None of her acquaintances looked like they would marry soon.
Erin Gooding and James Cross, perhaps?
But they would not be making up so soon, would they?
While she was left confused, more text arrived.
[I thought about it for a while, but eventually decided to tell you because you’re my only connection.]
Abigail had a hunch then, and quickly asked: [Lulu?]
[Yeah.]
Abigail asked almost in reflex: [Where are you right now? Who are you marrying?]
…
Lulu Adams stared at Abigail’s reply without moving.
She did not want Abigail to visit her or attend her wedding—all she wanted was a simple life.
She decided to marry Martin York because he was the reason she found warmth in this unfamiliar city.
When she smelled the sheep’s fat during a team dinner days ago, she started to retch.
When an older forensic doctor asked if she was pregnant, everyone started to stare at her weirdly.
After all, she told everyone that she was single and never married when she first joined their squad, and could not respond when she was suddenly asked if she was pregnant.
When she was too embarrassed and left at a loss, Martin stood up and snapped, “Why are you all staring at her? Old Hammond is just messing around like usual, and you really buy it? Not everyone is used to the peculiar smell of mutton, y’know. Start eating already!”
As he told off the others, Lulu actually believed for a moment that Martin was actually convinced that she could not handle mutton, and that Dr. Hammond was just messing around… until Martin changed her post from fieldwork to receptionist.
Nowadays, all she did was take calls, but Martin was clearly taking care of her.
When she had a chance, she asked Martin, “Why did you change my post?”
“You shouldn’t be hanging around gory scenes if you’re pregnant,” he replied. “Hammond is a veteran and after thirty years working as a forensic doctor, he has an eye for things.”
He appeared calm and neutral, showing no disdain at all. However, he also believed in Dr. Hammond from the very start and had told the others off to get Lulu out of a bind.
Lulu did not expect him to be so candid, and she actually felt embarrassed around him just then—it was the first time she felt this way around a man!
She felt like the ground was shrinking beneath herself and decided to get an abortion after hesitating for days.
However, Martin seemed to anticipate that and stopped her just outside the abortion clinic. “Are you just going to kill off a life like that?”
Lulu remained silent, because she knew that while she could handle the hardship of being a single mother, she could not handle a child having to live in an incomplete family.
She herself had suffered such a misfortune, so she did not want the same to happen to her own child.
Instead of making them suffer the ridicule of others, she should just stop them from coming to being at all.
“If you’re willing, I’ll be your child’s father and treat them like my own,” Martin said earnestly. “I fell for you at first sight.”
Lulu was shocked, but evasive.
She did not want to marry him with another person’s child, because it was unfair to him.
Likewise, she did not want her child to have to grow up in another man’s house, and she was skeptical about Martin’s promise to treat her child like his own.
No bloodline meant no connection, and he would never be able to treat the child like his.
She had made up her mind, and she would not agree to it.
She would not keep the child either… until a certain incident changed her mind!
Lulu had to go to the frontlines because the forensic doctor on duty was occupied.
This time, they faced a repeat offender who had already been wanted for three murders!
He would rather die than be arrested, and amid the ensuing scuffle, he took Lulu hostage.
Martin took a bullet for her and was almost killed—it was the first time she felt she was protected by someone else, staking his life on it.
Once Martin recovered, she told him, “If your offer still stands, I will marry you.”
Although she still insisted on getting an abortion before that, Martin said, “Your child is mine. Believe me when I say that I’ll take care of you and your child.”
She knew that she was just spurred by her gratitude to marry Martin, and it had nothing to do with love.
All she knew was that Martin was down-to-earth and a man whom she could entrust the rest of her life to—and that was enough for her.
She did not yearn for love, but stability.
Instead of pursuing love, it was more ideal to find a person who loved herself and was sensible.
…
Abigail stared at her phone screen but there was no response—Lulu probably did not want to give her more information!
[I wish you happiness. If that’s what you’ve decided, you have my blessing.]
Abigail was sure that Lulu was not being impulsive, and that she must have thought things through before deciding to marry.
However, her mood was affected because of Lulu’s sudden text and she forgot to contact Professor Lowe.
As her car stopped outside Hotmesh Research, she headed straight inside and hid alone in her office.
She felt unhappy for some reasons, although she should be happy that Lulu decided to marry and start over.
However, she understood too well that Lulu did not marry for love, because she would never fall in love with someone so quickly.
Knock, knock…
Someone knocked on her door just then, jolting her out of her thoughts.
Mustering her spirit, she said, “Come in.”
Finn Crowe poked his head inside. “Professor Lowe is here.”
Abigail actually raised a brow, but he probably was feeling anxious and could not wait to ask how things were going!
“Let him in,” Abigail said.
Finn brought Professor Lowe inside, and Abigail gestured for him to sit at the couch before she joined him there.
Professor Lowe was clearly anxious and asked worriedly, “H-Have you made any progress?”
Abigail showed him the photos. “The files are wiped from their end.”
“Really?” Professor Lowe was actually surprised that she was so efficient.
“Of course,” Abigail replied confidently.
“I’m free now…”
Even as Professor Lowe heaved a sigh of relief, he got a call from New Sun Pharma, urging him to sign the agreement.
Abigail told him to keep putting it off, and Professor Lowe did so. “We agreed to do it in three days, and it’s just been a day. What’s the hurry?”
Knowing that they did not have leverage against him now, he sounded confident instead of stammering like before.
Naturally, they did not dare to push him too far now that the photos they had were wiped by a hacker, and so had to act natural.
Once he hung up, Professor Lowe asked impatiently, “Why shouldn’t we just show our hand? They don’t have anything against me, so I have nothing to fear. I can just tell them I won’t sign it to make them give up entirely…”
“They contacted you this soon because they are impatient after losing the photos. We could show our hand, but there’s no assurance that we can win.”
“Why?” Professor Lowe asked.
“If they can coerce you with the honey-trap, it’s clear that they’re no angels. If we provoke them by coming clean, they’ll come after me too.”
Professor Lowe frowned. “Then… What should we do? Are we supposed to just play along to their whims?”
“I have a contact who is looking into them, but there’s no reply yet. Just hold on a little longer.”
Abigail was still waiting for word from Mark Wickers, after all.
Seeing that Abigail had everything planned out, Professor Lowe said, “Alright, I understand.”
Abigail nodded and assured him that everything would be fine, and that he should go home to wait for more news.
…
Abigail received a call from Diarmuid at noon, asking to have lunch together.
When she arrived, however, he saw someone else instead of Diarmuid!
Abigail was hesitant to enter the diner, but Diarmuid called out from behind just as she was about to turn and leave.
“Why aren’t you going in?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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