The next morning, Aiden had set off with Alia and Matteo to the hospital. He had slept on the sofa of their ho, simply because he was in no shape to drive himself back after being battered by all the terrible skeletons in his family’s closet.
Matteo had no great love for him, but he honestly did not want to receive news from the cops that his half-brother had been turned into a human pancake while driving ho at night. At least Aiden was being perfectly cooperative now, bundled in the back seat with Sean, who was very surprised at his new seatmate.
But that could also be because Aiden was cradling a pineapple in his hand, so precious as though it was his newborn son― oh wait, that analogy wasn’t accurate, since Aiden was out there trying to get rid of his unborn child.
That pineapple was the solution to all his problems.
After brainstorming for hours last night, they still hadn’t co up with a concrete plan to get Annalise away, but Matteo was perfectly content with brute forcing it if necessary. Aiden would even offer a helping hand. His brother barely slept through the night― instead, he spent his ti researching ways to terminate pregnancies using folk dicine.
Hence the pineapple. Alia doubted it would work, but she supposed it would be a great projectile to aim at Annalise’s face if things got dire.
They drove to the hospital in silence and arrived in no ti at all. They attracted a fair number of curious glances since it wasn’t the hospital’s visiting hours, but the combined na of the Hawthornes and Montgorys ant that they were quickly ushered into Emline’s room.
Unfortunately, Annalise was there as well, with a smug smirk on her face when she realized who was visiting her precious daughter.
"Aiden! What a pleasant surprise!" Annalise exclaid with false cheer. "Are you ready to finally take so responsibility for the life you created?"
Aiden sighed and stared down at the pineapple before replying. "No, I’m not. Hello, Mrs. Hawthorne. How are you and Emline doing?"
Emline, who was forcefully swaddled in a wealth of blankets, popped her head out at the noise. After such a trying night, she wanted nothing more than to sleep in, but her mother’s words were too ridiculous to ignore.
True enough, her eyes registered Aiden’s presence. Then she turned to see Matteo and Alia walking into her room, hand-in-hand.
Her hair was a qualified bird’s nest of angry curls as she shot a baleful glare at them, her lips curled up derisively at the display of affection. Clearly this was just their attempt at kicking her when she’s down!
"You! So all of you have decided to feel pity for ?" Emline raised her head angrily. "Are you here to mock for getting kicked out? If so, get lost!" She kicked at her bedding so vigorously that her mother imdiately ca over in a panic, trying to soothe her. "I don’t want you here! Take your stupid fruit basket and scram!"
"What fruit basket? Don’t flatter yourself! I only brought one fruit!" Aiden complained, and Emline hissed like an angry cat.
"Emline, we’re not here to mock you," Alia said, shooting Aiden a warning glance. "We just wanted to see how you were feeling―"
"How’s that abortion coming along?" Aiden asked without any preamble, completely ignoring her. "Is the fetus out of you yet? Do you need any help?"
"Well I never―" Annalise drew herself to her full height, trembling with barely concealed outrage as she pointed a shaking finger at Aiden. "How dare you! You’re here to kill your own baby! You’re committing murder!"
"Co on man, it’s not even a baby. It’s a clump of cells that should not exist!" Aiden’s eyes darkened at the reminder before he turned to Emline.
"So, how about it? What’s your plan? We can do this via the best dical science money can afford or so dodgy folklore I dug up on the internet. Your choice." He tossed the pineapple up and down with one hand as though it was a basketball.
Emline scoffed. "Of course I want this baby gone with dical science. I want to return to the Hawthorne household, and I can’t with this deadweight parasite living inside ."
Alia winced at the harsh way Emline had described her unborn child. If she was this unkind now, how much worse would she be if the child was born?
No kid deserved such a mother who didn’t want them.
But Annalise Hawthorne clearly thought otherwise.
"You can’t abort this child! This is the bloodline of the Montgory family! Emline, you are not in your right mind!" Annalise shrieked. "The world already knows you’re pregnant! How do you think they’d react knowing that you had an abortion? Your reputation will never recover!"
"Emline has the right to make decisions about her own body," Alia said with a frown.
Annalise was refusing to respect her own daughter’s decisions.
"A child is not a toy. They are human beings, and you have to be responsible for them for a lifeti! If Emline isn’t ready for a child, then she shouldn’t have one!"
Annalise whirled around to glare at Alia. "Oh, shut up and stop pretending to care about my daughter! I know what you’re planning, oh yes, you want my precious Emline to abort the child so that your spawn can be the first Hawthorne great-grandchild! I know what you’re planning! You can’t trick us!"
Alia exchanged a helpless glance with Matteo. Well. She tried. But Annalise saw threats and sches around every corner, and she clearly wasn’t capable of thinking rationally.
"My reputation?" Emline rolled her eyes and snorted with disdain. "Mom, my reputation was ruined the mont Grandfather brought ho this woman over here!" Her cold eyes glanced at Alia. "Who cares a whit about my reputation when I’ve already lost my inheritance and ho? If I keep this baby, my life will never recover! Do you want to be out on the streets, begging for cash?"
"Nonsense!" Annalise’s face twisted in pain. "You don’t understand― everything will change after you give birth. You need to think further. Your grandfather won’t be able to stop himself from doting on his first great-grandchild, and the Montgorys will adore you―"
"You’ve said it a million tis, Mom, and I’ll argue otherwise! This baby is nothing but a burden to . I do not want to marry Aiden! Get this spawn out of !" Emline scread.
"For once, we are in complete agreent!" Aiden slamd the pineapple on the table, causing everyone to startle in surprise. "Let’s get the doctor!"
"Over my dead body!"
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