Chapter 124: Chapter 124

"I finally told my mom and Andrea everything about us, and she wants to meet your family," Jasmine said, feeling a mix of anxiety and relief.

"Why didn't you tell her I don't have a family except for Andrea, who isn't my biological sister?" Jace asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

"I couldn't," Jasmine replied, trying to explain. "I don't think my mom will be happy that I ended up with a guy who doesn't have a family."

Aren't you being ridiculous? So what now?" Jace asked, his frustration evident.

"My mom wants us to get married before we have the baby," Jasmine said, trying to reason with him.

"Getting married to you isn't an issue, Jasmine," Jace said. "But right now, I don't have the money. You were the one who badly wanted this child."

"You want me to get an abortion for the third time?" I asked, my voice rising in anger. "Who knows if this is the only child I'll be able to bear in my life? Did you even consider my health and happiness? Jace, you're graduating from college soon, and I'm sure Andrea or Sean will offer you a job at their companies."

Are you hearing yourself?" Jace said. "Just because both of them are willing to offer me jobs doesn't mean I don't want to earn a position for myself through my own hard work."

"Jace, don't get me wrong," Jasmine said, trying to appeal to his better nature. "But in times like this one, we really need their help. Just reason with me for once and think about the future of our unborn child."

"Alright, I've heard you," Jace said finally. "I need to go now. We're going out with the guys."

.....

Elena was walking with her fellow nurse, Fiona, when she encountered Megan in the hospital corridor.

Megan flashed Elena a friendly smile. "Ms. Elena, do you remember me?"

Elena tried to act nonchalant at first, but Megan's directness forced her to flash a fake smile and reply, "Hi, Ms. Megan, It seems you're at my workplace for the third time this week."

The tone of Elena's voice and her formal demeanor made Megan's innocent smile falter. Elena's statement also raised a question: did she suspect that she had been visiting the hospital for a specific reason?

Megan laughed softly. "I know what you mean. We've been running into each other a lot lately. I guess that's fate for us."

"Well, I mean, I work here," Elena replied dryly, struggling to hide her disdain for Megan's duplicitous nature.

"I just came in to get my ankle checked up," Megan said. "I'm still experiencing some pain when I walk, and the doctor gave me painkillers."

Elena's gaze dropped to Megan's leg, where she was wearing six-inch pink heels that seemed more suited to a catwalk than a hospital. The urge to laugh or even rip off Megan's face threatened to overwhelm her.

"Nurse Lena, our lunch break is over," Fiona reminded them gently. "We need to head back."

As they walked away, Elena and Fiona heard Megan's voice calling out behind them. They turned around in unison, and Megan sauntered back to them. "You're Jacob's girlfriend, right? Trust me, he's definitely a one-of-a-kind guy worth cherishing for eternity. Here's my card; who knows when you might need me in the future?" With that, she shoved her complimentary card in Elena's pocket and continued on her way, her heels clicking on the floor.

"Do you know her? No offense, but she looks malicious and also a great liar," Fiona commented. She also noticed how comfortably Megan walked in those heels.

....

Jace arrived on time at Blue Moon Private Hospital to pick Jasmine up from work, just as he had promised. He waited in the car, lost in thought, replaying the events of the past few weeks in his mind.

He was so engrossed that he didn't notice Jasmine's presence until he snapped out of his reverie, only to find her seated in the front passenger seat, her arms folded across her chest as she gazed at him.

"Hey, when did you...?" Jace began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words.

Jasmine remained silent, instead averting her gaze, and began playing games on her phone. Jace started the car, and they were on their way when he suddenly brought the vehicle to a stop.

Noticing they were still short of her place, Jasmine looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on? Why did we stop here?" she asked curiously.

"Look, Jasmine, I know you're upset with me about our arguments last night," Jace said, his tone apologetic. "I'm so sorry about it, and I promise it won't happen again. We'll always do things your way, any day or time, okay?" He spoke softly, his voice laced with tenderness as he held her hands.

Jasmine blushed shyly, and Jace couldn't help but smile, knowing his woman was no longer angry with him.

"You're my joy, my light, my world," Jace continued. "You're all that matters to me. We're in this together for life, baby girl. I just want you to know you're doing your best, and everything will be fine, no matter how difficult it seems now."

Jasmine laughed happily. "I wasn't angry with you; I thought you were angry with me," she admitted. "I'm glad we've managed to resolve our differences. And I want you to know I love you so much there's no way you love me more than I love you."

Jace leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close for a moment before releasing her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply on the lips until Jasmine was breathless.

They drove to Jasmine's place in high spirits, eager to visit Tessa. Jace pulled up to the building and handed Jasmine a bouquet of lilies from the back seat. "Are these her favorite flowers?" he asked nervously.

"What if they're not?" Jasmine teased. "Will you drive back to the florist to get her favorite ones?"

Jace nodded hesitantly, causing Jasmine to laugh and playfully hit his arm. "I'm just kidding! Mom's favorite flowers are lilies; there's no need to be nervous; she has no expectations from you anyway."

Jace looked sheepish, but Jasmine could tell he was feeling guilty. She regretted her words and offered him a warm smile before taking his hand.

Together, they walked into the building, hand in hand.

********

Andrea and Elena decided to meet up after work, just like they used to do back in the day. They emerged from the spa salon, where they had just enjoyed massages and facials, and Elena's eyes locked onto Megan, who was walking out of the mall opposite the building, sunglasses perched on her face.

"This is one of the best times I've had in ages," Andrea said, sticking out her tongue cutely as she flashed her VIP membership card. "I really needed that massage more than anything."

Elena's attention wavered, her mind consumed by thoughts of Megan's intentions and why she seemed to be stalking her. The feeling of unease had grown so intense that Elena had decided to speak to Jacob about it, asking him to warn his ex to stay away from her.

"Bitch!" Elena muttered under her breath. Andrea turned to look at her, and as they followed Megan's gaze, she commented, "She looks familiar."

"I feel like she's doing all this on purpose," Elena said, her voice laced with frustration.

All Andrea could ask was, "All what?" before Megan interrupted them. She flipped her hair behind her stylishly and extended a hand towards Andrea. "Hi, I'm Megan. You must be Sean's wife."

Andrea nodded sweetly. "Hi."

"It's nice to meet you," Megan said. "Actually, I'm an old friend of Sean's."

"Oh...wow. It's nice meeting you too," Andrea replied.

Megan turned her gaze away from Andrea and grinned at Elena. "Nice meeting you again for the second time today," she said, glancing at her watch. "Well, girls, I need to get going. Bye, have fun."

As Megan left, Elena snorted in disgust. "I feel like slapping her to death. That woman is so cunning and scheming. She's been bumping into me on purpose for the past few days because I'm with Jacob, and she's his ex."

"Wait, she's my brother's ex?" Andrea asked, trying to recall if Sean had ever mentioned the woman's name.

"Yeah," Elena said.

"I have a feeling we should be wary of her," Andrea said, watching Megan disappear into the distance.

"Yeah, I can't stand her anymore," Elena agreed. "I think I need to warn Jacob to tell his ex to leave me alone."

"Elena, are you jealous?" Andrea giggled softly.

Of course not," Elena replied dryly. "Didn't you say you're craving chocolate cake? Let's go."

After getting their cakes, they sat down at the bakery shop. Elena recounted her encounters with Megan over the past few days. "You're right; she's definitely doing all this on purpose. Isn't she over Jacob yet? What does she gain by stalking you?"

"Exactly," Elena agreed. "I'd like to know too. She's clearly invading my privacy, and if Jacob doesn't take action about it, I'll have no choice but to file a lawsuit against her."

As they sat there, Andrea suddenly asked Elena if she was jealous. Andrea burst out laughing, but before she could compose herself, she rushed to the bathroom with a hand clamped over her mouth.

Elena followed soon after and found Andrea puking up a storm. She helped her secure her hair and handed her a handkerchief to wipe away the mess.

Andrea took deep breaths and washed her face before drying it with the handkerchief.

"Andrea, are you pregnant again?" Elena asked with raised eyebrows.