Chapter 123: Chapter 123

As Jasmine sat in the clinic's hallway, her impatience grew with each passing minute. She checked the clock, realizing she was already late for work. Her brow furrowed in annoyance as she wondered what was taking the doctor so long.

The doctor emerged from the laboratory with with a warm smile on his face. "Jasmine Beth, congratulations! You're four weeks pregnant," he announced, handing her the results.

Jasmine's world seemed to freeze. A wave of shock washed over her, leaving her feeling like she'd been drenched in icy water. She took the results with a heavy heart and decided to head to Jace's school to confront him about the news.

She hailed a cab and gave the driver Jace's address. During the drive, she tried calling Jace, but he didn't answer. She left a voicemail, telling him she had big news to share.

When she arrived at Jace's dorm, she learned he wasn't there. Frustrated and worried, Jasmine pulled out her phone and dialed Josh's number.

"Hey, Josh. Do you know where I can find Jace? He's not returning my calls," Jasmine asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I parted ways with Jace after class," Josh replied. "I don't know where he is, but I'll try to find out."

Jasmine hung up and began walking back to her ride  when she heard a familiar voice halt her progress. A feminine voice joined in, and Jasmine's anger surged as she marched towards them.

A woman with blonde hair was embracing Jace, who stood there passively. "Jace!!" Jasmine yelled out loudly, her voice echoing through the parking lot.

Jace looked up, surprised and confused by Jasmine's sudden arrival. "What are you doing here?"

"Or too surprised that I caught you cheating?" Jasmine spat sarcastically.

"It's not what it looks like," Jace said calmly. "You need to trust me."

"I get it now," Jasmine seethed. "I'm disgracing you.. I'm being too loud and dramatic, right? You didn't pick up because you were with some other woman."

"I didn't know you called," Jace replied, producing his phone and playing Jasmine's voicemail.

"What news?" he asked as he approached her.

Jasmine retrieved a paper from her bag and tossed it at him. "Here you go."

Jace's eyes widened as he read the results. "You're four weeks pregnant?"

"Yes," Jasmine confirmed. "And don't even think about aborting this one. You'd better get ready and man up to your responsibilities because I'm going to tell everyone we're together and expecting. Do you hear me?"

With that, Jasmine turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Jace staring at the test results with a bland expression.

....

As Megan sipped her cappuccino at the cafe adjacent to JJ Entertainment, she waited idly for Jacob to finish work. Her eyes scanned the sidewalk, watching for any sign of him emerging from the building. When she spotted him, she quickly paid her bill and dashed out onto the street.

Meanwhile, Jacob had been preoccupied with thoughts of Elena all day. He had craved her food, and it had driven him mad; he had the urge to call her. He got into his car and ignited the engine when Megan appeared in front of it, and he quickly stepped on his brakes.

Jacob got out of the car. "What are you doing here?" he growled, his anger boiling over.

"Just look at how mad you got at the thought of running over me," Megan said, a sly smile spreading across her face. She reached out to take his hand, but Jacob yanked it away.

"Are you insane?" he thundered. "What if I had run you over?"

Megan's smile faltered, but she recovered quickly. "You still love me, Jay," she cooed. "Drop the act and let's get back together like old times."

Jacob's anger boiled over, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him. Megan tried to struggle, but he pinned her against the car door.

As they struggled, Megan's elbow grazed against the door handle, and she winced in pain. Jacob cursed inwardly as he realized what he had done.

"Megan, stop this," he hissed.

But it was too late. She had already twisted her ankle in the struggle. Jacob cursed himself for not being able to control his temper.

As he helped Megan into the back seat, she burst into tears. He drove to the nearest hospital, feeling like he was trapped in a nightmare.

At the hospital, they ran into Elena in the hallway. She was dressed in her uniform, and only then did it occur to Jacob that Elena works here.

Elena's heart took a leap as she saw Megan and Jacob together. The look in Megan's eyes as she looked over at Jacob was something she could not ignore.

"Babe, meet Megan," Jacob casually introduced.

"Megan, this is my girlfriend, Elena," he said, wrapping his arms around Elena's waist.

Elena's eyes narrowed as she took in Megan's injured ankle. Megan's smile fell for a few nanoseconds before she plastered a fake smile on her face. "Oh, you guys make a lovely couple." She wished them well, and before Elena could say anything, she limped off to her appointment.

"Who is she?" Elena asked. "Is she the lady you were with last night?" She accidentally blurted out her thoughts loudly.

"Wait, you saw me last night with her?" Jacob was astonished.

Elena pressed her lips together as she nodded.

" Well.... She's not important, and I guess you must have misunderstood what happened. I was drunk, and she took advantage of the situation. She's my ex, and I don't have anything to do with her. You need to believe me, Lena; I'm not an immoral man."

Elena burst into laughter. "It's okay, no one said you're immoral. Moreover, it's your life, and you can live it however you choose, okay?"

"Well, why were you with her, and how did she get injured?"

"She came in front of my car, and we got into a big argument, and then she accidentally hurt her knees. I felt it was kind of my fault too, so I brought her here," Jacob replied, feeling like he was trapped in some twisted game.

Meanwhile, Megan walked out of the hospital furiously. '' Girlfriend? Let's see for how much longer," she smirked devilishly at the thought of crumbling them down.

......

"You mean to say you're pregnant?" Andrea asked, her gaze involuntarily traveling down to Jasmine's flat stomach.

Jasmine nodded and positioned her eyes on Tessa, who hadn't said anything since she broke the news to them. Jasmine couldn't tell what was going through her mind, and it made her begin to worry.

Would she never speak to her again? Would she send her out of the house and disown her? Different thoughts came and went at the same time, making her dizzy.

She licked her lips nervously. "Mom, I know you have every right to be angry at me," she said. "You have warned me several times about getting pregnant before marriage, and I failed you, but please say something; the wait is killing me."

Tessa got up from the couch with a stoic expression on her face and stood in front of Jasmine, staring at her.

"Let's go get cupcakes in the kitchen," Andrea said, taking the girls to the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Tessa placed her hand on Jasmine's shoulder. "To be honest, I'm disappointed in you," she said. "I didn't expect this to be the outcome."

"Get him here to do the needful as soon as possible."

"I'm sure you'll like him, mom." Jasmine smiled sweetly and hugged her mother.

Andrea and the twins eavesdropped on their conversation by the door before coming into view with a plate of cupcakes.

"Congratulations, Jasmine," Andrea said warmly as she patted Jasmine's cheeks gently. "I'm sure you'll make a great mom."

Actually, Jace is the father of my unborn child," Jasmine said to Andrea.

Andrea's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean Jace is the father? How is that even possible? I thought he was into men."

Jasmine nodded sheepishly. "He's straight. Now you know for yourself," she said quietly.

"You both are really good actors. I thought you two hated each other a lot," Andrea frowned, saying. "Is it because you were ashamed of the fact that you're two years older than him?"

Jasmine nodded again. Honestly, I feel so relieved telling you both the truth."

Andrea hugged her cousin. "You shouldn't keep anything away from us again," she said gently. "You should know by now that no matter what decision you make, we will always support you."

After staying for a while longer, Andrea received a call from Sean saying he was outside and had come to pick her up and the kids. She said goodbye to her aunt and Jasmine, and as they left, Tessa whispered softly into Andrea's ear:

"Don't you think it's time you bore another child for Sean? Who knows, it might be a boy."

Andrea smiled and nodded understandingly. "Mom, Sean, and I are happy with Pearl and Ruby."

Tessa's expression turned serious again. "If you say so, but remember, even though Sean or your in-laws haven't complained, I'm sure deep down they would want a son who will take over the business."

Andrea smiled and nodded again. "Thank you for always looking out for me."

The kids immediately ran over to their father as soon as they spotted him leaning on his car, waiting for them.

"Daddy! Daddy!" they chimed in unison.

"My angels," Sean said, picking them up in his arms and kissing them both on the cheek. "Did you miss Daddy? How was your day?"

"We missed Daddy very much," Ruby replied sweetly. "Aunty made yummy cupcakes for us."

"Did you thank your aunt for the yummy cupcakes?" Sean asked.

They nodded in unison, and Sean couldn't help but kiss them again before taking them to the backseat.

"Baby," Sean said, wrapping his arms around Andrea and kissing her lips. "Why are you up from work so early?" Andrea asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"It's nothing. I just felt like spending quality time with my family today," he said, giving her a breathtaking smile and opening the door of the front passenger seat like a gentleman.

If only Andrea knew he was trying to keep her and the kids safe from that lunatic Megan, who had glared at Andrea back at the restaurant the other night, making him cautious of her.

As they hit the roads, Andrea couldn't help but share Jasmine's pregnancy news with Sean. "I mean, who would have known that little rascal Jace was dating Jasmine, and he dared keep it away from me for over a year?"

"Is it because I was just too blind to notice it? No wonder they never got along with each other because they didn't want me to suspect they were having a thing," Andrea said, speaking uncontrollably.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" She asked, her tone rising in alarm. The unfazed look on Sean's face made her begin to suspect he knew about it. "I hope this isn't what I'm thinking."

"Yes, I found out those two were dating," Sean replied nonchalantly.

"And you didn't care to tell me? We're talking about my little brother and cousin here."

"How could I have told you when even the ones involved kept it a secret? Do you want to know why they didn't tell you? Because you don't know how to control yourself, let me ask you a question: Did Jasmine permit you to tell anyone?"

"But we're husband and wife, and isn't it right that we don't keep any secrets from each other? At least I'm a good wife to you, unlike you, who were keeping things from me," Andrea said, her voice laced with hurt and anger.

"You need to be loyal, even if it means you won't share the truth with your partner, or else no one will share their secrets with you again," Sean said calmly.

Andrea looked out the window with her arms wrapped around her chest.

"My love, you can't get mad at me like this just because I don't have a blabbermouth," Sean said, grabbing her hand and caressing it.

"Oh, so you mean I'm the one with the blabbermouth? I'm so going to kill you when we get home," Andrea threatened, her anger still simmering.