Chapter 139 - 137: You’ve Got to Be Fucking Kidding Me
Visible panic flooded Shawn Lane’s eyes. He quickly put down his chopsticks and got up to chase after her.
Walter Lane’s brow furrowed at the sight. He turned to his wife and said, "You go see what’s happening. What business does a boy like Shawn have getting involved?"
"Oh, please. Shawn and Beatrice grew up together. It’s perfectly normal for him to be concerned about her," Mrs. Lane said dismissively. She went back to eating, picking up a piece of pork to taste. "This isn’t greasy at all. I specifically told Mama Warner to make thin pork."
The moment Beatrice Lynn rushed into the restroom, she locked the door behind her. Then, she leaned over the sink and began to retch violently.
Her stomach was empty. She heaved until tears streamed from her eyes, but only some sour fluid came up.
The sudden wave of nausea startled her. Recalling that her period was several days late, her mind raced, frantically calculating the dates.
’It had been almost exactly a month.’ She hadn’t taken the morning-after pill. Everything that had happened, coupled with Shawn’s attitude, had left her feeling utterly resentful and indignant.
Part of it was out of spite, but an even bigger part wanted revenge. So, she’d intentionally skipped the pill.
But now, looking at her reflection in the mirror, she was overcome with an uncontrollable panic.
She was only nineteen. If she really was pregnant, should she keep the baby?
And Shawn... would he even acknowledge the child?
The uncertainty threw her into a state of terror. She turned the tap to its coldest setting and, ignoring the perfect makeup on her face, desperately splashed water on herself, trying to force herself to calm down.
Finally, an impatient Shawn started knocking on the door from outside. "Beatrice Lynn, what are you doing in there? Open up!"
Beatrice Lynn shuddered. In a fluster, she grabbed two paper towels, dried her face, and turned to unlock the door.
As soon as she looked up, she met Shawn’s cold, scrutinizing gaze.
"What were you doing?" Shawn asked, staring at her.
Beatrice Lynn lowered her head and spoke in a small voice. "I think I’ve been overdoing it with my diet lately. My stomach can’t handle anything too sweet or rich, so I felt a little sick."
She did her best to hide her unease, but Shawn wasn’t buying it. "Don’t you pull any more of your ridiculous stunts. That pill... you took it, didn’t you?"
’Just as I thought. He didn’t come to see if I was okay at all. He only cares about that one thing.’
A crushing sense of humiliation washed over Beatrice. ’It was my first time, too. I was the one who had sacrificed the most!’
"Do you have to treat me this way?" Beatrice raised her head, eyes rimmed with red, and questioned him with a heartbroken expression. "Don’t you have any affection for me at all? Don’t you have any idea how harmful that pill is to a woman’s body? Can’t you even pretend to care?"
But in Shawn’s eyes, her pain and sorrow were worthless. He hadn’t even forgiven her, so how could he possibly cherish her?
"You brought this on yourself. You took advantage of me when I was drunk—you should have been prepared to face the consequences." Shawn’s expression was icy. He leaned in, his face close to hers, and asked with menacing deliberation, "So, tell me. Did you take the pill or not?"
In that instant, the last shred of Beatrice’s dignity shattered. She faltered, her body swaying unsteadily.
The next second, she violently shoved Shawn away from her and screamed, "No! I didn’t!"
The force of the push sent Shawn staggering backward, nearly toppling over. But as Beatrice’s words registered, his eyes flew wide in shock.
"What’s happening? What’s going on?"
Drawn by the sound of arguing, Mrs. Lane hurried over. She looked baffled to see the two of them standing in the restroom doorway, staring at each other with strange expressions.
"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!"
Shawn felt like his head was going to explode. He lunged forward, grabbing Beatrice’s wrist. His eyes were bloodshot as he snarled, "You’re lying, aren’t you?"
"Shawn!"
Seeing Beatrice wince in pain, Mrs. Lane rushed forward, pried Shawn’s hand away, and stepped between them. "What do you think you’re doing? Beatrice is a girl! You can’t use force, no matter how angry you are. Can’t you two talk things out calmly?"
Beatrice, her heart turning to ash, said in a choked voice, "I’m sorry, Mrs. Lane. I’m not feeling well. I’m going to head home now."
Mrs. Lane shot her son a glare before turning to Beatrice with a gentle expression. "Let me have the driver take you home?"
Beatrice nodded, not refusing the offer. As she left, she glanced at Shawn one last time. But the old affection in her eyes was gone, replaced by pure, unadulterated hatred.
After Beatrice left, Shawn was completely incapable of thought. His mind was just a frantic loop of two phrases: ’She might be pregnant,’ and ’What am I going to do?’
He had only just become an adult and never imagined he’d find himself in such a ridiculous situation. He felt helpless and afraid.
"Shawn!"
His father’s voice suddenly cut through the air, startling him. He snapped his head up to see his father standing at the top of the stairs, his expression grim. "Upstairs. With me. Now."
In the second-floor study, Shawn stood by the doorway while Walter Lane stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, watching his wife see Beatrice off downstairs.
After a long moment, he turned around. His brow was furrowed as he cut straight to the point: "You slept with Beatrice, didn’t you?"
’He’s my father, after all. There’s no hiding this kind of thing from him.’
But for some reason, his father knowing made Shawn feel less afraid. It was as if he’d suddenly found a safe harbor. He decided to just get it over with and poured out the whole dramatic story.
"Dad, I bought her the pill because I didn’t want any further complications. I never wanted to get involved with her in any way..."
Walter Lane did not fly into a rage. On the contrary, he looked at his son, who was desperately trying to explain, and raised a hand in a placating gesture, signaling him to stop.
"That Beatrice girl... her intentions toward you were never pure. To resort to such a low, filthy trick..." Walter Lane scoffed, his voice filled with disdain. "Thinking she can climb the ladder by getting pregnant? Does she really think our Lane Family is that easy to manipulate?"
"Dad, we don’t even know for sure if she’s pregnant or not," Shawn said, still unwilling to believe it was true.
Walter Lane looked at his son. He’d been despondent for a long time over his relationship with Cecilia Sterling. As a father, he couldn’t let these matters continue to torment his son.
"Pregnant or not, I won’t let her affect you. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of this for you," Walter Lane said earnestly.
Hearing his father’s words, Shawn finally felt a sense of relief.
He nodded lightly. "Thanks, Dad."
Walter Lane continued, "Your mother shouldn’t have interfered with you and Cecilia Sterling. I told her a few days ago to go talk to Cecilia again, to apologize to her even. In any case, she is not to interfere between you two anymore."
"But as an elder, she’ll feel like she’s losing face. I’ll talk to her again tonight and get her to go see Cecilia in the next day or two. Since you like this girl so much, your mother and I won’t stand in your way anymore."