Love me or leave me (Rebecca and Theodore) novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178 

Stacey was stunned. She looked at Hayden, bewildered and surprised. Meanwhile, Hayden simply looked at her, waiting for her response, 

Stacey was speechless. It took a while for her to process what Hayden meant. ‘Does he like me? It can’t be, right? Given that I’m a divorced woman with a child, I expect it to be difficult to find someone who loves me. Wait. Hayden is also divorced and has a child. Could he really be interested in me? she pondered. 

Stacey’s divorce may have subconsciously made her believe that love and marriage were no longer a part of her life. So, throughout her interactions with the Hoggard family, she never considered that possibility. Stacey began to panic, unsure if she understood what Hayden meant. “M–Mr. Hoggard, I don’t think we’re suitable for each other, Stacey said nervously, her voice stuttering a bit. 

“I’m just kidding. Howard replied. He had anticipated her rejection. After all, she had just divorced and had probably not considered remarriage yet. 

Nevertheless, from her nervousness and the slight reddening of her ears, he could tell that she didn’t dislike him. If she didn’t dislike him, that meant there was hope. As long as he was patient, there would be a day when she would accept him. 

Seeing Stacey remain silent, Hayden sat on the couch as he said, Jeremy’s mother has returned.” 

Stacey was stunned at Hayden’s words, looking at him in surprise 

Hayden paused for a moment before telling how, when his grandfather was critically ill, he desperately wanted Hayden to marry before he died. As a result, Hayden was forced to go on a frantic series of blind dates in less than a month, eventually marrying a girl he barely knew and had no feelings for 

“At that time, our family was all worried about my grandfather’s condition. The marriage happened so quickly that we didn’t have time to investigate the background of the girl’s family, Hayden explained. 

Stacey was taken aback when she learned the truth about Hayden’s previous marriage. 

Hayden looked at her and said, “Because we didn’t have time to investigate, we didn’t know that Queenie Leavey didn’t want to marry me. She had a boyfriend she loved very much, but her family forced her to break up with him and marry me to climb the social ladder. When we first got married, she told me she wasn’t mentally prepared, so she didn’t want to have intercourse with me.” 

He added, “I didn’t have any feelings for Queenie either. I married her just to put my grandfather at ease, so I didn’t mind her request. We agreed to live in separate rooms from the start. Later, my grandfather’s health gradually improved, and everyone was happy.” 

“One day, Queenie suddenly told me she wanted to try for a baby via in vitro fertilization. I was quite surprised, but she was very anxious, saying her parents were pressuring her to have a child. At the time, I thought that since we were already married, having a child didn’t seem like a problem, so I agreed. We went to the hospital together and had a baby by artificial means, Hayden continued. 

“But later, when she was six or seven months pregnant, she suddenly told me she couldn’t take it anymore, she wanted to abort the baby, and she wanted a divorce. That’s when I realized something was wrong, he resumed. 

Stacey was surprised and thought, ‘Six or seven months pregnant? By then, the baby was already about to be born. I’ve heard from somewhere that babies born at seven months have a high chance of surviving, while those born at eight months have a higher risk of not making it. At seven months pregnant, the child is already alive. Terminating the pregnancy at that point is essentially the same as killing a living baby! 

Hayden carried on. “Queenie confessed everything to me, and I had someone investigate. It was then that I learned she hadn’t willingly married me. But by then, the child was about to be born. There was no way I would agree to her aborting the child. It wasn’t just her child. It was mine too.” 

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Chapter 178 

As Hayden spoke, he subtly observed Stacey’s expression. Seeing that she didn’t seem repulsed, he continued, “I took some measures to prevent the hospital from allowing Queenie to have an abortion. Her family also forbade her from aborting the child. Everyone was keeping an eye on her every move.” 

“But none of us expected that Queenie would secretly take abortion pills to get rid of the baby. Fortunately, someone realized the situation soon after she took the pills, and she was rushed to the hospital where the drugs were induced out of her system, barely saving the baby,” Hayden explained. 

“I promised Queenie that as long as she delivered the baby safely, I would divorce her immediately and give her family a large amount of compensation. This would allow her parents to consent to her being with her boyfriend. She agreed to this and promised to take care of herself and deliver the baby. Liter, when the child was born, I kept my promise. I gave her parents a major business project and negotiated conditions with them, allowing her to be with her boyfriend,” he added.