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."

of his arms, Ivy sobbed all the more, her shoulders twitching and her

I do? I want to

flatly refused without a second thought, "No, you can't

how futile it was trying to argue with him, she dropped her

Lionel. I have a good reason for my desire, and maybe, you'll understand," she began, in a solemn tone now. "You see, after the last 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

of the car accident, Lionel was brought back to reality. His usually

falling in front of the car, the words she said to him

he was at a critical moment in his wrangles with Rufus. He needed to put things in order.

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 me have

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

and it gave her boldness to

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

had been planning for all those years go up in smoke, so she had to make a bait.

comforting her so tenderly, she enjoyed to see her plot pan out well. It cut his heart that she stubbornly insisted on having

you can't give

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 have known that you

hands

care whatever evil thoughts you have for your way of life. I'm not

in the living room of their love nest struck timely, loud

smiled at him. A charming, innocent

you try to hurt my baby, that will be the end of you

they had been together. He remembered his first meeting with Ivy. The girl had a unique

beauty and the simple way she carried herself. She was unpretentious, and charming in her own special way. And as they began dating, she became the sun that would

heels in love with her. Among his many

to fulfill his promise to marry her. Under the

was going to marry Cassandra was still etched on his memory. In anger she had wriggled free

death, she had never been the same again. She turned into a completely different person, shrewd and scheming.

satisfaction could not fill the gap between them. Lionel's

his wound. Lionel went even further than that. Quietly, he snubbed Cassandra and never touched her. But as long as they didn't dissolve the marriage, Ivy still

know I love you. I always thought you

pregnancy was a ball in her court. He couldn't force her to

I have waited for all these years. But what do I get in