Chapter 525 She’s Pregnant
Courtney never thought Alexander had to do anything for her, and she could understand his obsession with his career, so she told him to do his stuff first.
Alexander hesitated for a moment, a frown dotting his forehead.
The air was tense, and Oliver could see why. He got up, put his hands in his pockets, and wrapped his arm around Courtney’s shoulder. “Leave your wife to me. I’ll keep her safe for as long as I’m here.”
Alexander’s face darkened even further, and he stared at the hand on Courtney’s shoulder. “She’s your sister-in-law,” he said, veiling a threat.
“Yeah. Still my sister.”
Oliver looked a lot younger and livelier than Alexander was. Since he was so confident, Alexander said nothing. Right before he went out, he said, “I think I should call your wife.”
Oliver looked horrified, and he pulled his hand away, as if he was electrocuted. “Hey, you’re a man. You shouldn’t snitch.”
“I’m a businessman. I value efficiency and effectiveness.” Alexander smirked. He stepped back and kissed Courtney’s forehead, then caressed her cheeks. “I’ll see you once I’m done with work.” He then left. The sound of his footsteps rang in the living room, and he said, “Keep her safe.”
The Melrose Intern Aptitude Tournament was an event jointly organized by more than a dozen public hospitals in the city. It was a biannual event, so not all interns had the chance to join. Registration was voluntary, but Linda had handed in Courtney’s registration form behind her back. Not everyone could have the chance to join, and Courtney was brilliant enough to perhaps even win this, which would make her intern life a lot smoother. In fact, it would help with her career too. Courtney refused at first, but in the end, Linda told her, “You would have been fired if I hadn’t covered for you. You have been taking a lot of days off lately.” She agreed to join after that.
The wipers wiped the water away from the windshield, but the rain foggied everything up again. Courtney held the steering wheel tightly, driving as calmly as she could. It was silent in the car. Oliver was fiddling with a curio in the car. It was a husky with a bouncy head. Whenever the car bumped, the husky’s head would bounce around cutely. “You like things like this?”
Courtney flicked the husky’s head and answered nonchalantly, “Tina bought this for me.”
“You didn’t even send your kids off. Are you sure about this?”
Courtney looked away, and her eyelashes trembled. She kept driving, still looking calm. “Tina grew up with me. She already knew how to take care of herself when she was five, and she handles most of her own stuff up until this point. Maybe I did fail as a mother. That’s why she’s so independent.” After a pause, her gaze darkened. “I can’t leave now, and it might be safer for them if I didn’t go.”
“You have a point.”
Oliver put on a relaxed front, and this time, he fiddled with the plushie that was used as a cushion. Courtney was still looking ahead, but the next thing she said hit his sore spot. “So, what’s with you and Tessa? You looked a little uncomfortable when Alexander brought her up just now.” She did not talk about it because Oliver would not tell her everything if Alexander was there. She wanted to leave it for later, but Oliver’s behavior was worrying her.
Oliver put the plushie down and leaned back, looking at the car’s roof dazedly. He had no idea what to say, and in the end, he answered, “She’s pregnant.”
“HUH?” Courtney slammed the brakes, and Oliver flew forward. He held his bruised forehead, wincing in pain. She turned around and gave him a look of disappointment. “So what’s the problem with that?”
Oliver’s face was red. He hemmed and hawed, and in the end, he said, “Nothing. I just drank too much that night, got a little impulsive, and I forgot to get the co—” His face got even redder, and Courtney smacked his head.
“I don’t want the details! I mean, you and Tessa just need to get married, and things will go a lot better then. It’s the last step now. You should know what to do, so why the long face?” She wondered for a while, and then she gave him a look of disdain. “Oh, so you don’t want to marry her?”
Oliver rubbed his forehead, feeling a little sad. He took out a ring from his pocket. The quality of the diamond was great because it sparkled brightly, and the craftsmanship was impeccable. She could see it cost a lot, but to Oliver, it felt a little grating. “I’m not the one who doesn’t want to get married.”
Courtney understood what he was getting at. She kept quiet and revved the car back up again, then continued driving toward her destination.
Oliver had a cool look on his face, and he told her about what happened. About two and a half months ago, when Oliver was on a mission, he passed by Tessa’s base and stayed there for the night. It just so happened he had a celebration with his team that night as well. He got a little drunk, and they slept together. A month ago, Tessa told him calmly that she was pregnant. They thought marriage would come next, but Tessa’s superior was badly injured in a secret mission. She was appointed as captain in the interim, and if they succeeded in the mission, she would have a bright future ahead of her. Accidents like marriage or pregnancies at this time would ruin her future.
“She thinks her career is more important than the kid.” That was what Oliver said, and he sounded dejected.
“And?” Courtney said nothing to that and waited for him to continue.
“We met a week ago, and I hid the ring in the cake when we went out for dinner. I was gonna propose, but she told me she wanted an abortion.” After a pause, Oliver smiled bitterly. “So I took the cake and left. I had no idea what to feel. Heck, I have no idea how to describe how I felt.”
She had been separated from them for five years, and Courtney found it hard to adjust. Oliver used to be a punk who kept complaining about how fierce Tessa was, and how he could not get used to it, but now he was looking all dejected after getting a de facto refusal.
“You want to hear what I think about this?”
“Sure.” He nodded. She was the only one whom he could confide in.
“Before Alexander and I tied the knot, we went through a lot. Sometimes it’s because of a lack of understanding, sometimes it’s a lack of trust, sometimes it’s a lack of honesty. In the end, we were separated for half a decade. If we could just be honest, the separation would not have happened.” She started smiling. “Neither you or Tessa are in the wrong. This is something you guys have to overcome. If you can overcome it, then it’ll become a memory for you, but if you don’t, it’ll be a hard trial.” She paused for a moment. “That’s all I have to say. You’re smart. You should know what I mean.”
The car was silent once more. This time, Oliver seemed to be immersed in his own world.
