Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Elspeth turned around. “I’m going to bed,” she uttered without bothering to conceal the fatigue in her voice. Callum stared at her for a while, and his gaze darkened before he went into their room to grab his pillows. He ended up sleeping in the guest room that night, and they had started sleeping separately since then.
Callum and Elspeth were the only two people at home in the daytime. Usually, Callum would wake up earlier to prepare breakfast for Elspeth. However, Elspeth was surprised when she woke up to find that Callum hadn’t cooked anything the next morning. She sighed at the sight of the empty table. It seems like we really have some unresolved issues. Well, I’m not going to be the one to give in this time. I’m the one who’s pregnant here-Callum should be the one apologizing to me!
Elspeth ended up waiting for three whole days. Callum didn’t show any signs of remorse throughout this period-he didn’t seem like he wanted to give in, either. Elspeth received a call while she was waiting for Callum’s apology. “It’s been a while, Elspeth.” Arthur’s voice was clear and firm. “There’s something I’d like to tell you. Is Callum beside you now?” His voice sounded like a warm summer breeze.
“No,” Elspeth responded in a rather curt tone as she felt frustrated upon hearing Callum’s name. “That’s great. Could we meet up for a meal?” Arthur asked.
“I’m busy,” she replied. “I know you’re pregnant now, and I understand how you might have mood swings. However, other people might not understand what you’re going through,” he stated.
Does he know that I’m pregnant? “How did you find out about this?” Elspeth clenched her fists. “You don’t need to know how I found out about it, but you might be more worried if others find out about it.” He was obviously threatening her. Even though Elspeth didn’t know how he found out about her pregnancy, she knew that he could hold it against her.
If others learned about her pregnancy, the McGraths would be the first to send someone over to hurt her. On top of that, all the other people she had offended in the past would definitely seize this opportunity to harm her. Elspeth was confident that she could protect her own child, but she felt uneasy after knowing that Arthur was involved in this matter.
Arthur knew that she was Helia’s daughter, so he would definitely take advantage of this piece of information to cause a fuss in the public’s eye. He would change the narrative and make it seem as if her child with Callum was a product of incest-he would make it seem as if she was bearing her cousin’s child. Elspeth could ignore all these matters, but she didn’t want her child to have to deal with the consequences of such rumors.
Elspeth felt especially troubled whenever Arthur held something against her. She wanted to reject him, but she knew that she couldn’t be too harsh when the man held such an important piece of information in his hands. “I’m really busy,” she replied.
“It seems like you’re not worried about this at all.” Arthur swirled the wine in his glass as he smirked. “Well, that’s okay. If you don’t want to come over, I can always go to you.”
“You must have lost your mind. I’m in the Winthrop Residence now,” Elspeth uttered with a frown. “I know that. I also know that Callum isn’t home now,” Arthur added. He talked for a while more before Elspeth heard the sound of a car engine coming from his end of the line. “Alright. Don’t come over,” Elspeth uttered before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. “Name a place. I’ll go over to meet you.”
“I knew you’d agree to meet up eventually.” Arthur let out a grin of victory. “Let’s meet at Damoria Delicacies. They serve pretty good Damorian food, and I remember how much you love local food.”
Elspeth felt her head throbbing. “You must’ve remembered wrongly. I don’t like Damorian food.” She felt disgusted whenever she had to interact with Arthur.
“Well, you should take your time to get ready since you’re a pregnant woman. I’ll see you in an hour.” Arthur ended the call after that. Elspeth freshened up, but she didn’t bother to put on any makeup. She headed over to the restaurant they had agreed to meet at. Arthur was already inside by the time she arrived, and a glimpse of fondness surfaced in his gaze when he first saw her. However, he quickly wiped the look off his face. He stubbed the cigarette in his hand and opened the window a little wider when he noticed the woman’s baby bump.
Elspeth took a seat in the spot that was farthest away from him. “Why did you want to meet me in person, Arthur? Are you going to drug me the way you did the last time?” she asked.
Arthur shook his head before chuckling and admitting to his faults. “I know I acted a little too rashly the last time, but I genuinely miss you this time. I just wanted to have a chat,” he said.
“I’ve said this a ton of times, but I really don’t have much to say to you,” she replied.
“No,” Arthur said while shaking his head. “I asked you out today because of your pregnancy,” he explained. Elspeth immediately went into fight-or-flight mode as she pressed a hand against her belly while eyeing the man cautiously. “You’re not going to find ways to torture the baby in my belly, are you?”
Arthur flashed her a bitter smile. “I know I’m not the nicest man around, but I’ve never wanted to harm you. You don’t have to be so careful around me.” Even though Arthur had a rather horrible personality, he was right when he claimed that he had never done anything to harm her directly.
Elspeth nodded. “What do you want to know, then?” she asked.
“I found out about your pregnancy because Jethro told me about it,” Arthur explained. Elspeth was then reminded of what happened in the pharmacy. She contemplated the whole situation for a while, and she felt a sense of displeasure toward Jethro after she finally made sense of the whole situation.
“I don’t think you should keep the child.” Arthur got straight to his point. He made it sound as if the world would end once she gave birth to the child.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to tell me what I should do with my baby.” Elspeth was aware that she had considered aborting the child, but she didn’t want others to tell her what to do. “You’re a smart woman, Elspeth. I’ve always known this about you.” Arthur paused for a moment, then he sighed at the sight of her emotionless face. “But… Do you know how much you might be affected by the birth of this child?” he asked slowly.
Elspeth kept the same blank expression on her face as she spoke in a hard voice. “I know.”
“You don’t. If you knew how much you’d be affected, you wouldn’t be so stubborn now.” Arthur knew how stubborn the woman was, so he tried to switch to a gentler tone as he continued explaining the situation to her.
“Firstly, the child came at a bad time. Both you and Callum are focusing on developing the business now. Do you think you can bring yourself to give up on Azure Corporation just to care for the child? You’ll have to put in a lot of effort to care for a child on your own. Would you be able to do that? Secondly, you still don’t know where your real father is. Even if you manage to prove that you’re not blood-related to Callum, the public will still make comments on this matter. If you give birth to your child now, the child will carry the name of being born out of incest. Are you sure that this is what you want for your child?” Arthur asked.
“Lastly, and most importantly… You’re not fit to have a child now,” he said.
“What did you just say?” Elspeth’s gaze darkened.
Elspeth could tell that she wasn’t at the peak of her health-this was also one of the reasons she had contemplated if she should keep the child. However, the way Arthur phrased it made it seem as if she would fall apart after giving birth to a child. Elspeth managed to keep a calm look on her face although she was clenching her fists under the table. “What are you talking about? What do you know about this?”
“I know more than you think I do, of course. I only wanted to remind you of this matter because I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” The look of concern on Arthur’s face didn’t seem pretentious. Elspeth was rather suspicious of his intentions. “Well, I still need you to give me a solid reason.” She wasn’t going to put her complete trust in the man’s words-she had to remain vigilant around him.
“Would you trust me if I told you the truth?” he asked.
“I’ll try my best to trust you.” Elspeth then realized how the man had been hesitant to tell her everything only because he was afraid that she would be suspicious of him. Arthur forced a smile. “I knew it. I’m sure you’ll never have complete trust in me. However, I still wanted to talk to you about this for the sake of your own health. When Jasmine’s grandfather treated your illness, he didn’t completely heal you. You might feel like you’re completely healed, but the truth is that your body wouldn’t be able to handle childbirth,” Arthur explained.
“Are you saying that Old Mr. McGrath did this to stop me from getting back together with Callum? Was this his plan all along?” Elspeth felt chills running down her spine. She hadn’t considered this matter in the past. She hadn’t expected Haris to be so manipulative.
“I guess you could say that.” Arthur seemed rather uneasy at that point. “Well, regardless, I don’t think you should keep the child.”
“Arthur.” Elspeth looked up with a hint of amusement in her gaze. “I don’t think your intentions are all that pure, am I right?”
A look of embarrassment flashed across Arthur’s face. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know what I mean, and you know what I’m about to say.” Elspeth took a deep breath as she felt anger building up within her. “I know my body the best, and I know whether I’m capable of handling childbirth or not. I don’t need you to tell me what to do.” With that said, Elspeth got to her feet and stormed out of the restaurant.
Elspeth only managed to calm down a little after she stepped out of Damoria Delicacies. She rubbed her belly with a neutral expression on her face. However, she still felt rather flustered and worried deep down. She wasn’t sure if everything Arthur told her was the truth, but she knew that part of what he said was right. I know that I can’t handle childbirth at this moment. I can tell from the discomfort that I’ve felt ever since I got pregnant. But… I’m also worried that he might only be stopping me from having the child due to his own selfish reasons.
Things were a complete mess in Elspeth’s mind. However, her eyes lit up when she thought of a person. About three hours later, Elspeth’s cab reached the entrance of a villa. She pulled out a few notes and handed them to the cab driver. “Keep the change.” The cab driver was elated, and he thanked her a few times before he drove off. Elspeth straightened her clothes before she stepped forward to knock on the front door.
Elspeth knitted her brows together when no one came to the door after her third knock. She eventually pushed the door open to let herself in. The door wasn’t locked, so she knew that someone was home. After some hesitation, Elspeth walked to the backyard, where she found a figure bent over in front of some bushes. The person was trimming the messy plants in the yard.
“Hey, old man.” Elspeth stood on the steps as she called out to the man in a laidback voice. It had been a while since Sonny last saw Elspeth, and he jumped in surprise when he heard the familiar voice coming from behind him. He nearly dropped his shovel on his foot. “What brings you here today, El? Do you miss me?” Sonny wiped the sweat off his forehead and kept his gardening tools away. He placed the tools on a rack and picked up a bottle of water before taking a few gulps.
“I’m pregnant,” Elspeth uttered. Sonny couldn’t help but spit the water out of his mouth after he heard the woman’s words. He was too shocked to speak for a while, and all he did was point a shaky finger in the woman’s direction. “You… You…”
“What about me? I was wondering whether I should keep the child.” Elspeth lowered her head and fidgeted. Sonny gazed in the direction of her flat belly before he spoke in a stern voice. “You don’t seem too well. Perhaps you should consider giving up on the child.”
“Well, would you have any ways to… help me keep the child?” Elspeth gazed at the old man. She was certain that he would have an idea. Sonny plucked a four-leaf clover from a bush nearby before he toyed around with it. “I think it’s best if you don’t give birth anytime soon.” Sonny had known Elspeth for years, and she was practically like a daughter to him. He couldn’t bear to watch the woman lie to herself, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her sacrificing her life just for her child!
“Why would you say that?” Elspeth knew the answer, but she insisted on questioning the man anyway. “Don’t you know my reasons? You’ve never been in great health, and I’m worried that both you and the child might end up losing your lives if you insist on giving birth,” he uttered in a helpless tone. Elspeth was his mentee, so he knew that she had never been the healthiest person.
In the past, Sonny had attempted to brew some supplements that could help with Elspeth’s health. However, he could clearly tell that Elspeth had lost a lot of weight since she got pregnant. The child in her belly was sucking up all of her nutrients. “Look at yourself. You’ve lost so much weight… Tsk. Is this how Callum takes care of his wife? How could he allow you to lose so much weight?”
Sonny felt sorry for Elspeth. “I think you would’ve been much better off if you had married the kid from the Payne Family. At least he genuinely cared for you! I could tell that he loved you from the way he treated you when we were abroad…” Sonny didn’t bother to filter his words.
Elspeth felt rather uneasy at the mention of Gilbert. “Alright. I’m a married woman now, and that was all in the past. Let’s not talk about that anymore. Just tell me-do you think it’s possible for me to keep the child?”
Sonny sighed while knitting his brows together. “It’s going to be hard.”
“What are the chances of things working out?” she asked.
“Less than 20%,” he replied honestly. He felt bad when he saw the look of disappointment on her face. “It’s fine. You’re still young, so you can always get another child. You don’t have to give birth now. You can give birth to more kids once you fix your health issues,” he uttered.
Elspeth nodded. “I got it,” she muttered in a rather dejected tone.
“You shouldn’t worry about this. Now’s not a good time to have a child, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll never be able to give birth.” Sonny felt like Elspeth was being too pessimistic toward the whole matter.
Elspeth gazed down at her own belly. The fetus is barely a month old, yet I feel like it already has a life of its own. I feel like it’s connected to me. This is my first child with Callum, yet I’ll have to end its life before it gets to see this world. Elspeth’s heart ached at the thought of this.
She felt a surge of sorrow as she rubbed her own belly. “You should terminate your pregnancy as soon as possible. You have to do it for the sake of your own health.” Sonny patted her shoulder as he comforted her in a gentle voice. “I’ll get you some herbs now, and you can brew and drink them once you’re home. You can come to me after you’ve aborted the child. I’ll make sure to nurture you to good health.”
Elspeth hesitated for a while longer before she eventually went to the hospital. The baby in her belly seemed to know what its fate was-she thought she felt it moving around inside her. Elspeth couldn’t help but chuckle at herself. The child is just one month old, and it has barely formed. How could it possibly move? This is all in my head, she thought.
“You’re here, Elspeth.” A familiar voice came from behind her. She turned around to find herself staring at Arthur’s face. This guy seems to be everywhere! Arthur’s gaze softened when he noticed the papers she was holding in her hand. “Are you here to abort your child?”
“That has got nothing to do with you.” Elspeth turned around as she felt the need to stop Arthur from staring at her belly.
“You should’ve listened to my advice and aborted the child from the start, Elspeth… But I guess it’s good that you’ve decided to do it today. I’ll arrange for the best doctors to be on duty, and I’ll make sure that everything goes smoothly…” Elspeth felt her hairs standing on end when she heard the rather loving tone in the man’s voice.
“I said it’s none of your business!” Elspeth frowned in disgust.
“It’s fine. I’ll go make the necessary arrangements.” Arthur walked off with a victorious smirk on his face. At that moment, Elspeth no longer had the motivation to complete her procedure in that hospital. She had been about to leave when she noticed a man standing at the entrance of the hospital. The man was tall and slender, and he wore a rather mysterious look on his face.
Elspeth didn’t know how to describe how she felt-there was a mixture of guilt and helplessness within her. Yet, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from walking in his direction. She took a deep breath after stopping in front of him. “What brings you here?” she asked in a cautious voice.
“I should be the one asking you this question.” There wasn’t a hint of emotion in Callum’s voice. “Did you hear our entire conversation?” Elspeth asked with a rather pained look on her face. “Did you hear everything that I said to Arthur?”
“What is it? Are you going to continue doing things with him behind my back?” Callum clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “I never wanted to hide this from you. I simply haven’t found the right time to tell you about it.” Elspeth glanced at the man before her eyes. She felt oddly anxious at the thought of him being the father of her child.
Callum looked up and gazed in the direction where Arthur had walked off. “You didn’t get a chance to tell me, but you found the time to speak to him about it, huh? Since when did the two of you become so close?” There was a hint of anger on his face.
“It’s not what you think it is. I’m sure you know that I’ve never liked him.” Elspeth was about to continue explaining herself when Callum interrupted her. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You know yourself best,” he uttered. Then, he shot a fiery glare in the direction of her flat belly. “You’re pregnant with my child, but you don’t want to give birth to it. Is that right?”
