Chapter 8
The cheerful tone was completely unlike his usual style, chiming repeatedly.
But Gavin made no move to ansiver it.
“Gavin, why aren’t you answering?”
“Is it Nicole calling? Are you afraid to pick up in front of me?”
My voice dripped with sarcasm and mockery.
Left with no choice, Gavin powered off his phone.
His voice was heavy with exhaustion as he spoke.
“Hannah, please believe me. I’ve completely ended things
“It won’t happen again. I promise.”
But I didn’t give him the chance.
I scrolled through my phone, pulled Nicole out of my blocked contacts, and pressed the call button.
“Hannah Clark, you wretched woman!”
“Gavin belongs to me! Do you think terminating your pregnancy will earn you his sympathy and bring him back to you?”
“Dream on!”
Nicole’s shrieking voice sounded like an angry fishwife in a public square.
Gavin’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Through the rearview mirror, I saw his furrowed brow and the mix of shock and disgust in his eyes.
“Nicole, didn’t you have something to say to Gavin?”
“He’s driving and can’t pick up, so I called for you. Speak to him properly.”
I chuckled lightly, holding the phone closer to Gavin.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Just as I thought she had hung up, Nicole’s voice returned, this time trembling with tears.
“Gavin, you’re abandoning me…”
“I’m so scared… Our baby is scared too…”
“Do we have to die for you to forgive us…”
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Gavin’s car screeched to a halt as he slammed on the brakes.
“Hannah, are you alright?”
Gavin immediately turned to check on me, then quickly changed the subject.
“A dog just ran across the road–I almost hit it.”
“Hannah, we’re about to pass that roast duck place, Want me to get one for you?”
It was as if he hadn’t heard Nicole’s words at all. He continued driving with his usual calm expression.
But at the next intersection, I noticed him turning his phone back on.
sinnung at it, frequently checking the screen.
I couldn’t help but scoff, then opened my own phone to look at a photo.
The photo was dated three years ago, showing a pink box.
That was the thing I was looking for.
I stared at the image for a few minutes before turning off my phone.
Suddenly, Gavin’s phone rang again.
This time, he answered almost immediately.
“Mr. Hendrix, this is City General Hospital. Ms. Gracelynn attempted suicide and has been brought in for emergency treatment. You’re listed as her emergency contact…”
Before the caller finished, Gavin slammed on the brakes, pulling the car to a sharp stop on the side of the road.
“Hannah, she’s being resuscitated…”
“I can’t let her die. She has a heart condition…“.
His voice trailed off.
I smiled.
“Then go,” I said.
Relief washed over his face as he prepared to turn the car around toward the hospital.
But I added coldly, “I mean, take a cab to the hospital.”
“I’ll be driving the car.”
Gavin froze in the driver’s seat.
The next second, I opened the door, walked to the driver’s side, and motioned for him to get out.
“Go.”
Gavin looked down at me, hesitation in his eyes.
“You’re not stopping me?”
“Do you not care about me anymore?”
I said nothing, just met his gaze steadily.
Then his phone rang again.
Without hesitation, Gavin declined the call.
“Tell me, Hannah. Do you really not care about me at all?”
I chuckled softly.
“Gavin, you could always not go, couldn’t you?”
Gavin didn’t say another word.
We stood there in silence, locked in a stalemate, until the sound of a car horn broke the tension.
“Go on, then!”
“If you’re too late, Nicole and the baby she’s carrying might not make it.”
Chapter 8
I shrugged nonchalantly.
Gavin’s expression changed instantly.
His hand clenched tightly around his phone, his body rigid as though he was wrestling with a significant decision.
*Hannah, wait for me. I’ll go check on her. As long as she’s out of danger, I’ll come right back.”
In the end, Gavin left by taxi.
I drove to what used to be our home. On the way, I ran into a few familiar faces.
“Ms. Clark, back from your trip?”
“While you were away, Dr. Hendrix seemed so absent–minded. I saw him zoning out several times.”
“Yes, once he almost fell down the stairs!”
A few neighbors stopped me for small talk, and I smiled politely, offering vague responses.
Until one of them mentioned Nicole.
“That vixen finally left. For a moment, I thought she was here to seduce my husband!”
