Chapter 907
Elio felt a wave of panic and demanded angrily, “What are you implying?”
Sean swallowed hard, his voice tinged with fear as he explained, “Mr. Hoffis, if a woman agrees to sleep with you but then avoids you, it’s likely because she’s intimidated by your wealth and influence. She doesn’t actually have feelings for you.”
Elio suppressed his anger and emphasized each word sharply. “She isn’t short of money, nor is she lacking in influence. She has everything.”
His words completely floored Sean. His mind was in overdrive, trying to process the fact that Elio had hooked up with Candice. It was like Elio was defying the Morrisons with every breath!
Sean couldn’t help but be in awe. It seemed like true love was indeed capable of conquering any challenge. Elio must have felt like he had no regrets left in his life.
“Mr. Hoffis, some women are naturally gentle and kind-hearted. Even if they come from powerful families, they can be very timid at heart.
“Having been sheltered since childhood, they may not know how to say no or stand up to malicious intentions. Instead, they tend to avoid such situations,” Sean cautioned gently.
Elio smiled bitterly as he felt his heartache intensify. He had naively interpreted Candice’s lack of rejection as a sign of mutual affection, only to realize that he might have been causing her pain all this time.
He saw himself as nothing more than a selfish creature consumed by his desires. He shut his eyes to fight back tears, the pain in his chest making each breath a struggle.
Candice had always been optimistic. She wouldn’t dwell on the two times she had slept with Elio. After all, he was the man she had a crush on.
Even if he had taken advantage of her, she chose to remember those moments as beautiful memories. She felt that she had fulfilled her longing for him.
If Elio didn’t want a relationship but still expected more intimate encounters with her, that was completely out of the question. As Vanessa had pointed out, Candice deserved better.
Candice knew men and women often see things differently. Unlike women, men could have sex without love. She began to ignore Elio’s calls and messages. Eventually, Elio stopped trying to contact her and didn’t seek her out. She didn’t need
to go out of her way to avoid him since their interactions had already been minimal since the beginning.
A month flew by in no time. Despite repeated notifications from her period-tracking app, Candice’s period still hadn’t started, and she was deeply panicked.
A week after her missed period, she donned a baseball cap and a mask before discreetly visiting a small, secluded pharmacy to buy a box of pregnancy test strips. Then, filled with anxiety, she used the strips in a public restroom.
The result hit Candice like a ton of bricks. The test was positive! Her world seemed to crumble around her, her heart in turmoil. They had slept together twice without protection, leaving the time of conception uncertain.
Crouched in a comer with the test strip in hand, Candice felt an overwhelming urge to cry. The thought of being unmarried and pregnant was unbearable.
She knew her family would struggle even more to accept this reality. If they discovered that Ello was the father, they might even threaten his life.
What should she do? She couldn’t let her family find out about the pregnancy. Should she consider an abortion in secret?
After much deliberation, Candice, feeling utterly lost, reached for her phone and dialed Elio’s number. It had been a month of silence between them, yet she had no choice but to contact him.
Even if she didn’t want to keep the baby, she needed to inform Elio. At the very least, she needed someone to support her during the procedure. Besides, Elio was responsible for the situation.
The thought of not being able to keep the innocent life growing inside her made Candice weep uncontrollably. Her heart ached immensely.
The phone barely had time to ring before Elio answered; his voice was gentle yet filled with urgency. “Candice, is that you?”