The doctor was blunt: she needed to terminate the pregnancy and start chemotherapy immediately for any chance of survival.
Having missed the optimal treatment window and drained by the pregnancy, the vibrant college girl was gone. The doctor administered painkillers, but real treatment required chemo.
Rose’s first question upon waking was, “Is the baby okay?” Feeling her belly, she sighed in relief.
The doctor advised hospitalization for treatment. Rose insisted they help her keep the baby. “My days are numbered. I must give him a child. The baby is proof of our love. Whenever he sees the child, he’ll think of me. After I’m gone, he’ll never love another woman.”
The doctor looked at her as if she were insane and ordered a brain scan.
Lying in her hospital bed, Rose continued reading her novels on her phone, sobbing at the dramatic parts.
Mom, seeing Rose like this, was both heartbroken and furious.
Rose decided to be hospitalized for fetal preservation. In her current state, a miscarriage was imminent. Mom pleaded with her to prioritize her health, but Rose yelled, “Get out! A background character like you has no right to tell me what to do!”
Dad, however, saw an opportunity. He supported Rose having the baby. “That’s my girl! You understand. The Allendales might not want you, but they won’t turn away their own grandson. Sweetie, focus on the pregnancy. Have this baby.”
Rose, suddenly remembering something, tried to text Hunter, only to find she was blocked. She flew into a rage. “It must be that b*tch Chloe! She’s the villainess, sabotaging us from the shadows!”
Mom said Rose had lost her mind and begged me to talk sense into her.
“I already tried,” I said. “If she’s determined to self-destruct, who can stop her?”
Chloe was the daughter of the Chow family, Hunter’s arranged marriage match—his legitimate, actual girlfriend. In Rose’s eyes, she was the evil villainess.
I thought she didn’t just have cancer; she had a severe mental illness. No wonder the doctor suggested a brain scan.
“Mom, stop trying. She’s an adult. She knows what she’s doing.” Even though the doctors said her body couldn’t handle a pregnancy, and delaying treatment risked both their lives, Rose was deaf to reason. She was determined to have this baby.
But she was a college dropout with no money. My dad, dreaming of being a wealthy in-law, saw the baby as his ticket onto the Allendale gravy train. He became Rose’s enforcer and set his sights on me.
“Ryan, hand over your savings. Your sister needs it for the baby.”
So that’s why the two of them had followed Mom and me home.
“I refuse. Why should my money go to her?”
Dad’s face hardened. This wasn’t a request; it was an order. “If you don’t pay up today, you’re not leaving this house. And that pathetic $3,000-a-month job of yours? Quit it. Once your sister marries into money, you’ll get your cut.”
Dad had always been this naive and entitled. Did he really think a family like the Allendales, with their sprawling estate, needed a child with a potential cancer gene? The absurdity was staggering. A delusional daughter and a father living in a fantasy—truly a matched pair.
Mom wanted no part of this social climbing. She just wanted Rose to end the pregnancy and get well. “What’s the point of a baby if you’re dead? Fang Jiafu, you’re money-crazy!”
Dad shoved Mom aside. “What do you know? You’re short-sighted! That’s why you’ll never be rich. You’re too ‘noble’ to climb the social ladder? Fine, but don’t stand in my way. Ryan, give me your money. Now.”
Rose stroked her belly triumphantly, her gaunt face still tilted upward. “Ryan, this is your last chance to get on my good side. Once I deliver the heir, you’ll be nothing to me.”
Mom tried again. “Rui Rui, if you’re gone, you have nothing. You can have another baby later!”
I had said those exact words in our past life. After her cancer was cured, Rose could never conceive again. The memory sent her into a frenzy.
“Bullsh*t! I fell for that once! I won’t believe any of you again!” The forced abortion in her previous life was the root of her hatred for me.
“Dad, if she won’t give it, we’ll take it. She has no choice today.”
Dad gave Rose a reassuring look. Mom was on the verge of tears, watching me with worry.
I pulled a bank card from my pocket. Rose knew it was my salary card and lunged for it, but I dodged.
“After you take this,” I said, “we are done.” I tossed the card to my money-hungry father and left with my things.
Rose couldn’t wait to pack and return to the hospital. As I walked out, Dad was already helping her downstairs. Watching their hurried figures, I smiled.
I hoped they’d be happy with the money in that account.
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