Chapter 12 The car slowly made its way back to Riverbend Manor . Derrick carried Katherine up the stairs , his steps heavy as if he could barely lift his feet Maeve stood below , watching Derrick's distant expression with growing concern . She thought , ' Could it be that the results of the checkup aren't good ? " A few days ago , Maeve had wondered why Katherine's morning sickness was so severe . Other pregnant women might struggle with the smell of meat or greasy food, but Katherine didn't seem bothered by smells - she just couldn't eat anything . Soon , Derrick came downstairs and saw Maeve waiting for him at the foot of the stairs . He wasn't surprised . As he walked outside , Maeve hesitated for a moment before following him . It wasn't until they reached the far end of the garden that Derrick , looking defeated , crouched down . He covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath , his shoulders sagging under the weight of his thoughts . Seeing him like this , Maeve understood everything . Her heart tightened , and tears welled up in her eyes . " Oh my goodness , what have you done to deserve this ?" she cried . " Do you think a person like me is destined to be alone for the rest of my life ? Should I just let Katherine go ? " Maeve couldn't bear to hear him speak like this . She pulled him up Standing only at his chest , she had to strain to pat his shoulder . "It'll be okay . Everyone faces tough times , but they always pass . And Mrs. Graham has already changed , right ? She loves you , too . Don't talk like that Derrick's eyes were red , the tips of his lashes still wet with fears . He bit his lip and remained silent . He thought , I won't get through this . Katherine is only giving me a chance because of the baby . But right now , I'm thinking of getting rid of it before she even knows . If she finds out , there won't be any chance left for us . Derrick didn't have anyone else he could rely on , and he could only trust Maeve . He told Maeve about what the doctor had said and asked her what he should do . Even though he had already made his decision in his heart , he still wanted someone to point him in the right direction , a path that wouldn't end in too much pain . After hearing the doctor's findings , Mueve was silent for a while , thinking , ' But if we don't terminate the pregnancy , who knows if the baby's position will ever be corrected ? What if it won't ? In that case , neither the baby nor Mrs. Graham will survive . Giving up on the baby is the only way to save Mrs. Graham . Maeve took Derrick's cold hands and squeezed them tightly . " Mrs. Graham's life is at stake . You'll have other children one day . " Derrick's heart jolted , his eyelashes fluttered , and he lost all hope . He thought , I know , after this , Katherine and I won't have any more children . She will hate me and stay far away from me ! Katherine didn't sleep for long . Soon , she woke up from the sharp discomfort in her stomach , hunched over the side of the bed , gykking . Her stomach felt empty and it burned painfully " Derrick . Derrick ? " she called out . When she didn't hear a response , she instinctively reached for her phone on the nightstand . Her phone hadn't been used in a while , but Derrick made sure to charge it and place it on the nightstand every day . He was worried that something might happen to Katherine when he wasn't around . He even wished he could install a bell by her bedside , so if Katherine didn't have the strength to call , she could just pull the string and Ta Chapter 12 everyone at Riverbend Manor would hear the alarm . But Katherine stopped him from doing that She had told him before that she wasn't in a life - threatening situation , so there was no need for it . Derrick didn't dare argue with her and just went along with her wishes . Katherine was relieved that her phone was still by her side . She picked it up , planning to call Derrick . To give Derrick a sense of security and make it easier for him to check her phone . Katherine had even disabled the screen lock . However , when she picked up the phone , she was suddenly prompted with a facial recognition unlock screen . It was then that Katherine realized she was holding Derrick's phone . On the day she had disabled her own screen lock . Derrick had also recorded her face on his phone's facial recognition , so she could check it anytime . But Katherine had never felt the need for it . She trusted Derrick completely . But that was before . Right now , Katherine was looking at the pregnancy checkup report on Derrick's phone , an open window that he hadn't closed . There were long strings of data she couldn't understand , but the doctor's diagnosis at the end hit her like a punch to the gut . The baby was in the wrong position , and the recommendation was to terminate the pregnancy . Katherine thought . Terminate ? Derrick already knew . He's been hiding it from me . He said everything was fine , just that a few numbers were off . Is this the so - called a few numbers off he was talking about ? Katherine's heart sank as she suddenly recalled the words Derrick had said in the car . " It's okay . You'll feel better soon . I'll ask Dr. Hill to prescribe some medicine , and you'll be fine in no time . " She thought , Tll be fine after taking the medicine ? That's bull . Derrick wants to terminate my pregnancy when I had no clue about what was really going on . Damn it . What a jerk . At this moment , steady footsteps could be heard outside , each step growing closer . Derrick hadn't closed the door , afraid that if Katherine called out , he wouldn't hear her . He had just returned from the garden , and the scent of flowers still lingered on him . Seeing Katherine bent over the bed , her face pale , Derrick quickly rushed forward , worry etched on his face . Suddenly , something flew toward him . Derrick didn't dodge , and the phone hit him on the forehead before dropping to the ground , the screen cracking Among the countless cracks , Derrick saw the pregnancy report that had dragged him from heaven to hell . Katherine saw it too , and now she knew that Derrick knew everything . He tried to explain , " Listen , terminating the pregnancy now is better for " I don't want to hear it . Shut up , " Katherine shouted , throwing everything within arm's reach at him . " Get out . Get the hell out of here ." Derrick looked at Katherine with concern , instinctively taking a step forward . But just seeing him made Katherine think of him wanting to terminate her baby , and she shouted even louder , " Get out . Leave Derrick quickly stepped back , holding up his hands in surrender . " Okay , I'm leaving . Don't get upset . Calm down . I'll leave right now , He left , but he kept turning back every few steps . Maeve heard the noise and hurried up the stairs . " What happened ? What's going on ? " She looked anxiously towards the room , but Derrick shook his head at her , Only when they were a little farther away did he whisper , Katherine saw the report . " Maeve paused , letting out a sigh . " Mrs. Graham doesn't want to lose the baby , does she ? She had been through childbirth herself and understood that kind of pain - the kind where a mother would rather endure anything . even at the cost of her own life , just to ensure her child's survival . Derrick gripped his hair in agony , thinking , ' I can't gamble on trying to adjust the baby's position . Dr. Hill said it might not work . ' More importantly , Katherine is already nearly three months pregnant . The embryo's getting bigger every day , and once there's a heartbeat it be even harder to make the decision to terminate . Tonight , Derrick found himself locked out of the room for the first time in a long while , and even Marve wasn't allowed inside . Chapter 12 Ethan had also been called over , as Derrick was worried Katherine might suddenly feel unwell . The three of them sat in the living room on the first floor , their faces solemn and grave . Ethan felt guilty. "I should've noticed something was wrong . If only I had caught it e Ethan even wondered if , back when Katherine didn't want the baby , they had noticed sooner , maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this . Katherine had only just started accepting her pregnancy . She'd carefully taken care of her baby for so many days , only for her to be told that the baby couldn't be saved . Anyone would be devastated in her place . Ethan glanced at Derrick with concern . Derrick sat still , his posture unchanged , as though his soul had already left his body . Suddenly , they heard the sound of a lock turning upstairs . The three of them immediately stood up and looked toward the staircase . Derrick even quickly went upstairs with long strides . Katherine had locked herself in her room for the afternoon , and she looked even more worn out . Her face was pale as she called out , " Derrick get your ass in here . " Ethan sucked in a sharp breath , thinking , " What ? Mrs. Graham sure doesn't hold back " Derrick didn't say a word . He obediently walked in and shut the door behind him . AD