"Are you sure you want an abortion?"
I nodded without hesitation.
The procedure was scheduled for three days later. I did not want to go back to that empty house to wait for Alden, for someone who would never come back.
So, I packed a few documents and went back to my parents’ home.
My mother looked at me with concern. "My goodness… How did you get so thin?"
In a hoarse voice, I said, "Mom, I don’t want to be with Alden anymore."
She pulled me into her arms and gently said, "Okay, okay. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."
Wrapped in her warmth, I finally broke down in tears.
After I had calmed down, she took out her phone and handed it to me carefully.
"If you’ve truly made up your mind, then I want you to see this."
I took the phone and instantly recognized the images. Celine had actually sent those photos to my mother.
Rage surged through me as I stared at them. I wanted to shred them into pieces.
How dare Celine send those to my mother?
Just then, a news notification popped up on the screen.
[Swimming champion brings his lover to competition and promises to dedicate gold medal to her!]
In the photo, Alden stood in front of Celine, shielding her with his body.
His face was filled with tenderness, like a beast protecting his mate.
I deleted all the photos from my mother’s phone.
"Mom, I don’t want this baby anymore."
Just then, a voice came from the doorway. My father strode in angrily.
"What are you saying? We told you not to marry that guy named Alden, but you insisted. Now that he’s finally successful and you have everything, you suddenly say you want to leave him?"
"You must be out of your mind!"
Before I could explain, my father grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.
"I’ve already called him. He’ll pick you up out front. And if you’re really planning to abort that child, then the Thorne Family has no place for a disgrace like you!"
With a loud bang, the door slammed shut behind me.
I stood there like a puppet, unmoving until the sky turned dark.
Eventually, Alden rushed over and pulled me into the car.
"Elara, baby, I know you're still upset, but I have a competition today and really can’t be with you. How about next time?"
The cloying scent of his shower gel made me turn away in disgust.
Too bad, Alden, there won’t be a next time.
Seeing that I did not respond, he placed a gift box in my hands.
"Look, I got you a present."
I took it absentmindedly, but unlike before, I did not open it with any excitement.
Underneath the box, I felt something rough. When I turned it over, I saw three small words deeply etched into the bottom. [Not for sale]
Just then, Alden’s phone rang. He glanced at me before answering.
"Alden, the necklace you gave me is missing. Is it in the car? Can you bring it to me tonight? Oh, and the 'not for sale' item is so pretty. Elara will definitely love it too, right?"
She intentionally emphasized the words 'not for sale,' and I understood exactly what she meant.
Alden glanced at me, then quickly hung up the phone.
"Elara, Celine’s still so young. Don’t take it to heart, okay?"
I said nothing and turned my gaze away, calm and silent.
A moment later, another photo from Celine arrived.
The beautiful necklace lay atop the engraved words [Not for sale] right beneath her smiling face.
I noted it down again in my journal.
At this point, only one more entry remained.
