The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 5

When Adrian entered, Audrey was looking downcast.

He felt a pang of sympathy and sat on the edge of the bed, gently taking her hand. "What's wrong? Why are your eyes all red?"

Audrey's voice was delicate and tinged with sadness. "Adrian, I'm sorry."

Adrian asked, "Did she say something to you?"

Audrey replied, "Adrian, what am I going to do? I think Jocelyn is really angry with me."

Adrian gently stroked her hair. "You're so sweet, why would she be angry with you? She's just upset with herself. She'll get over it in a little while."

"But Jocelyn..." Audrey started to sob. "What if she divorces you because of this? If that happens, I'll be the one to blame."

Adrian sounded unconcerned. "She won't. Why would she divorce me?"

The Evans family of today was not the Evans family of three years ago. Holding onto a connection with the Lowell family was a stroke of luck for them now.

Besides, Jocelyn was never a true heiress. Her life with the Evans family had been difficult.

It was only after marrying him that her situation had improved.

So Adrian was certain that Jocelyn would never divorce him.

"Alright, don't be sad. Didn't Mom say you need to take good care of your body, or you'll have health problems later on?"

"Adrian, if I wanted to have another baby in the future, would you be willing?"

Audrey looked at him, her eyes filled with a tender, hopeful light.

She adored everything about this man. He had Arthur's face, but he was more mature, more composed, more masculine.

She had once thought he was a cold, unfeeling person. But on the night Arthur died, Adrian had held her and comforted her with soft whispers all night long.

And in the days that followed, he had shown her nothing but care and concern.

It was then she discovered that deep down, this man was capable of such tenderness.

If she had realized it sooner, perhaps she would have never chosen Arthur.

Adrian didn't answer Audrey's question. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know how.

If he had to do it all over again, would he make the same choice?

After Audrey had successfully become pregnant, why had he felt a sense of relief that he no longer had to sleep with her?

He even felt a sense of guilt.

And yet, he didn't love Jocelyn...

Audrey noticed the distant look in Adrian's eyes and frowned slightly, but quickly composed herself.

"Jo! Don't tell me you slept with someone else to get back at him..."

Jocelyn didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "It's Adrian's."

"What?"

Jocelyn was reluctant to even speak of it. "It was Adrian's sperm, the ones he had frozen at the hospital. I used them secretly."

"What?!" Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief.

She never imagined the story would be this complicated.

When Audrey got pregnant, the entire Lowell family was overjoyed.

But for Jocelyn, life became even more unbearable.

Eleanor and Michelle never missed a chance to mock her inability to conceive, their words tightening an invisible noose around her neck.

It was that constant pressure that had reminded Jocelyn of the sperm Adrian had stored at the hospital.

So, she had secretly undergone IVF.

Jocelyn's voice was full of self-mockery. "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't know if it would work."

"I thought, if it was successful, I could give Adrian a wonderful surprise."