“Yes, forever. We're always a family," Mitchel responded softly.

“Thank you, my love."

The next morning, Nicole gazed at the abortion pills, deep in thought.

She faced a tough choice. Committed to challenging Jarrod in court, she knew frequent interactions were unavoidable. The legal proceedings would begin with mediation, prolonging the ordeal. Their paths would cross often, and she aimed to minimize further complications. She hoped for a swift resolution.

With a heavy heart, Nicole picked up the pills, placed one in her mouth, and prepared to wash it down with water.

Just then, her phone vibrated. Assuming it was a telemarketer, she dismissed the call.

As she was about to sip her water, the phone rang again, this time with urgency. Realizing telemarketers rarely call back so quickly, she answered hesitantly. It was Jarrod's new assistant. "Miss Lawrence?"

"Yes," Nicole answered.

“This is Conor Jensen, Mr. Schultz's assistant. Mr. Schultz would like to discuss visitation rights. Can you speak now?"

Stunned for a second, Nicole was soon overjoyed. “Yes, I'm available," she said quickly.

"Excellent. Mr. Schultz has time now but will be occupied later in the afternoon. Could you please come over immediately?" Conor asked.

In her excitement, Nicole put aside her plan to take the abortion pill by spitting it out. She hastily hailed a cab to the Schultz Group. Conor ushered her into Jarrod's office.

Upon entering, Nicole saw Jarrod busily typing away at his computer.

Conor guided Nicole to a sofa, served her some water, and then left the room.

After finishing his task, Jarrod approached Nicole.

Nicole, bursting with eagerness, initiated the conversation by asking, "Are you going to let me see Austin?"

"I "Before Jarrod could complete his sentence, Nicole felt a wave of nausea and began to gag. "Ugh..." she groaned.

The unexpected noise caused Jarrod to frown. "What's wrong?"

"I... I'm fine... Ugh..." Nicole struggled to speak as she gagged again. She quickly covered her mouth and hurried to the office restroom. Having visited here frequently before, she knew exactly where it was.

Inside, with the door shut, the sound of Nicole's retching filled the space, deepening Jarrod's frown.