What Cannot Be Consoled

"...The fetus isn't very stable right now, so the mother-to-be can't engage in any strenuous activities. Also, regarding intimacy, you should avoid it for these two months..."

Seeing Ethan and Vivian walk into the examination room she had just exited, Pearl held back her tears and tried to leave. As she passed the doorway, she overheard the doctor's instructions to them.

"Okay. Thank you, doctor. I'll make sure she's careful," Ethan responded in a gentle voice.

Even without looking, Pearl could easily imagine him protectively hovering over Vivian.

Pearl quickened her pace but collided with someone in the corridor. Ethan, who was coming out of the examination room, spotted her anyway.

"Pearl?" Ethan frowned and called out to her. "What are you doing at the hospital?"

"I... My stomach was hurting, so I came for a checkup." Pearl clutched the pregnancy test results in her hand.

"Stomach pain?" Vivian emerged from behind Ethan and spoke in a rather intimate tone. "I heard from Ethan that you skip meals all the time. That's probably why you have this problem now."

Pearl only nodded without responding.

When she noticed Pearl's gaze fall on the ultrasound report in Vivian's hand, Ethan's expression grew flustered. He quickly spoke up, "Pearl, don't misunderstand. I'm not..."

"Ethan!" Vivian tugged on Ethan's sleeve in a coquettish manner. Ethan stopped talking, though his expression remained conflicted.

Not wanting to continue this awkward situation, Pearl made up an excuse and left.

Behind her, Ethan wanted to reach out and grab her hand, but Vivian pulled at him with a pleading look on her face. "Ethan, you promised you'd keep this secret for me for now!"

He immediately stopped himself from chasing after Pearl.

…

Pearl walked out of the hospital alone. She did not have a single relative in this world. After wandering the streets for a long while, she eventually found herself at the entrance to the care facility.

Oliver was delighted to see her and kept trying to get her to eat. His mind was already a bit muddled, yet he still remembered to ask about Pearl's job search after graduation, saying he would make arrangements for her.

Pearl declined. In the end, she still did not tell him about the pregnancy.

Even so, being there gave her a reason to keep the child. She desperately needed a relative, someone who shared her blood… Someone who would be on her side.

However, if she was going to have this baby, she most likely could not go to Arcanum.

Pearl looked at the team leader's number on her phone. As she debated whether to call, a message from Ethan popped up.

[Pearl, are you free tomorrow evening? I made a reservation at Cloud Restaurant. There's something I need to tell you.]

That restaurant was the one Pearl had booked for their anniversary, the day he had left her waiting. Recalling that painful memory, Pearl felt like it was a lifetime ago.

She typed in the chat box: [Okay. I'll be there on time.]

Perfect. She needed to confess to Ethan about the divorce anyway.

She had already consulted a lawyer. If she wanted to have the baby without telling Ethan, she could not hide the divorce from him. Otherwise, Ethan might use it as grounds to fight her for custody later.

…

"Didn't you want to come to this restaurant before? Today, we're making up for it."

After parking across from the restaurant, Ethan spoke with a hint of guilt. As he finished speaking, he reached out and clasped Pearl's hand in his.

Pearl stiffened. This was the first time in four years that Ethan had voluntarily held her hand. She was not used to it and instinctively tried to pull away.

Just then, Ethan's phone chimed. He let go of her hand to check his phone.

Whatever he saw made his handsome brows furrow immediately. Right there in the middle of the street, he stopped and frantically opened a livestreaming app.

Pearl looked over. On the screen, Vivian was livestreaming herself about to slit her wrists.

"Watch out!"

A car came speeding around the corner. Ethan, whose attention was on his phone, stood frozen in place.

Pearl forcefully yanked him backward. Her own body got clipped by the speeding vehicle, and she fell to the ground.

"Pearl!"

Ethan finally snapped back to reality. He glanced at Pearl on the ground, then at the live stream on his phone...

After only a moment's hesitation, he brushed off his sleeves. "Pearl, Vivian's situation is urgent. I need to go to her first!"

At that moment, Pearl lay on the roadside. Amid the bustling cars and crowds, she watched Ethan leave in a panic.

She tried hard to get up, but a sharp pain shot through her lower body. She looked down. Bright red blood had already soaked through her pants.