After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 325

Samuel was silent for a moment before answering heavily.

"Yes. I actually just found out myself. Flora was throwing up all morning. They ran some tests, and it turns out she's pregnant..."

Aria's heart plummeted into an icy abyss. There was no real reason for anyone to lie about this—Flora would only be granted release if the pregnancy was legitimate. Empty claims wouldn't open a jail cell. Still, Aria had clung to a sliver of hope that it was just a desperate legal maneuver.

"You sound terrible," Samuel noted gently. "Do you need—"

"She's with me. I'm taking care of her. Don't worry about it."

Raphael slipped the phone out of Aria's hand. He set a bowl of steaming chicken soup on the coffee table in front of her and spoke directly to Samuel. "Thanks for the update. She needs to rest now. Goodbye."

Without waiting for a response, Raphael ended the call.

"Eat something. You already have a bad stomach; skipping meals won't help."

Aria weakly poked at the contents of the bowl with her spoon, clearly having zero appetite.

Raphael's brow furrowed. He took the spoon from her, scooped up a portion of the warm broth, and held it to her lips. "Open. I'll feed you."

"I—"

The second she opened her mouth to protest, Raphael neatly slipped the spoon in, entirely bypassing her objection. The soup was the perfect temperature, so Aria instinctively swallowed it. Before she could complain, he was already offering the next spoonful.

Aria was left speechless, caught between frustration and amusement. However, after a few bites, her stomach seemed to wake up. She gently took the bowl from him and began eating quietly on her own.

Raphael's expression finally softened. Perhaps due to his own chronic illness, he was particularly uncompromising when it came to proper meals.

"No matter how furious you are, never use your own body as a punching bag."

Once the door clicked shut, Raphael looked at the tear stains clinging to his chest. Remembering Aria's flustered, adorable expression just seconds ago, a genuine smile broke across his face. He pulled out his phone, snapped a few pictures of himself in the mirror, saved them securely to his cloud drive, and then casually walked back out, putting his suit jacket back on as if nothing had happened.

***

Aria's fever broke quickly. By the time she woke up the next morning, she was drenched in sweat but felt significantly stronger. After handling a few urgent emails for Evercrest, she received a message from her lawyer regarding the upcoming trial dates, advising her to gather as much concrete evidence as possible.

Aria forwarded him the emancipation papers she had signed with Roxanne and Nathan.

[Lawyer: Ms. Rowan, this severance agreement was signed after Roxanne demanded the multi-million-dollar payout. From a legal standpoint, as your parents, the Rowans had the right to negotiate terms with the Evernight family. This evidence won't hold much weight.]

[Aria: Then what kind of evidence do I need?]

[Lawyer: As you mentioned before, you are only biologically related to Nathan Rowan. If Roxanne demanded the hundred million dollars from the Evernights while fully aware of this fact, that could constitute extortion.]