Chapter 654 Esmeralda stared at the message, her face freezing as the reality of the word "chemotherapy" sank in.
She turned abruptly to look at Elodie, bewildered.
Elodie had just looked over, and immediately noticed Esmeralda's eyes were brimming with tears, threatening to spill over. Alarmed, she reached out to gently wipe them away. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Without a word, Esmeralda handed her the phone. "What does this mean?" As Elodie read the text from Elias, her pupils quivered, and her words caught in her throat.
She couldn't make a sound.
"Elodie! What's going on? Chemotherapy? Another scan? What... what's happening to you?" The gravity of those words finally crashed down on Esmeralda. Her tears broke loose, and her voice rose, as if by sheer force she could will Elodie to explain it away, to tell her it was all a misunderstanding. Elodie swallowed hard, forcing a weak, bitter smile. "I... I have uterine cancer." The moment the words left her mouth, it was as if Esmeralda's world had crumbled. She stood in stunned silence, until finally she forced herself to face the truth.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThen she broke down completely. "When did this happen? If I hadn't seen this, when were you planning to tell us?" Her voice trembled with anger and heartache as she dissolved into sobs.
Elodie had known this was coming; she'd predicted exactly this reaction. Esmeralda had never faced a crisis, and she wore her heart on her sleeve.
Elodie looked down, guilt written all over her face. "It's been a while. I was going to wait until the 719 Project was finished to tell you." If she'd cclean from the start, neither Esmeralda nor Alexander would have let her stay on Mr. Haywood's project.
"So you just carried all of this by yourself? Elodie, how could you be so hard on yourself?" Esmeralda wiped at her tears, her heart aching so much it hurt to breathe.
Elodie was used to it by now. She helped Esmeralda dab at her cheeks. "Don't cry. I'm getting treatment, and I've found a good doctor. There's hope." Esmeralda gritted her teeth, swiping at her face, as if she could suddenly shoulder the weight of the world. "Which hospital? Let's go. Now." Elodie didn't argue. She quietly entered the hospital address into the GPS.
The drive was silent, Esmeralda wiping away tears as she drove, for once without a single word to say.
Her usual chatter was gone, replaced by a heavy, anxious quiet.
Elodie's emotions were a tangled, indescribable mess.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, Esmeralda grabbed Elodie's hand, ready to lead her upstairs.
But Elodie hesitated, pressing her fingers sanxiously into her palm "Esmeralda, I need to stop by the gynecology department fir Esmeralda hadn't fully recovered from the shock. "Why do you need to go there?" Elodie didn't hide it anymore. "I want to take a pregnancy test." Esmeralda's eyes widened in disbelief. "Pregnancy? You think you might be pregnant? Whose is it?" The blows just kept coming, one after another.
Elodie could only shake her head. "I'm not sure. I just need to check." Even though Esmeralda's mind was spinning, she refused to let Elodie run around by herself. She took the forms and hurried from deskto desk, handling everything.
Elodie sat in the waiting area, her hands and feet ice-cold.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThey would have to wait an hour for the results.
Finally, Esmeralda managed to pul her thoughts together enough to ask, "But with with your diagnosis... if you really are pregnant, will you be able to keep the baby?" fo It was the question Elodie had been avoiding, the one that had haunted her all night.
When it was finally tto pick up the report, Esmeralda rushed to the kiosk to scan her code.
Just as Elias stepped out of the elevator, his eyes landed on Elodie across the hall.
He paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards her.
"When did you get here?" he asked.
Elodie looked up at him, pulled abruptly from her daze. "I cin for sother tests."
Elias studied her for a moment. "I'll add you to my schedule) Lettake Le another look at your case."
Elodie was about to bring up the issue weighing on her mind, butm before she could, Esmeralda hurried back, clutching the report.