Chapter 224

The sterile white walls of the examination room seemed to close in as the doctor's words hung heavily in the air.

"If you wish to keep this pregnancy, intimacy must cease immediately. I strongly advise hospitalization to prevent miscarriage." The doctor adjusted his glasses, his tone clinical. "If termination is your choice, I recommend scheduling the procedure without delay. Prolonging this will only worsen your condition."

Vanessa's fingers tightened around the edge of the examination table. "Is intimacy truly that dangerous?"

Her mind raced. Refusing Dominic was one thing, but Lucien Dubois? She could reject him once, maybe twice, but indefinitely? Impossible.

The thought of spending the next ten months bedridden, sacrificing her ambitions for a child, made her stomach churn. She had worked too hard to let this derail her. The year-end competition was within reach—victory would skyrocket her career. With Lucien's influence and the judges' favor, her future would be unstoppable.

But this...

A life confined to a hospital bed, her body no longer her own?

The mere idea terrified her.

"You're already showing signs of miscarriage. Isn't that serious enough?" The doctor's voice sharpened, his disapproval evident. "Young women today disregard their health. The first trimester is fragile—intimacy should be avoided entirely, or at the very least, approached with extreme caution."

Heat flooded Vanessa's cheeks. Even from a medical professional, the bluntness stung.

She swallowed hard. "If I choose termination, how long would the procedure take? Would I need to stay overnight?"

The doctor's lips thinned. "Is this really about intimacy?"

She bristled. "No. It's complicated."

Her nails dug into her palms. "I’ve heard medication can induce abortion. Is that an option? Could I leave the same day? What about pain management? Recovery time?"

His expression darkened. "Medication is no longer viable for your condition. Surgical termination would require a two-day wait. Discharge depends on your recovery, but make no mistake—all procedures carry risks. This will damage your body."

He leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Uterine scarring could impact future pregnancies. Are you absolutely certain?"

Vanessa's hand drifted to her abdomen. A dull ache pulsed beneath her fingertips. No bump yet, no flutter of movement—just the silent presence of something she hadn’t asked for.

But the cost of keeping it was too high.

"Take time to reconsider," the doctor urged. "Discuss this with the father. This isn’t a decision to make lightly."

The father.

Dominic's face flashed in her mind.

Her jaw set. "No. I want the procedure. Schedule it."