Chapter 781
Elodie stared at him in shock.
The man in front of her was… beyond anything she’d expected.
Jarrod could see exactly what she was thinking, and he didn’t hold back. “Back then, it never even crossed my mind. I thought-when you got pregnant-we would get a fresh start. I hoped maybe the baby would be what brought us back together. I was over the moon and went to find you, but then you told me you didn’t want our child.”
Elodie’s hands went numb as she gripped them tighter, trying to steady herself. “That’s not it. I just… I couldn’t give the baby a real chance at life. I didn’t have what it takes to be a mother back then.”
Jarrod let out a low sigh. “I know. I got it all wrong. Even now, I can’t believe how badly I messed up-how I lashed out at you.”
He reached for her hand, his touch apologetic, gentle. “Because of that misunderstanding, I thought you didn’t love me. I thought you wanted to end the pregnancy for Ivan’s sake, that you’d chosen him over us. But that was still our child. I couldn’t just walk away. Before you promised you’d wait for me to come back, I’d already-out of some stupid suspicion and desperation-contacted a specialized medical team overseas.”
“I arranged for them to bring all their equipment and be on standby.”
As he spoke, relief flickered across his face, as if he was only now realizing how lucky they’d been. “When your accident happened, the people I’d left at the hospital only heard you were planning to terminate the pregnancy. Details got muddled as the news passed from one person to the next. They rushed in and performed a procedure, and right there in the operating room, they transferred the baby—our baby-into an artificial womb, keeping it alive, just barely.”
Elodie felt her pulse race wildly, her whole body suddenly light and dizzy.
Jarrod went on, his voice softer now. “Remember that night I flew back, and we just ended up fighting after you woke up? I left the country for a while after that.”
“…I remember.” The pain of that day was something she could never forget.
ет
“I had to go. The baby had just been moved. There was a whole team-over thirty doctors and nurses doing everything they could to keep her alive. Things weren’t stable yet. I stayed there for over a week watching over her, making sure she’d pull through. Only when I was sure there was no emergency did I come back to see you.”
“And the baby? How is she now?” Elodie’s heart was pounding so loud it drowned out everything else.
She slid off the edge of the couch, gripping his arm so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Jarrod brushed her hair with his fingers, offering comfort. “She’s doing great. Healthy as can be. In another month, she’ll be strong enough to come out and go straight into an incubator.”
Tears filled Elodie’s eyes before she could stop them-tears of overwhelming relief and joy. She tried to swipe them away, but they kept coming. “Can I see her? Please can I see her now?”
Jarrod gently held her back. “I know you’re anxious, but let’s wait a little longer,
just to be safe. When I’m stronger, we’ll go together. Okay?”
He hadn’t meant to tell her so soon.
It was safer to wait, to be certain everything was all right before getting her hopes up. He’d wanted to wait until their baby came out of the artificial womb and made it safely into the incubator, then share the good news with Elodie. But seeing her so heartbroken, he couldn’t keep it to himself.
Elodie glanced down at his still-healing injuries and took a shaky breath. “Okay. We’ll wait.”
“But why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
He hesitated, then gave a rueful
half-smile. The technology isn’t
foolproof. There was no guarantee she’d survive, and I didn’t want
you
to get your hopes up for nothing. And His eyes clouded with a touch OF SOFFOW the time thought you wanted nothing more to do with me. I figured if it came to it, I’d raise the baby on my own.”