Beyond the Divorce by Third Blossom

When Ivanna saw Lauren's dark expression, she nudged her shoulder and said, "Alright, don't be mad anymore. I didn't do anything, and I still have the baby."

With that sentence, Ivanna silenced Lauren completely.

Lauren looked at us, her mouth agape in shock. Then she asked me, "Is that true?"

I nodded solemnly. "She didn't go through with it. When she got on the operating table, she regretted it and called it off."

Lauren was puzzled and asked me, "Didn't you go to the hospital to ask about this?"

"I asked the medical assistant, but she didn't explain things clearly. She just said a patient named Ivanna had come in for an abortion and was done with it. I thought she had done it and had gone back, but the reality is... well, you can see what happened," I explained and chuckled.

Lauren collapsed onto the sofa, looking utterly dejected. She lay there staring at the ceiling, seemingly without hope. After a while, she said, "Let's make some food. I haven't eaten all day. Every time I open my eyes, I start looking for her. If this goes on, my blood pressure will skyrocket. Living with you is like being on a roller coaster. But the good thing is, you didn't do anything dumb."

"Let's go out to eat. There's nothing at home, and what's left isn't fresh." I suggested.

"Should we go to the supermarket?" Lauren said quietly as she struggled to get up.

"I want seafood. Can I have some?" asked Ivanna.

As I was about to respond, Lauren cut in. "What seafood? Are you for real? We're half dead because of you, and you dare say you want seafood?"

Ivanna realized her mistake and blushed in embarrassment. "I'll treat you to a meal, then. Is that okay?"

Lauren was not going to let Ivanna off the hook. "It's not about who pays. You're just too stubborn. Thankfully, you stopped yourself before doing something foolish. Otherwise, I would have... sigh." As Lauren spoke, tears nearly fell from her eyes.

"I really regret what I did." Ivanna looked at her belly and then at us.

We were both speechless. What could we say? We were all best friends.

"Let's go to Fisherman's Wharf." I suggested.

Ivanna said, "I want to eat at home. It's more comfortable that way."

Lauren quickly added, "Go and change, then. We'll go to the seafood market, and we'll have a seafood feast tonight."

As soon as Lauren softened her stance, Ivanna immediately smiled with teary eyes. "I'll go get changed."

She went upstairs. Lauren and I exchanged glances and heaved a sigh of relief, feeling a little lost for words.

I quickly called Atlas to tell him what was going on so he wouldn't worry.

He asked us what we wanted to eat and if we wanted to go out for dinner.

I told him Ivanna wanted seafood, and we were thinking of going to the Fisherman's Wharf, but Ivanna preferred to eat at home.

"Alright. It's crowded there, and the

food isn't that good anyway. You guys wait at home. I'll get someone to buy the ingredients and send them over," Atlas said.

"Okay, we'll just go to the supermarket," I agreed and hung up the phone.

Lauren looked at me and asked, "What's wrong? Don't we need to go buy the seafood ourselves?"

"Atlas said he would send someone

to buy it and get it delivered to us Let's go to the supermarket and get some fresh fruits and vegetables," I suggested.

Lauren sighed. "He's the only man you can rely on."

I knew she was talking about Atlas and implying that Jared wasn't dependable.

Ivanna came downstairs after

changing She looked refreshed after

washing her face. I told her that

Atlas would buy some seafood and

send it over, and we were going to the nearby supermarket.

Ivanna laughed and said, "Looks like he found another reason to get a free meal."

I snorted disdainfully, "We're dealing with something serious here. We were really scared. What do you mean, a free meal? He's going to buy the seafood."

She quickly stuck out her tongue. "I won't let a free meal slip away!"