Chapter 128: Chapter 128

A few weeks later, Jace walked into the company with a spring in his step, still reeling from Andrea's offer of a job. As she showed him around, he couldn't help but beam with gratitude.

"Andrea, thank you so much for this opportunity," he said, his eyes shining with sincerity.

Andrea rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You're my brother, Jace. It would be ridiculous to leave you stranded in this condition."

Just then, Anna, her assistant, whispered in her ear, "It's time for the meeting."

Andrea nodded and turned back to Jace. "I have a meeting to attend to. Why don't you wait in my office and we can grab lunch afterwards?"

Jace nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. As she walked away, Andrea suddenly stumbled and collapsed onto the floor.

"Sis! Sis!" Jace shouted, rushing to her side.

Anna joined him in calling out her name, but there was no response.

As Jace and Anna rushed over to Andrea, who had suddenly collapsed, they cried out her name in unison. But their efforts to revive her were unsuccessful; she remained still and silent.

Jace scooped up Andrea in his arms and pushed through the crowd of worried employees who had gathered around them. The driver quickly sped away, taking them to the hospital at high speed.

Sean arrived soon after, his face etched with concern. 'Where is Andrea? What did the doctor say?' he asked as he rushed over to Jace.

'I can't say right now; the doctor is getting her examined,' Jace replied, raking his fingers through his jet-black hair in frustration. 'I'm just wondering why she would have collapsed all of a sudden; she looked fine earlier.'

The examination took so long that everyone had already heard about what happened. Finally, the doctor emerged from the room. 'I'd like to speak to the patient's family,' he said.

'We are her family,' Sean said. 'Just tell us whatever it is; we're sick and worried about my wife''

After conducting a series of tests, we found out the patient is already 12 weeks pregnant and is also diagnosed with placenta previa.

"'Pregnant?' What does that mean?" Sean asked, already panicking and struggling to remain calm.

"Placenta previa is a condition where the baby's placenta is covering the cervix, causing a high risk of severe bleeding and potentially life-threatening complications," the doctor explained.

"So what do we do now?" Sean asked, his anxiety growing.

"I strongly recommend that we terminate the pregnancy to save the mother's life. It can be very dangerous for both the mother and the fetus, and in severe cases, the only way to stop the condition from progressing is to deliver the baby prematurely," the doctor emphasized.

"Can I see my wife now?" Sean asked, his voice laced with desperation.

The doctor nodded, and Sean immediately rushed in to see Andrea. She was lying on the bed, her skin pale and weak, staring at him with a faint smile.

"So let me guess you knew you were suffering from whatever the doctor called it, and that's why you refused to tell me about your pregnancy?" Sean demanded, his voice laced with accusation.

"Honey, relax and stop yelling at me," Andrea pleaded, pouting her lips.

"Do you know how worried everyone is after hearing about your condition? Your mom is crying uncontrollably, and you're telling me to relax. How am I supposed to stay calm?" Sean retorted, his anger and frustration growing. "As much as I love this baby, I do... but I'm sorry to break it to you; we're getting the baby terminated today."

"What are you saying? How do you expect me to terminate our baby? I'm beginning to think I made the right decision by not telling you about my pregnancy because you wouldn't understand," Andrea said, her voice cracking as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"For how long would you have hidden it from me then? What's even wrong with you? This baby is putting your life at great risk, and all you still want to do is keep it," Sean countered.

"Sean, stop yelling at me like a child. It's my life and my body; you don't have the right to tell me what to do with it," Andrea yelled back, her voice weakening as she fought back tears.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now? You might die if you keep this baby. Is it that hard for you to understand? Even if you never considered me, what about the girls? They still need their mother," Sean argued.

"I'm here for them. I will do everything to raise all my children with love; that's why I can't afford to lose this one," Andrea said, her voice breaking as she burst into tears.

"You're unbelievable," Sean muttered under his breath as he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Jace asked worriedly as Elena and Jacob rushed in to check on Andrea.

"She's refusing to get an abortion even after knowing she has a slim chance of surviving this pregnancy. She's not even considering me or her daughters. Andrea is being selfish!" Sean exclaimed, his emotions boiling over as he slumped down into a chair.

"Sean, you can't blame Andrea; she must have been thrilled to find out she was carrying your child again, but the news about her illness must have broken her down. Every mother feels connected to their children, and it's not easy to just let go," Mrs. Jones said, wiping away her tears.

Mrs. Jones added, "Even after she was taken from me as a baby, there wasn't a single day I didn't think about her, wondering what she was doing and if she was fine. Andrea needs you right now, son. If you turn your back on her when she needs you most, she'll feel extremely hurt."

"Even as her mother, I'm very scared of losing her; she'll always be my precious baby girl," Mrs. Wilson said. "But if this is what she wants, I've decided I'm ready to support her through it, even though it's going to be tough on me and her father."

Sean sighed loudly as everyone sided with Andrea's decision. He couldn't imagine life without his wife; she was his everything. If he were to lose her, it would mean losing himself forever. But it wasn't as if he could force her to get an abortion too.

While back in the room, Andrea kept crying uncontrollably. "Andrea, please stop crying, or your condition will get worse," Elena said softly, caressing her hair.

"Will you stop crying because of that good-for-nothing husband of yours?" Jacob asked. "Just look at your condition; I don't like seeing you like this."

"Don't say that," Elena whispered to Jacob.

Sean slid the door open and came in. "I want to speak to Andrea privately."

Elena nodded and left the room, while Jacob stayed back. "You can say whatever you want to say to her."

"Jacob, please; I'm not in the mood today," Sean said authoritatively.

Jacob left reluctantly, and Sean sat on Andrea's bed. She turned her back at him, and he smiled slightly, saying, "Baby, let's talk."

"I don't want to speak to you," Andrea replied coldly.

"Just hear me out first."

"So what now?" she asked.

"Firstly, turn around and look at me," Sean said gently.

Andrea finally faced him, her puffy eyes still red from crying. Sean held her hand. "You badly want to keep the baby?"

Andrea nodded certainly. "Alright, let's have the baby. But just let one thing sink into your head: if we're forced to choose between you or the baby, we're choosing you."

"You don't have to worry; you'll have both me and the baby," Andrea said softly as she hugged him. "I see you're back to your senses, you silly man."