Layla pouted. "He already explained the whole earring debacle last time. His friend pulled a fast one on him. It had nothing to do with him. As for the messages he sent you, he told me it was all to dig up information about me. "I don't have anyone I like right now. But Henry's always at my beck and call, and he is such a sweet-talker. Why can't I be with him? Besides, Delilah told me he's the kind that's easy to control. He suits me.""Delilah?" Sage asked, "Since when were you close to Delilah?"Layla glanced at Sage. "I know she's your best friend. But that doesn't mean I can't hang out with her, right?"Sage responded, "She's not my best friend anymore, but that's beside the point. Why are you guys in touch? Did she reach out to you?"Layla explained, "My mom wanted to thank the Strombergs for hooking us up with a huge deal, so she's had Delilah over a few times. I happened to be home last time, so she added me on social media and we chat with me from time to time."Sage's b
Layla was in a good mood, and she didn't notice anything amiss in Sage's words. She left happily. Sage breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Layla had brought up the subject on her own. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known how far things would've gone.It was almost time to meet with Henry. Sage sent him a message and told him that she had returned to Haldon. Sure enough, he invited her to meet up tomorrow afternoon. Setting her phone down, she felt a little stuffy. Sage walked over to the balcony and intended to sit on the deck chair for a while. But she noticed Ian standing on the balcony of the next-door guest bedroom.He was dressed in the dark blue pajamas she had bought. He looked tall and handsome, almost like he had just walked out of a painting. Ian was absorbed in a work call at the moment. He was incredibly meticulous at work, and his commanding presence made people submit to him.Ian noticed her after he hung up the phone. Sage didn't avert her gaze. The couple loo
Tiana said, "Ian's handling of Ivy certainly left much to be desired. But I heard from Calvin that there was some misunderstanding. Ian still cares for you. If you're not that set about the divorce, I'll support your decision as well."Her remark confused Sage. She mused, "So, Tiana, did you ask to meet up over this? I thought you knew I wanted a divorce.""Yes, I know your decision was firm. But what I want to know is why didn't you take precautions during sex?" Tiana wondered aloud.She couldn't believe that Sage and Ian had slept with each other in the heat of the moment without using any birth control.Sage, still perplexed, questioned, "What precautions?"Tiana stared at her friend helplessly. "Sage Joyner, are you dumb or are you just pretending to be dumb? You're pregnant!""Pregnant?" Sage screamed in shock as she jolted up from the bed. The hair serum dripped from her hair and made a mess everywhere.Even the customers in the next room jumped at the sudden commotion, wh
"Oh, a pregnancy can be detected within 10 days, let alone 20 days." Tiana, despite knowing what she was feeling, reminded Sage. "Sage, we can go back for a second checkup, but brace yourself. You're likely to get the same result."Feeling overwhelmed, Sage agreed, "Let's go to the hospital."Tiana immediately stopped her. "You need to dry your hair first no matter how rushed you are. Take some time to calm down."Sage sat limply as Tiana helped her to dry her hair. Then, the two women exited the salon. Tiana said, "Give me your car keys. I'm driving." Sage did not insist on driving and obediently handed the keys to Tiana.Meanwhile, a finely dressed woman emerged from a room in the salon. The stylist inquired, "Madam, would you like a styling session?"Flashing a polite yet indifferent smile, the lady declined. "It's fine. I have to leave."…Sage stood in the hospital corridor, clutching the report which indicated that she was three weeks pregnant. She felt as though she had b
"Do I need to make an appointment right away?" Sage questioned.Tiana shook her head. "No, you don't have to. We can only schedule the abortion after checking the fetus' development. Come on. I'll send you to the hotel."Tiana helped Sage up from the bench. Only then did she realize that Sage's palms were sweaty. Feeling sorry for Sage, she advised, "Sage, you can keep the baby if you want, you know?"Sure, there will be a risk to the baby's health because you were under hallucinogens when you got pregnant. But you've always been healthy. The risk is relatively low."Why don't you opt for a comprehensive checkup at a later stage?""There's no need for that. Let's go." Sage shook her head hopelessly.Tiana did not try to persuade Sage anymore. She simply assumed that Sage needed more time to process the sudden news. Since Tiana had to work in the afternoon, Sage stayed at the hotel alone. Tiana, however, was very worried about her. "Are you really okay? Do you want me to take a
Giselle's unexpected arrival surprised Sage. She recalled the incident where Giselle stormed out of the airport parking lot, furious at her and Shane. She wondered if Giselle was here to cause a scene because of that incident."Ms. Joyner, please open the door. I have something to ask you," Giselle said solemnly while staring at the peephole after hearing Sage's footsteps on the other side.Sage reluctantly answered the door. She assumed that she was safe within the confines of the hotel. Besides, she couldn't dodge Giselle forever. Even if the latter was here to stir trouble, they would soon become colleagues.Giselle marched through the door into the room. Sage kindly handed her a bottle of water, but Giselle declined, "I'm not drinking that!"Huffing and puffing, Giselle seemed to have teared up. She had a mix of despair, envy, and frustration on her face."Ms. Rosethorn, what's wrong? Did someone upset you?" questioned Sage with a puzzled look. That only further provoked Gis
Only then did Sage realize that Giselle wasn't at Haldon City that eventful night. Still, she was baffled by Giselle's logic. "Ms. Rosethorn, how can you be sure that I'm carrying Shane's baby?"Although she had a lukewarm relationship with Ian, she was still married to him. How could Giselle be so sure that she wasn't pregnant with Ian's baby?"Whose child could it possibly be? Your marriage must be rocky because you've moved into a hotel. An unhappy couple would not be making babies!" Giselle growled furiously. "What's more, your husband hasn't shown up yet, so I assume you are too scared to tell him about the pregnancy. The only explanation is that you're pregnant with Shane's child!"Sage stared at Giselle incredulously, feeling astonished at the latter's "remarkable" analytical skills. They could even rival Shane's. In some way, Giselle and Shane were a good match. Although Shane had nothing to do with Sage's pregnancy, Sage had decided not to inform Ian about the matter. S
Giselle reluctantly rose from her seat. But before leaving, she warned, "I will not let this slide if you don't abort the child!" With that, she slammed the door shut, venting her anger.Sighing, Sage realized that she had lost her appetite. After giving it some thought, she dialed Shane's number."My lovely Sage, what's up? It's rare of you to call me," Shane replied flippantly. He seemed to be in a great mood.Firstly, Sage asked him about the construction site issue. He assured her that it was a false alarm before saying, "No doubt, Ian was behind it."As he spoke, Sage heard some noise coming from the other end. It sounded like a chair spinning. "Ms. Joyner, judging from that, Ian Holcomb seems to care about you."Sage did not want to talk about Ian, so she got straight to the point. "Shane, I have some good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?""Why? Have you come across some tough projects?" Shane questioned lackadaisically.She decided to tease him.