Chapter 2 I Want an Abortion
Eileen was like strong liquor.
It delivered one razor-sharp pain sliding down the throat, yet one would only crave it more with each swallow.
Eileen had that kind of wild, unruly beauty, making every man want to conquer her.
Fremont knew it better than anyone. It was precisely why he expanded his business empire so eagerly—he wanted to be powerful enough to protect her, to outshine every other man, and to be the only one who deserved her.
Now, as he finally could protect her perfectly, he drove her away. How did things come to this?
Staying in their bedroom, he traced over every piece of her jewelry gently.
He could still see her twirling in front of him in the dress she loved the most.
Others deemed her as a rose for her wild beauty, and he was the only one who knew how gentle and sweet she was.
He lit a cigarette but soon stubbed it out.
Though she wasn’t with him now, he didn’t want to stain their bedroom even the slightest.
Then he went back to the study. Alfred McCann, his assistant, reported to him, “Mrs. Woodward has just checked in at Crowvale Hotel. According to my source, she’s reached out to her friends in showbiz, wanting to make a comeback.”
Fremont tapped the cigarette, the smoke obscuring his face, making his expression unreadable. “Get the word out and make sure she doesn’t get any roles.”
Alfred was stunned. He had stayed by Fremont’s side for years, knowing Fremont had always doted on her, giving her everything she wanted.
“Mr. Woodward, Mrs. Woodward is upset. Instead of coaxing her back, you make things difficult for her. Aren’t you worried you’ll push her further away?”
Fremont said, “I’m forcing her back. It’s been three years since she quit, and things in showbiz have long changed. She’s been living under my protection all this time, and there’s no way she could handle the vultures out there. Soon, she’ll understand I’m the one who loves her the most and the only person who can shield her from anything unpleasant.”
The smoke cleared, revealing his icy face.
Suddenly, it dawned on Alfred that more than a man who loved his wife, Fremont was a ruler with the utmost power.
In nowadays world, power meant everything.
“Alfred, warn Chelsea and put her in her place. If she dares to cross the line again, I’ll make sure she regrets it.”
His icy tone sent a chill down Alfred’s spine. “OK, Mr. Woodward.”
Eileen settled into the hotel room. As she thought back, she realized that during the past few years, her world had shrunk to only two pursuits—Fremont and getting pregnant.
She had never regretted her decision to leave showbiz at her peak.
But now, it struck her that it was a horrible mistake pinning all her hope on one man.
She called a few directors, but they all turned her down.
Only then did she realize that from the moment Fremont swayed her to quit, he had severed her path entirely.
He wouldn’t let her have a chance to come back. All he wanted was for her to be with him like a pet.
Not long ago, he had transferred all her money with the excuse that he was facing a cash flow shortage. Now, her card balance was a mere 8,000 dollars.
She could stay in the presidential suite for three more nights.
He wanted to force her home in three days!
A gust of late autumn wind blew from the balcony, giving her goosebumps.
Her husband actually had been treating her like his business rival.
She suddenly realized why he had the audacity to have a child with another woman.
He thought by cutting her way out, he’d get to manipulate her however he wanted, and she’d be left totally vulnerable.
She was so glad that he didn’t know about her pregnancy. He’d want both babies, which made it even harder for her to get a divorce.
Deep down, she was certain that Fremont and Chelsea’s relationship wouldn’t stop in nine months. After giving birth, Chelsea would stay in contact with him by using the child as an excuse.
Though Fremont might not realize it, she knew Chelsea was testing her out—the two being photographed on set and Chelsea’s appearance in his office yesterday weren’t coincidences.
If she turned a blind eye to her standards and accepted Chelsea and their child, she’d have to endure being disgusted for the rest of her life.
Chelsea was like a stained bedsheet in a hotel room one had just checked into.
It wasn’t fatal, but it was disgusting enough.
Fremont loved her, and she knew that. But who could say for sure that he wouldn’t fall for Chelsea—the mother of his child—sometime in the future?
Was she supposed to fight with Chelsea to win his favor for the rest of her life? Imagine how miserable that kind of life would be.
After pondering, Eileen made a difficult decision. Since Fremont wouldn’t take Chelsea to an abortion, she’d get rid of her own baby.
The biggest mistake she had ever made in her life was throwing away everything for a man, and she was fed up with being a pampered pet.
If she kept the baby, it’d be the chain that tied her to that villa forever. She’d spend the rest of her life waiting and begging him to love her.
She stroked her belly, which was still flat, and smiled bitterly, “I’m so sorry, baby. Be smart next time, OK? Don’t choose women like me to be your mommy again.”
After knowing she was pregnant, she searched online for a baby name for so long that she was almost blind.
She had thought of over a hundred names, each carrying her blessings for the baby. Yet, it turned out it was just a waste of time.
“Baby, I brought you to this world, yet I’m also the person who’s gonna take you away. Make sure you find a more responsible mommy next time, OK?”
She didn’t sleep a wink the first night after leaving Fremont.
In the dead of the night, everything he had done for her came flooding back to her, screaming how much he loved her, wanting her to forgive him. She was deeply torn.
She saw Fremont’s newest post.
It was a video, in which a cat was nestling in his arms, meowing while he stroked it gently. The scar between his thumb and index finger was eye-catching.
The caption was, “I miss Mommy.”
She watched that video that was only a few seconds long again and again, feeling her heart stabbed by a sharp knife ruthlessly.
Fremont knew her better than she knew herself.
He excelled in manipulating her.
Coco was a stray cat she had found a few years ago. That day, a wild dog was tearing at a litter of kittens. When she rushed up to rescue them, it lunged at her.
A second before it landed on her, Fremont showed up. It ended up biting his hand, hence the scar.
Back then, he had coaxed her so gently, telling her not to be afraid, completely ignoring his bleeding hand.
Her nose twitched as she clutched her phone.
Just then, she saw Chelsea give his post a like.
She and Fremont had matching couple profile pictures with him offering a bouquet of roses and her hugging the bouquet in her arms.
She didn’t know when, but Chelsea had already changed into a profile picture with an identical composition to hers.
Feeling sick, she replaced everything related to him.
Meanwhile, Fremont suddenly found that the profile picture of his pinned contact “My sweetest love” was already a blank photo.
He clicked on it and saw she had changed her name to a single period.
Her status had been changed, too.
Now, it was, “The end”.
Early the next morning, Eileen showed up at the hospital, and Wendy was startled by how haggard she was.
Her face was ghastly pale, there were two dark circles under her eyes, which were slightly red. She said, her voice hoarse, probably because she had been crying, “Dr. Duran, I’d like to have an abortion.”
