Rejections and Realizations

Grace sat on her bed, gripping her phone tightly. Her mother's words kept repeating in her mind—You need to tell Xu Kai.

Her heart pounded as she dialed his number. After three rings, he picked up.

"Hey, babe," Xu Kai's voice came through, casual as always.

Grace swallowed hard. "Xu Kai, I need to talk to you. It's important."

There was a pause. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Silence.

"What?" His tone was sharp now.

"I'm pregnant, Xu Kai," Grace repeated, her voice shaking.

Xu Kai let out a short, bitter laugh. "You're joking, right?"

"No," she whispered.

There was another long pause before he finally said, "That's not my problem."

Grace felt like the ground had been pulled from under her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that's your issue, not mine. I never signed up to be a dad."

"Xu Kai, please—"

"No, Grace. I have plans, okay? I can't be tied down with a baby. Just get rid of it."

Tears rolled down Grace's cheeks. "I can't believe you're saying this."

"Believe it," Xu Kai said coldly. "Don't call me again."

And then, he hung up.

Grace stared at her phone, numb.

Juan entered the room and immediately noticed Grace's pale face. "What happened?"

Grace let out a shaky breath. "He rejected the baby. He told me to… to get rid of it."

Juan sat beside her, pulling her into a hug. "You are not alone in this. We will figure it out."

But Grace couldn't stop the tears. She had never felt so abandoned.

Meanwhile, Felix still hadn't returned home.

Lisa walked through the school hallways, her mind still processing everything happening at home. But things weren't much easier at school.

She met Baskhar after class, and he looked nervous.

"Lisa… can we talk?"

Lisa sighed. "Baskhar, if this is about—"

"No, just listen," he interrupted. "I like you. I really do. But I know you don't feel the same way."

Lisa looked down, guilt creeping in. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I just needed to be honest." He hesitated. "Iris and I are trying, but I don't want to lie to myself. That's why I wanted to say this."

Lisa appreciated his honesty, but she didn't know what to say.

"Baskhar, you'll find someone who loves you the way you deserve."

He gave her a small smile. "I hope so."

Iris, who had been watching from a distance, looked away, pretending she wasn't listening.

Lisa sighed. Things were getting more complicated by the day.

And she still hadn't faced Felix.