Third person's POV
"Jasper, how is it?" Tabitha stood up abruptly.
Jasper's expression was grave. "Tabitha, the results aren't good. You need to terminate the pregnancy immediately."
Tabitha stared at the tumor data on the report and staggered back a step.
She had almost forgotten about the lesion inside her body over the past year, until the cold numbers brought reality crashing back.
"Could there be a mistake?" Her voice trembled.
"Why would I lie to you?" Jasper suddenly became agitated. "I traveled far and wide to find herbs for a cure, all of this was for you!"
Tabitha hastily apologized, "I'm sorry, I just... I'll accept the treatment."
At Jasper's urging, Tabitha was wheeled into the gynecology clinic.
When the doctor signaled for her to undress in English, a sudden cramp hit her lower abdomen.
She lied about needing the restroom and stumbled out of the clinic.
As she passed through the corridor, familiar voices came from the smoking area, "How can you deceive Tabitha like this? What if she finds out?"
"She doesn't understand! If she insists on her way, it could lead to a double tragedy!" Jasper's voice carried obsession.
Lucian's voice was steady as a rock, "The tumor has shrunk to a surgically manageable size. Pregnancy might activate the immune system. You should know some benign tumors can regress during pregnancy."
"My principle is to eradicate the root of the problem. Only by terminating the pregnancy can we treat her without any reservations."
Tabitha's nails dug deeply into her palms. The so-called "deterioration" was just a lie. The tumor was actually controllable.
She gently stroked her abdomen, the cramp she had just felt seeming like a distress signal from the fetus.
"Tabitha?" Jasper suddenly appeared, extinguishing his cigarette. "What are you doing here?"
Tabitha clutched her stomach. "Sudden abdominal pain. Where's the restroom? What were you just saying?"
Jasper breathed a sigh of relief. "Let me help you to the bathroom."
After closing the restroom door, Tabitha leaned against the cool tiles and took deep breaths.
She recalled the scene two years ago when she insisted on giving birth to the twins. Everyone had advised her to give up, but now Helios and Ayla were thriving.
Her fingertip touched the two stripes on the pregnancy test, and she made her decision.
When she returned to the clinic, Jasper was pacing anxiously.
Tabitha looked straight into his eyes. "Jasper, I want to keep this child."
"But your condition..."
"I overheard your conversation," Tabitha interrupted. "I'm willing to take a chance on a miracle."
Jasper ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "The probability of such a miracle is less than one percent!"
"But Helios and Ayla are miracles," Tabitha said softly, stroking her abdomen. "I need your help, Jasper."
"What kind of help?"
"I want to continue my medical studies," she paused, "and join Poison&Wolf Shadow."
Jasper stared at her in shock, then let out a long sigh. "Do you know what this means?"
"I do," Tabitha gazed at the skyscrapers outside, "I want to become my own savior."
Three months passed. Derek tried every means possible but still couldn't find any trace of Tabitha.
He had previously leveraged the network of connections established by Dr. Weaver, thinking Tabitha might reach out to related associations to continue her medical research, considering her teacher Osbert.
In this way, even if he couldn't see her often, at least he could know her whereabouts and how she was doing.
But now, he had no news of her at all.
In the room, Derek smoked incessantly, while Leopold drank glass after glass. The atmosphere was oppressively heavy.
After three whole months, Leopold finally acknowledged his feelings. His affection for Gloria was far more than treating her as a mere plaything.
Unfortunately, even after realizing this, Gloria seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
Even when he tried to threaten her family to force her to show up, he couldn't get in touch with her. It felt like punching cotton—useless.
Derek, missing Tabitha, had become haggard.
Although Tabitha's departure had indeed kept her safe, he had completely lost her.
Derek couldn't help but reflect—Was the decision he made back then truly correct?
Leopold, seeing Derek's helpless state, sneered and said, "Are you feeling good about the mess you've made?"
"To be honest, it's not as good as I imagined," Derek extinguished the cigarette in his hand, picked up a bottle of liquor, and drank straight from it. "I miss her, and I miss the kids."
"Hah," Leopold sneered disdainfully, "I told you you're a self-righteous guy!"
He couldn't understand why Derek had let Tabitha go, let alone dragged Gloria into it.
Every time Leopold closed his eyes, Gloria's figure would appear before him.
In the company, it seemed as if Gloria's shadow was everywhere. At home, every corner held traces of their intimate moments.
After Gloria left, no shortage of women took the initiative to get close to him.
But seeing those women only made him more irritable and angry. It was then that he realized Gloria's place in his heart was irreplaceable.