’t leave me!”
I pushed her away, gripping her arm tightly, looking at her with cold eyes for the first time. “What did you do to Cora?”
Adeline was stunned by my outburst and tried to hide her guilt. “I… I don’t understand what you’re saying. Did Cora say something to you? Don’t believe what she says behind my back. You know she hates me…”
“Cora had a miscarriage! Tell me! What did you do to her? Why did she hit her belly?”
Adeline had never seen me so agitated and replied nervously, “Nolan, she was four or five months pregnant. It’s not that easy to miscarry. Maybe she was jealous of you caring about me and was playing hard to get for attention.”
I never touched her stomach. How could you think that of me?” “Besides, even if she miscarried, it was probably due to poor embryo quality- survival of the fittest. Why blame me?”
I looked at Adeline in disbelief. ! couldn’t believe that the sweet, kind angel I thought I knew could show such a selfish face. I started to rethink everything–her supposed helplessness, her seemingly unintentional displays of vulnerability. Were they all just carefully crafted disguises from the start? Were the things I considered sweet gestures merely tactics to achieve her goals?
All my past feelings now seemed like a huge irony. Disappointment welled up from deep within me. I gave Adeline one last look and let go her hand. “You better hope Cora is okay, or I won’t consider our uncle and nephew relationship.”
With that, I left the hospital.
