Katherine rushed into the bathroom, gripping the sink tightly as the sound of dry heaving echoed in the small space.
After a long while, the discomfort eased slightly. Her trembling hands scooped up some water, and she rinsed her mouth.
When she looked up, the woman in the mirror had a face as pale as paper. Her eyes were filled with fear and anxiety.
Right then, her heart felt shrouded in a dark cloud. A deep sense of dread crept in.
Lately, she had been so caught up dealing with one problem after another that she completely forgot her period was over a week late.
Her heartbeat suddenly sped up. A wave of panic rose inside her.
"No. Please, no," she kept praying in her mind.
Almost by instinct, she walked out of the bathroom, grabbed her car keys, and staggered out the door, driving straight to the nearest pharmacy.
Her mind was blank on the road, with only that terrifying possibility spinning around again and again.
Inside the pharmacy, her hands were shaking. She almost dropped the pregnancy test kit while picking it up.
After paying, she rushed back to the hotel bathroom.
When her eyes landed on the pregnancy test showing two clear red lines, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the cold floor.
In that moment, the whole world spun. "I'm pregnant! I'm actually pregnant with Andrew's child!" The thought exploded in her mind like a bomb.
Her mind was in chaos. It felt like lights and shadows were flashing before her eyes. She didn't know what to do.
She knew better than anyone how much Andrew disliked her.
To him, she was probably nothing more than an annoying problem he couldn't shake off.
Now, with this unexpected baby, how could he possibly accept it?
Regret overwhelmed Katherine. It was all her fault for being careless. She forgot to take her birth control pills, and now things had come to this.
She slowly returned to bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as if searching for an answer.
Her hand gently rested on her lower belly. She murmured, "Baby, you came at a time like this… what am I supposed to do?"
She knew too well what kind of pain a child would suffer growing up without a father's love.
And the broken relationship between her and Andrew had already doomed this child's chance of ever having that.
As she sank deeper into her thoughts, the sharp sound of a ringing phone suddenly broke the silence.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her tangled emotions, and slowly picked up the phone. Her voice was hoarse. "Hello, Sana."
On the other end, Nurse Sana's voice was full of excitement. "Katherine, this is amazing! The police have made an announcement. You were framed. The truth is finally out."
"I just heard them say you can go back to work at the hospital tomorrow."
"Oh, did the hospital call you yet?"
Katherine was quiet for a moment before answering, "Sana, I'm not going back to Union Hospital. I'm planning to submit my resignation. For personal reasons, I won't be staying in the capital."
Nurse Sana's eyes instantly welled with tears. "You're really leaving the city, Katherine?"
"Yeah," she replied softly.
Sana tried hard to hold back her tears. "Where will you go? Can I still come visit you?"
Katherine hadn't planned to tell anyone where she was going, but she had always liked how kind and sincere Sana was.
She sighed gently. "Sana, I'll tell you once I settle down. You can come visit if you want."
Sana couldn't hold it in anymore. She choked up. "Okay, Katherine. I'll wait for your message. Before you leave, can we meet at least once?"
Katherine hesitated for a second. "Yeah. I'll come see you when I go to the hospital."
After hanging up, her mind was still blank.
The place she was heading to was a peaceful little country.
It wasn't big, but the living conditions were pretty good.
She had contacted a hospital there before, and they had offered her a job.
Katherine was now deeply troubled by the child growing inside her.
Should she keep it, or not?
This child's arrival had completely disrupted all of her plans.
At the same time, elsewhere, Andrew stood quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window in his bedroom, holding a glass of red wine.
Outside the window, the streets were busy and noisy, full of life, but his face still showed a lingering gloom that wouldn't go away.
His eyes were slightly unfocused, and in his mind, the image of Katherine kept appearing.
"Katherine, now that the truth is out, you should be happy, right?" he murmured softly, but just thinking of her made his chest feel tight.
Now, she was really like a kite with a broken string, completely cutting off all contact with him.
Andrew's grip on the wine glass unconsciously tightened, his knuckles turning pale from the force.
Just then, the phone on the coffee table suddenly rang, breaking the silence.
Expressionless, he walked over and answered it. As soon as the call connected, Ethan's excited voice burst through the receiver.
"Andrew, I have great news. My goddess has finally cleared her name."
"Seems like my call to the police station worked, things moved a lot faster."
"She must be feeling better now, right? I'm going to visit her at the hospital tomorrow."
"Bro, I'm about to start dating. I'm definitely going to win her over."
Hearing this, Andrew's expression instantly darkened. Without hesitation, he hung up the call with a loud click.
Ethan was left confused by the abrupt hang-up, muttering to himself, "What's wrong with Andrew now? Why'd he hang up on me again?"
"Is he upset that I've got a girlfriend?"
After the call, Andrew's mood got worse.
Ethan was chasing after Katherine?
"What kind of mess is this?"
Andrew suddenly grabbed his car keys, stormed out the door, and drove straight toward where Katherine lived.
On the road, he drove fast, almost as if trying to release all the frustration building up inside him through speed.
He soon arrived at Katherine's apartment and rang the doorbell.
Time passed slowly as he waited. Every second felt longer than the last, but there was no response from inside.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and a middle-aged woman stepped out.
Seeing Andrew repeatedly pressing the doorbell, she walked over and gently patted his shoulder. "Young man, are you looking for Dr. Katherine?"
Andrew turned around when he heard her voice and softly replied, "Yes."
The woman continued, "You're a bit late. I saw Dr. Katherine leave this afternoon with a suitcase. She said she wouldn't be living here anymore."
Andrew's heart sank. "She's not living here? She moved?"
The woman shook her head. "I'm not sure about the details. I just saw an agent showing the place to someone the other day. Seems like she's really not staying here anymore."
After saying that, the woman returned to her own apartment.
Andrew stood there, his face cold.
Katherine moved?
Where did she go?
He suddenly realized he knew nothing about her life anymore.
Slowly, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Assistant Ryan. His voice was low and icy.
"Find out where Katherine is right now."
Assistant Ryan was momentarily stunned when he heard this. After a few seconds of hesitation, he quickly replied, "Yes, boss. I'll look into it right away."