Measures had to be taken to save the baby because of the bleeding.

The news hit Avery like a ton of bricks. She was in a panicked frenzy.

"Doctor, what if I don't want to keep the baby?"

She was about to be divorced from Elliot, so that was not the time for her to be pregnant with his child.

The doctor looked thoughtfully at Avery, then said, "Why don't you want it? Do you have any idea how many people can't have babies even if they wanted to?"

Avery lowered her gaze as she fell silent.

"Why didn't your husband come with you?" asked the doctor. "Even if you don't want the baby, you should discuss it with him first."

Avery's brows furrowed.

Seeing her reaction, the doctor picked up her medical records. The doctor looked at Avery and said, "You're only 21? You're not married, then?"

"I… I might as well not be!" Avery said. They were about to get a divorce anyway.

"Surgical abortion isn't a simple procedure. Even if you want to go through with it, I can't fit you in today. Go home and really think about it. Whatever your relationship with your boyfriend is, the child is innocent."

The doctor passed Avery's medical records to her, then said, "Now that you're showing signs of bleeding, if we don't do something about it, it's hard to say if we'll be able to keep the baby anyway."

Avery's heart softened. "What do we have to do to save it?" she asked.

"Didn't you want an abortion? Have you changed your mind?" said the doctor. "You're a pretty girl, so your child is bound to be a beautiful baby. If you want to keep the baby, I'll prescribe some medication for you. You'll need bedrest for a week, then come for a follow-up after that."

…

The blazing sun made it difficult for Avery to keep her eyes open as she walked out of the hospital. Her back was drenched in a cold sweat, and her legs felt heavy.

She felt lost. She did not know where to go, nor did she know who to talk to.

The only thing she was certain about was that Elliot could not find out about this.

Otherwise, he would make his bodyguards drag her to the operating table.

She had not made up her mind about keeping the baby. Her mind was a mess, and she wanted to make a decision after she calmed down.

She hailed a cab and made her way to her uncle’s—Uncle Ron— house.

Since her parents' divorce, Avery's mother, Laura Jensen, had moved into her brother's home.

Ron Jensen's family was not as wealthy as the Tates, but they were still considered well-off.

"Avery! Did you come alone?" asked Ron's wife, Miranda Jensen. Her expression instantly turned cold when she noticed Avery arrived empty-handed.

"I heard that you brought a whole bunch of high-end gifts the last time you visited your father's home. I suppose etiquette isn't important when it's not your own home that you're visiting."

Miranda had planned to properly entertain Avery when she had arrived, but seeing her guest show up empty-handed made her turn frosty.

Avery was taken aback. "I'm so sorry, Aunt Miranda. I didn't mean to. I'll make sure to prepare something the next time I come over," said Avery.

"Forget it! From the looks of it, you've pretty much been kicked out of the Foster house," Miranda said mockingly. "I heard that Elliot Foster is awake. If he cared about you at all, you wouldn't be running over here crying for your mommy, would you?"

Avery's cheeks flushed as she was chastised.

Seeing her daughter getting bullied, Laura immediately said, "Even if my daughter was kicked out of the Foster family, you should not mock her for it."

"I was just speaking the truth! Do you really need to be so touchy, Laura?" Miranda snapped. "Don't forget whose house you're living in. Go ahead and move out if you have what it takes!"

Laura was livid, but she knew she could not win against Miranda.

Avery's heart twisted in her chest as she watched the scene before her.

She knew that Uncle Ron's home was not as ideal for her mother as living at the Tate house, but she figured it probably was not too bad.

She had no idea that things were so unpleasant between Laura and Miranda.

"Maybe you should move out and rent a place somewhere, Mom? I have some money on me…" Avery insisted earnestly.

Laura nodded, then said, "Okay, I'll go pack my things now."

Avery and Laura emerged from Ron's house in under half an hour and got into a cab.

"Don't worry about me, Avery," Laura said with a bitter smile. "I managed to save up some money over the years. I only stayed there because your grandmother was sick and wanted me to take care of her. If it weren't for her, I would have moved out a long time ago."

Avery lowered her gaze, then said after a moment's pondering, "Aunt Miranda wasn't wrong, you know? I'll be getting a divorce from Elliot in a couple of days."

Laura was stunned, then she immediately began to console her daughter.

"It's okay. You haven't graduated yet. Now, you can properly prepare for graduation after the divorce."

"Yeah," Avery responded as she rested her head against Laura's shoulder. "I won't go back to the Tate house after the divorce. Let's live together, Mom!"

She had no plans to tell her mother about her pregnancy.

Laura would be worried sick if she found out.

When Avery returned to the Foster mansion that night, the large living room was engulfed in pin drop silence.

Mrs. Cooper suddenly appeared out of nowhere and scared Avery into a cold sweat.

"Have you had dinner, Madam? I left some food for you. I also got you some tampons."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper. I already ate. Why is the house so quiet? Is he not home?" Avery asked before walking into her room.

"Master Elliot hasn't returned. The doctor told him to rest at home but he wouldn't listen," Mrs. Cooper sighed. "He's always had a mind of his own. No one can order him around."

Avery nodded slightly.

She had a deep impression of Elliot despite the few encounters they had shared.

He was rebellious, ruthless, and insufferably arrogant.

The small iota of sympathy that she felt for him when he was sick vanished completely after he regained consciousness.

Avery tossed and turned in bed that night.

She thought of the child growing inside of her. Not only did she not feel calmer than she felt at the hospital earlier, but she was feeling even more restless.

The next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

Avery did not want to bump into Elliot, so she did not leave her room for a while.

Mrs. Cooper knocked on her door at 9.30 a.m. and said, "Master Elliot has just left, Madam. You can come have breakfast now."

Avery did not expect Mrs. Cooper to know exactly what she was thinking, and her cheeks turned red.

She received a phone call after breakfast.

It was a classmate from college who was offering her a job translating a manu.

"I know you're busy with your graduation thesis right now, but this manu should be a piece of cake for you. The pay is really good, but they need it done before noon today."

Avery was short on money, so she agreed after only a moment's contemplation.

She finished translating the manu by 11.30 a.m. and was about to send the file to her classmate after checking it twice and making sure there were no mistakes.

Suddenly, her laptop screen began to flicker.

Avery stared in horror as the screen turned blue, then black… Her laptop completely crashed!

It was a good thing she had saved the file on a USB drive.

She sighed in relief before she pulled the USB drive out of the laptop.

She needed to find another computer to send the file on the USB drive to her classmate.

"Mrs. Cooper, there's something wrong with my laptop, but I'm in a hurry. Is there another computer in the house? I just need to send a file."

"There is, but it's Master Elliot's."

Avery felt her heart freeze.

She would not dare use Elliot's computer.

"It's just one file. That shouldn't take long, right?" When Mrs. Cooper saw how anxious Avery looked, she said, "Master Elliot might be scary, but he's not all bad. Since you're in a rush, I doubt he'll blame you."

Avery looked at the time.

It was already 11.50 a.m., and she had to have the file sent out before noon.

Elliot's study was located on the second floor of the mansion.

The whole time that he had been bed-ridden, apart from the cleaning ladies, no one else entered his study.

Avery was terrified of getting caught by Elliot, but at the same time, she really wanted to get that easy money.

She needed the cash.

If she decided to get an abortion, she needed to save up enough for the surgery.

The child was not hers alone. It also belonged to Elliot, so borrowing his computer could be counted as his contribution to the medical fees.

Avery entered the study, walked straight to the desk, and turned on the computer.

Just as she was wondering what to do if the computer was password protected, the screen lit up in a flash.