Chapter 3

Aubrey signed the waiver without a second thought, but before leaving, she couldn't resist throwing a few parting shots.

"Devon stopped loving you ages ago. He only kept you around out of pity."

"Once I give him a son, it won't just be his heart, everything he has will be mine."

The exam room fell silent again.

The gigolo slipped back in, looking around. "I just went to the bathroom. Where'd they go?"

I picked up my coffee and took a sip. "Don't worry. They'll be back."

After I found out about the gigolo and Aubrey, I got in touch with him on the down low.

I gave him a fat paycheck to set up tonight's hotel right by the hospital where I worked.

That was all.

An hour later, Devon called me.

"Aubrey's shaking like crazy, she's in so much pain. But to get to the nearest hospital, we'd have to go through downtown."

"It's New Year's Eve. Everyone's out celebrating, and the whole city's jammed. We're totally stuck."

"We're heading back to your hospital. Be ready for us!"

I told Keegan to prep the fetal monitor and antibiotics right away, then waited for them to come back.

They left as two, but came back as three.

My mother-in-law heard Aubrey's water had broken and showed up with a hospital bag in tow.

"Mom, what are you doing here? Where's Bella? Did you seriously leave her home alone?" I gritted my teeth, fists clenched at my sides.

My mother-in-law shot me a sideways glance. "Aubrey's having a premature birth. How could I just stay home? Of course, the grandson matters more!"

I turned away, my chest rising and falling with rage.

When I was pregnant, my mother-in-law kept pushing me to drink some so-called "charm water," claiming it would guarantee I'd have a son.

I studied medicine. There was no way I was buying into that superstition, so I flat-out refused.

When Bella was born and turned out to be a girl, my mother-in-law's smile disappeared instantly. She blamed me for not drinking her charm water and even wanted to name Bella "Sonny," as if I was supposed to pop out a son next time.

During my postpartum recovery, things were a mess between us. Devon just tried to smooth things over, but really, he used work as an excuse to hide out at the office all day.

Whenever Devon fooled around, my mother-in-law always backed him up, tossing in snide remarks like staying married to me was some kind of charity.

I was fuming inside, but I still tried to check on Aubrey. The moment I reached out, she swatted my hand away.

"Don't touch me! I know exactly what you're up to. You're trying to hurt me!"

She'd left with some harsh words earlier, but now, fate had brought her right back under my care.

Even though she was shaking from the pain, she wouldn't let me treat her, watching me like I was out to get her.

I let out a soft sigh and tried to comfort her.

"Look, I'm your doctor and you're my patient. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I can't just treat you blindly without a proper diagnosis."

"If you really don't want me to help, then leave. Don't let both you and your baby die here. I don't want that on my conscience."

As soon as I finished, a loud smack echoed through the room. My mother-in-law slapped me hard across the face.

I turned my head, my cheek going numb for a second before it started burning like crazy.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Just because you can’t have children yourself, does that mean you’re going to curse my grandson to death?"

Devon chimed in, backing her up.

"Della, stop causing trouble and focus on treating Aubrey."

"I know I've let you down in this life. If there's a next one, I'll spend it making it up to you!"

The mother and son were perfectly in sync.

Too bad I never believed in a next life.

Keegan couldn't take it anymore and stepped protectively in front of me. "Dr. Fletcher is just doing her job! Who gave you the right to hit her? This is hospital violence! Try that again and I'm calling the police!"

The room was tense for a moment, and just then, the gigolo slipped in, looking awkward as he turned to Aubrey.

"Hey, it's New Year's Eve, you're not trying to skip out on paying, are you?"

"It's only 150 dollars for the night. Mind paying up?"

The room went dead silent.

Aubrey was the first to crack. She was already in agony, and seeing the gigolo made her panic even more.

"Why are you still here?"

"Didn't I tell you to leave? I'll make sure you get your money, just get the hell out!"

Devon finally noticed there was a guy standing in the corner of the exam room.

He'd been so focused on the baby that he hadn't paid any attention, just figured the guy was some random dude who'd helped Aubrey get to the hospital.

But what was he talking about?

Devon shot him a frown and asked, "Who are you?"

"What do you mean, 'paying out'? 150 for one night?"