Chapter 294: HEAVY DECISION
"I don’t care about what you say, you are going to get rid of that baby and that’s my decision," Mr Davis said, playing deaf ears to what Andrew said. He saw the unborn child as a curse and something unfruitful. "If you don’t get rid of that baby before coming here next time, I will beat you up so baby that you’d wish you’d gotten rid of it yourself," he threatened.
"Try that and get ready to visit your early grave," Andrew threatened back. He could see in Mr Davis’s old wrinkled eyes that he wasn’t joking around. Now he was worried that the old man would try that. Obviously, after this threat, he won’t allow Jasmine to come and visit her father again. The old man was sick and delusional. Even though they had prepared a secluded jail for him, he could still try to find a way out but the security was tight.
"Are you threatening me?" Mr Davis questioned Andrew as he glared at him for using such an audacity on him.
"Yes," Andrew replied without holding back. He was ready to protect Jasmine and their unborn baby from the old man even though he was her very own father. "It’s obvious that you don’t want us here, especially after finding out the good news that we have come to share with you but either way, we are not going to get rid of the baby. I want that information to sink properly into your old skull."
Mr. Davis balled his fists and clenched them so hard that one could see the veins popping out of them. He gritted his teeth. He didn’t want that child because if that child is born, his property will be transferred to his name. He had planned for more than 20 years to have the Andersons’ properties joined together with his own so that he could be the richest man in the city but here he was, in jail, his hands bound together leaving him with no other choice than to just sit and watch them leave as he gritted his teeth together behind them.
"She didn’t even bother to say goodbye," he mumbled under his breath. "What a useless daughter that I have," he added.
—
"You shouldn’t come here to see him again," Andrew instructed Jasmine when they got inside their car that was packed outside the jail. "I’m sure that by now, you know that your father does not have your best interest at heart so please, don’t visit him again," he pleaded this time.
He felt awful for forbidding Jasmine from seeing her psycho father but that was the safest for them at the moment. He didn’t want to risk anything at the moment, especially now that he wants them to get rid of their baby.
Jasmine’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before she lowered her head and nodded her head obediently. "I won’t," she replied.
She could understand where Andrew was coming from. He had warned her not to tell her father about the pregnancy but she felt that it was right if her father found out about it even though he doesn’t approve of their relationship. But to think that he would tell her to abort the baby, she couldn’t be more shocked than she already was.
She would soon be a mother and her main goal was to protect her baby from her father. "I won’t ever visit him again," she added. But this time, with more determination and assurance.
Andrew acknowledged her response with a dip of the chin.
He ignited the engines of the car and drove away.
—
Andrew drove until he stopped in front of the mall. He noticed the other three girls who were standing in front of the mall and smiled at them.
As soon as Jasmine made eye contact with Erika, she quickly rushed down from the car without a single thought about her condition and ran to hug her.
"Erika!" She screamed the latter’s name as she squeezed her in a tight hug but since Erika was built differently, she didn’t feel the squeeze too much. "I missed you so much,"
she said.
Andrew could only sigh when he saw her action. Earlier, during the car ride, she had pulled up a long face due to how sad she was due to her father’s words but upon sighting the girls, her gloomy mood was lifted and she looked active and happy again.
"I missed you too," Erika returned the gesture by wrapping her hands around Jasmine. Afterward, Jasmine released Erika and hugged the other girls who had patiently been waiting for their turn.
Later, the girls started to gist and Andrew could only sigh again as he shook his head. He was aware that something like this would happen so he simply said.
"I will be going now. Have fun girls." They waved at him and started to stroll inside the mall. He sighed again before he entered his car and drove away from there.
The girls decided to have their fun without a care in the world. Jasmine would mostly link her hand with Erika and the latter wouldn’t know what to say. She has also come to love Jasmine as a friend and as a sister so she didn’t find anything uncomfortable with it.
Monica on the other hand grew a little jealous that her best friend was gradually starting to get stolen from her.
Cassandra noticed and linked her hand with Monica to make her feel better and Monica smiled at her.
They went corner after corner, store after store until they were satisfied that they had what they wanted. It’s been a while since all of them had done their little outing but everything felt better now that they had another friend to tag along with them.
Unbeknownst to them, a woman had been following them about. She was wearing casual clothes and didn’t seem to be a suspect which was why the girls didn’t notice her presence.
—
"What are you going to do with Adrain’s child? He’s still at the orphanage?" Edward asked both Erika and Ethan as they sat across him from the table in their living room. A few days had already passed since Erika had her fun with the girls and Edward came to visit them asking about what should be done to Adrain’s child that they had put up for adoption.
Erika made contact with Ethan and the latter immediately understood what she was feeling. She was contemplating if she should take the child for herself.
"How old is the child?" Erika suddenly asked, looking back at Edward.
"He’s a month old," he replied.
When Erika was still captured by Adrian, she’d never seen the child more than twice. But now that the parents of the baby are no longer around, who is going to take care of him? Should she be the one? She asked herself.
This was going to be easy. Although she had already moved on from Adrain and didn’t feel hurt to know that he had a child with another woman if she was to take that child in, it would seem as if she had forgiven them for what they had done to her.
"I was thinking that you could..." Edward paused on his sentence when he felt the glare that Ethan was shooting at him. It meant that he shouldn’t force her if she didn’t want the baby.
Ethan didn’t have a problem if she chose to have the baby that had Adrain’s and Felicia’s blood. But he was also worried about what would happen if she decided to take the child.
He was afraid that Adrain might be waiting for something like that to happen since they had expected to adopt his child using an anonymous name but no one had come asking if they could adopt the baby.
They haven’t heard any news from him. No trace or anything and that also bothered him.
"I don’t think that I can adopt the baby," Erika uttered with closed eyes. "It would be risky to have the child here with me while Adrian is still out there. He will come for his child eventually," she decided.
She glanced at Ethan and saw his surprised look and she looked away from his questioning gaze.
"I don’t want anything to have to do with their family, including the baby. If he doesn’t come for the child, then someone will adopt him. It hasn’t been too long since he was put there," she continued.
Erika felt sorry for the child indeed since his parents are both criminals but she had to make this decision with a heavy heart.
"Adrain will come for his child no matter what. Just wait and see," she concluded. She took a heavy breath and released it and she felt her burdens get pushed away from her shoulders.
"And if he comes back for his child? Will you arrest him or let him be with his child?" Edward asked her.
