Chapter 85
Marcus and Vivian stared at her, their minds completely blank.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell which bombshell hit them harder—the sudden divorce or the unexpected pregnancy.
A heavy silence stretched for over ten seconds before Marcus slammed his hand on the table and shot up from his chair.
“You’re pregnant and he still dared to mistreat you? I’m going to kill him p>
“He doesn’t know about the baby,” Maeve said quietly.
Marcus froze in his tracks, allowing Vivian to yank him firmly back into his seat.
She turned her gaze to Maeve’s hollow cheeks, her eyes brimming with undeniable heartache.
“Mae, your dad and I will always support whatever decision you make. But an abortion is incredibly hard on the body. You’re already so terribly frail; I’m terrified you won’t be able to recover from it p>
She moved to sit beside Maeve, taking her hands gently in hers.
“Please, just listen to me for now. Let’s do a full medical checkup first. We can figure out our next steps once we know exactly what we’re dealing with p>
Hearing her mother’s gentle reassurance sent a wave of comforting warmth through Maeve’s chest. Back at the Fairchild estate, she had been so utterly consumed by endless drama that getting a checkup never even crossed her mind.
Getting evaluated was the responsible thing to do anyway.
“Okay p>
After breakfast, Maeve accompanied Vivian to the hospital for her exam.
Along the way, they bumped into several colleagues who stopped to chat.
Through their conversations, Maeve learned that her mother was up for a major promotion and was heavily favored to become the hospital’s new Vice President.
Hooking her arm proudly through Vivian’s, Maeve beamed.
“You are amazing, Mom p>
A rare look of modesty washed over Vivian’s face.
“Nothing is finalized yet. It might not even go to me p>
“The other doctors already said you’re a shoo-in.” Maeve nudged her shoulder playfully.
“I am so proud to be your daughter p>
They chatted happily right up to the examination room door.
Maeve went in for her tests while Vivian personally oversaw the process.
Fifteen minutes later, the evaluation was over. Vivian had to see another patient, so Maeve waited on a bench in the hallway for the final result Her phone buzzed with a message from Jonathan Giles.
[Transfer: $5,000]
[My friends absolutely loved the custom perfumes you made for them. Here is their payment p>
Maeve stared blankly at the staggering number, her thumb hovering over the screen, hesitant to accept the transfer.
She hadn’t grown up absurdly wealthy, but she had never lacked for apything. During her three years as Frederick’s wife, whatever she wanted was instantly handed to her, leaving her with a skewed concept of money.
But once the divorce was finalized, she would have to build her own life.
Her parents would inevitably grow old.
They had been her rock her entire childhood; now that she was an adult, it was time for her to be their safety net.
She had practically drifted through her college major and had plenty of hobbies but no true expertise.
Perfumery, however, was something she genuinely loved and excelled at.
A solid plan began to take root in her mind, and she firmly tapped ‘Accept p>
[Thank you, Mr. Giles p>
[If there are any more orders like this, please keep sending them my way p>
[I really appreciate it p>
Jonathan: [Are you planning to pursue perfumery professionally p>
Maeve: [Yes! I love mixing scents. I want to get my official certification and really dive into the industry p>
Jonathan: [Chloe has a ton of study materials on fragrance formulation. If you want, I can mail them to you p>
[But Chloe might need them herself p>
Maeve typed out the hesitating reply, but before she could hit send, another text popped up.
[Chloe recently got obsessed with fashion design. She actually just flew overseas to launch her new couture empire