Even Shawn, witnessing her tumultuous state, couldn't help but feel a stir of disquiet.

Bending down to retrieve the discarded form, Shawn placed it aside, his voice steady yet accommodating. "I've outlined the risks involved.

Ultimately, the decision to proceed with the abortion is yours to make."

Having delivered his message, Shawn did not stay. After a brief consultation with the doctor for further instructions, he found a reason to excuse himself.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Sadie alone in the room.

Tears rimmed her eyes as she stared at the closed door, her face a mask of wrath. She placed a hand over her belly, a silent vow of resilience etched into her being.

This child was her final leverage, and she was determined not to relinquish it without a fight.

Ariana gradually stirred from her slumber, her first instinct leading her to reach for her phone resting on the nightstand. As the screen flickered to life, a barrage of notifications from her social media app greeted her. She opened the app, and the one sent by Holden immediately caught her eye.

“I'm heading to the office first. I've left breakfast in the kitchen for you. Remember to grab a bite when you wake up."

A soft smile involuntarily graced Ariana's lips as she read his message, a subtle warmth enveloping her heart. However, the sweetness was swiftly overshadowed when she snapped back to reality and realized she couldn't let herself be swept away like this. Many significant issues still loomed between Holden and her.

Suppressing the impulse to respond, she refrained from acknowledging Holden's message. Instead, she opened the group chat where her friends were having a discussion.

"Sadie's wedding incident is a big news; it's like the hottest entertainment news of the year."

“Yeah, and there's no explanation yet. The groom switch at the wedding was so dramatic. I was at the edge of my seat."

“But seriously, why did that happen? I'm so curious about what went down and why they suddenly changed the groom."

Ariana observed the lively gossip unfolding in the group chat, everyone chattering and speculating about the wedding. Only she and Sonia remained silent.

Currently, save for Sonia, no one else was aware that Holden was, in fact, Theodore. Ariana had also decided to deliberately keep this information to herself. Despite confirming Holden's true identity as Theodore, Ariana grappled with the uncertainties that lay ahead regarding him, unsure of the implications for their potential future together. Therefore, she decided to wait until everything had settled before divulging this information to the others.

Sarah shared in the chat group, "Now, Sadie has fallen from being the esteemed boss' wife of the Fredrick Group to just a wealthy housewife. Many business partners are no longer giving her the time of day, and I heard she lost almost all the endorsement deals she had secured before. It's really unfortunate."

Then, she continued, “But she deserves it. Karma has its way of coming around. She shouldn't have been so against Ariana before. It serves her right."

Betsy replied, “But this twist is seriously out of the blue.

According to the live reports, it looks like Sadie was caught off guard, too. She was in tears and seemed devastated. I mean, she was out there in the media, promoting her marriage to Holden, and Holden hadn't come out to deny it before, either."