A Graduation Gift

After reaching the hospital, Lionel rushed into the emergency room with Cassandra in his arms.

"Hospitalize her!" he ordered, gave a wad of money and hurried away.

As quickly as he had come, his footsteps receded into the night, leaving the doctor bewildered at his abrupt manner.

Cassandra willed her eyes to open and looked at the doctor on duty, with a bitter smile on her lips.

"Doctor, I think I have a fever," said Cassandra weakly.

Then she lost consciousness and fell backwards.

Luckily, a pair of powerful arms caught her.

'Well, the doctor is quick in movement. He's really a nice and thoughtful man, '

thought Cassandra the second she fell into a coma.

The doctor stared at the second man who suddenly appeared in the emergency room. He suspected this second man must have come here in hot pursuit of the unruly character who had just left. By their manner of handling the unconscious lady, it was obvious there was bad blood between the two.

Rufus's face darkened with anger. Urgently, he ordered the third guy who accompanied him and was standing by his side, "Victor, keep a close watch on him. Find out what he's up to."

Quietly, Victor nodded and left, pensively touching his nose with a finger. By the hasty way in which Rufus followed Lionel, he knew Rufus really cared about Cassandra.

Rufus was right. Lionel didn't intend to take Cassandra to the doctor. It was just his excuse.

From the parking lot Lionel stepped on the gas and drove like a maniac straight to Ivy's home, burning with anxiety.

A puffy eyed Ivy came to open the door. When she saw Lionel, she threw herself directly into his arms.

"Here you are at last," she greeted, her anxiety echoing on every syllable.

A beautiful, strong woman most of the time, Ivy was now clumsy and irritable. She wore little make-up and was terribly upset. It distressed Lionel.

Helping her to sit on the sofa and wiping away her tears, Lionel held Ivy in his arms and comforted, "Take it easy. I'm here with you."

all the more, her shoulders twitching

to

you can't keep this baby. I'm not

But soon, realizing how futile it was trying to argue with him, she dropped her demand. 'It would be

car accident, the doctor said my uterus sustained pretty bad injuries. It would be virtually impossible to conceive. But look, here I am, pregnant, beyond a shadow of a doubt. That to me is a miracle which gives me joy that words cannot

reality. His usually impertinent

the words she said to him in the ward and the

was at a critical moment in his wrangles with Rufus.

to her advantage, she once again burst into tears, and bitterly pleaded in a low voice, "Lionel, I'm not asking for much. All that I want is for you to let

years, and all along, she turned a blind eye to his wild, compulsive behavior. She knew all about his philandering and had learned not to give a hoot about his other women. Even if he couldn't wise up and stop wasting time and money on every

fact and it

all the time, but she had secretly poked holes in the

had been planning for all those years go up in smoke, so she

pan out well. It cut his heart that she stubbornly

can't give birth

between them got dense. When she recovered from the initial shock, she said with a bitter smile, "Lionel, I finally know you have been lying to me with all these fake promises. In the end, you are giving up your baby. I should

tears and stood up, her hands resting gently on her

whatever evil thoughts you have for your way of life. I'm not terminating the pregnancy,

the living room of their love nest

suddenly smiled at him. A charming, innocent smile.

Lionel. If ever you try to hurt my baby,

all the time they had been together. He remembered his

carried herself. She was unpretentious, and charming in her own special

in love with her. Among

his promise to marry her. Under the arrangement

she had wriggled free from his arms and ran out of the door, into

out of the jaws of death, she had never been the same again. She turned into a completely different

material satisfaction could not fill

never touched her. But as long as they didn't dissolve the marriage, Ivy still couldn't get rid of her

I

pregnancy was a ball

for me, so I have waited for all these years. But what do I get