The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 7

Sarah's heart ached for Jocelyn. She pulled her into a hug.

"I wish the hospital had mixed up the samples and this baby wasn't that bastard's. Then I could be a godmother."

"Hmph! And I hope that other woman's kid isn't his either. Let him see what it feels like to be cheated on."

Jocelyn couldn't help but laugh, gently touching Sarah's cheek.

"The chances of that happening are close to zero, but I'll take the good wishes."

Jocelyn's spirits had lifted, at least a little.

Before returning to Oakhaven Estates, she tore up the report and threw it in a trash can.

Maria noticed her pale face and asked with concern, "Jocelyn, you don't look well. Are you feeling sick?"

In the entire Lowell household, only this one housekeeper genuinely cared about her.

Jocelyn forced a smile. "I'm fine, Maria. Just a little hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

No wonder she had felt so hungry the past couple of days. There was a little life growing inside her.

Her baby. What would he or she be like?

The thought was immediately followed by the painful reality that this little life would soon be gone, and a wave of sadness washed over her.

Maria said, "Yes, yes, I have some artisan bone broth simmering on the stove. I'll get you a bowl."

Jocelyn had just sat down at the dining table when a thought occurred to her.

"Who is that bone broth for?"

Maria hesitated. "It's for Audrey. Adrian called and said she's weak and needs nourishing food. He asked me to make it and said he'd be back to pick it up later."

Of course.

"I made extra. I was hoping you would have some, Jocelyn."

But Jocelyn had suddenly lost her appetite. "Never mind. I'm not that hungry anymore."

Maria was a smart woman. "Jocelyn, let me make you a bowl of homemade pasta. Back in my hometown, everyone said my homemade pasta was the best in the village."

Jocelyn knew Maria meant well and didn't want to refuse her kindness.

"Okay, I'd love to try it."

As Maria bustled around the kitchen, Jocelyn watched her, feeling a rare moment of peace.

Her phone rang, and the caller ID made her heart sink again. It was her mother.

Jocelyn gently stroked her belly and said calmly, "If I had died, what would you have done about your lack of an heir?"

Jocelyn was not Diana's biological daughter.

She was an orphan Diana had brought home from the outside.

Marcus and Diana Evans had been married for years without children. They had tried everything, but nothing worked.

When Diana was nearly thirty, she finally got pregnant, but the baby was stillborn.

Diana, who had always been superstitious, consulted a spiritualist.

The spiritualist told her she needed to adopt a girl with a specific birthdate. This girl, they said, would bring a true heir to the Evans family.

Their line was fated to end without a son, but this girl was born with a brother written in her stars.

Diana, of course, believed the spiritualist's words.

And so Jocelyn, the girl seemingly chosen by fate, was brought into the Evans family.

At first, out of desperation for a child, Diana had treated Jocelyn well enough.

But four years later, with the birth of Jeremy Evans, it was as if Jocelyn had been cast aside, becoming a forgotten figure in the family.