Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

It hit me like a ton of bricks how dumb I'd been.

"You gotta cough up the consultation fee. The doc ain't handing out meds for free; it drains her divine mojo," one of the ladies in line said all sure of herself, and the rest nodded along.

These folks were totally brainwashed, worshipping Ivy like she was some kind of goddess.

Eloise, who dragged me here, tried to pull me aside, still giving me the spiel. "She can help you get pregnant. A small fee is worth it, right? The meds really work. My friend's proof; I'm not making this up."

I knew if I kicked up a fuss now, I'd get nowhere. So, I had to play along for a bit.

I put on a dumb grin. "I didn't bolt 'cause of the fee. I'm just freaked out by the medicine. It looks so nasty, I can't drink it."

Eloise, acting all in-the-know, said, "You don't get it. That's divine stuff. Ms. Davis doesn't give it to just anyone. She can tell if it'll work just by looking. If she says it will work, it will. But if she doesn't, you're out of luck, even if the gods are on your side.."

I nodded like I got it. "Alright, I'll drink it. For my kid, I'll drink it no matter what."

Seeing me play nice, they relaxed, and Ivy moved on to the next patient.

I took the bowl of medicine to the side, hesitating as I brought it to my lips. No way was I actually drinking that.

Pretending to sip, I peeked over the bowl. Seeing the two guys by the door weren't watching, I chucked the bowl at them and bolted.

I heard footsteps chasing me right away. I ran like my life depended on it. I grabbed a handful of rocks and chucked them behind me as I ran.

When I hit the main road, the car that brought us was still there. Seeing me sprint out, the driver started the car, looking like he wanted to block me.

Seeing headlights coming from a distance, I didn't think twice and ran towards the car. It stopped in front of me, and I yanked open the passenger door and jumped in.

By the time the two muscleheads caught up, the car had already turned around and sped off. I clutched my chest, my heart pounding like crazy.

After catching my breath, I looked at Jason in the driver's seat.

"Emily, how'd you end up way out here?" Jason looked at me, shaking his head.

I shrugged. "What can I say? My brain decided to take a vacation."

Jason chuckled. "Good thing you had the sense to text me ahead of time."

When Eloise had dragged me into the car, I was a bit wary. With Ethan out of town on business, I had no choice but to text Jason my location as soon as I got out of the car.

I mean, I'm twenty-six and have been through a lot. I'm not that easy to fool. But I still fell for it because I wanted a kid so badly. What I cared about became my weak spot. In the end, I was still a sucker. Luckily, Jason showed up just in time. I recognized his car right away, so I didn't hesitate to jump in. I slapped my forehead a few times in frustration.

Jason quickly grabbed my hand to stop me from smacking myself and joked, "Alright, don't beat yourself up. Everyone does dumb stuff sometimes." He didn't ask me what had happened after that.

That night, lying in bed, I still mourned my lost brain cells.

After sulking for a bit, I thought Jason had a point. Everyone does dumb stuff sometimes.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Seagull. [Emmy, what's up? How've you been?]

It felt like ages since I had a good chat with Seagull.

I started typing: [I'm fine,] but then I hesitated and deleted it.

I actually leaned on Seagull emotionally and often liked to share my thoughts with him. I sent a sad face emoji instead.

He quickly replied: [What's wrong? Something bugging you?]

His question made me want to spill everything even more.

I replied: [I did something really stupid today,] followed by a bunch of crying emojis.

He replied: [Really? Emmy is so smart.]

I remembered that Seagull was also in the medical field, and my issue was medical, so I decided to be honest and ask for his advice. [I have something to tell you. Don't freak out.] [Okay.]

[I got remarried.]

[That was quick!] He wasn't surprised at all.

[But the doc said I might be infertile. Today, I heard about a famous doctor who could help, but I got scammed. It wasn't a doctor, just a fraud.]

Seagull didn't reply for a long time, and I started to get anxious. It was too late to take back my message.

I suddenly realized that Seagull was also a guy. Talking about such a personal issue so bluntly might have made him super uncomfortable.

I nervously typed another message: [I'm asking purely from a patient's perspective, hoping you can give me some advice.]

Then I got a long message from Seagull. [Go to a legit hospital. With today's tech, this isn't a tough problem. Also, does he know about this? How does he feel? Does he care a lot? If he truly loves you, these issues won't matter. So, Emmy, don't stress too much. Live a little freer, do more meaningful stuff, and make your life richer. I hope you find happiness.]

So he hadn't replied for a while because he was typing. I was pretty touched.

Ethan said he didn't mind, but I knew he still longed for a kid. My pressure mostly came from feeling guilty towards him.

I replied: [Thanks. I know what to do now.]

I decided to hit the hospital for another check-up the next day and ask the doc for a treatment plan. I asked Bella to come with me.

This time, the doc's opinion was the same as last time.

Bella only found out about this today and was so mad she cursed Arthur right there, leaving the doc stunned.

The doc did an ultrasound on my follicles and said today was my ovulation period, so it'd be best to get busy today or tomorrow to up the chances of getting pregnant.

The doc was blunt, and I temporarily put aside any embarrassment. After leaving, I called Ethan, and he said he'd be back early the next morning.

"Emmy, why didn't you tell me about this? If you had told me earlier, I would've kicked Arthur a few more times in Sunhaven City to vent my anger." Bella, being her straightforward self, was still fuming as we left the doc's office. Suddenly, she froze.

Following Bella's gaze, I saw a familiar figure coming out of another gynecology office, holding a piece of paper. Even with sunglasses on, I recognized her as Andrea.

Andrea didn't see us and left the hospital directly.

This time, Bella was surprisingly calm, and we followed Andrea all the way.

Seeing Andrea hail a cab, Bella quickly drove after her, tailing her to her dad's company.

"I knew it. This bitch hasn't given up," Bella said angrily, watching Andrea enter the company from the car.

When we reached Keith's office door, we heard voices inside and stopped in our tracks.

"Keith, give me another chance, please? Give our child a chance. Our child can't grow up without a father." Hearing Andrea's words, Bella and I exchanged shocked glances.

Peeking through the blinds, we saw Andrea clinging tightly to Keith. He didn't say anything, but he looked conflicted. "At least make your lies believable. You haven't been pregnant all these years, and now you are? You probably don't even know which gigolo fathered this child."

Before I could react, Bella had already stormed into the room. Her sudden entrance caught both of them off guard.

Keith, probably wanting to save face in front of Bella, quickly pushed Andrea away.

Andrea clung to Keith's sleeve in a panic. "Keith, the child is yours, really yours. You have to believe me."

Bella sneered, "Only a fool would believe you."

She then turned to Keith. "Dad, she's betrayed you countless times. No man could tolerate a woman like her, right?"

Keith glanced at me, probably feeling embarrassed with me there. When Andrea tried to grab his hand again, he shook her off. "Leave. I'm too old to satisfy you. I don't want to see you again."

He spoke decisively, and Andrea's expression slowly turned from sadness to hatred.

Especially when Andrea turned to leave, the last look she gave Bella was filled with venom.

Bella was satisfied with this outcome and was about to pull me away when Keith called her back, "Bell, I know you've always hated Andrea. Now that she's gone, why don't you move back home?"

Keith's tone was pleading, not at all like a father speaking to his daughter. I thought their grudge would end with Andrea's departure.

"No, I like living alone. It's freeing. Besides, Andrea is gone, but my mom won't come back. This home will never be the same. This can never be made up for." Bella's words were firm. I wanted to persuade her but ended up being dragged away by her.

"Bell, don't be like this. Are you going to hold a grudge against him forever?" As we left Keith's company, I tried to reason with Bella.

Bella looked at me, her mouth twitching, looking a bit sad. "I will hold a grudge against him for the rest of my life."

I said, "But everything you did to Andrea shows that you still care about your dad."

Many people can't see their own feelings clearly when they're in the thick of things. As an outsider, I felt it necessary to help her understand her true feelings.

Bella snorted, "I don't care about him. I just don't want Andrea to have it easy. Alright, enough about that. Let's talk about you. The doc said you should get busy today or tomorrow. If you really want a kid with Ethan, be proactive." She abruptly shifted the topic to me and spoke so bluntly that I was mortified.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I called Ethan that night to confirm if he was coming back the next day. He laughed on the phone, and then his husky voice came through the receiver, "Why do you miss me so much this time?"