Chapter 109

---- Chapter 109 With a heart numbed by pain and disillusionment, Giselle stepped into the operating room without hesitation. She had a medical background, so the setting of a surgical procedure was not unfamiliar to her. But the moment she lay down on the bed and pulled down her pants, saw the masked doctors, and inhaled the sharp scent of disinfectant, fear and dread crept in. Her entire body went stiff.

The reality that she was about to lose a life growing inside her suddenly became all too real. Soon, she felt the cold instruments enter her body. She had only heard before that curettage was painful, but she hadn't expected it to be this unbearable . It felt as if her internal organs were being ground into pulp. The pain was excruciating, drenching her in cold sweat as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. She had chosen not to be sedated for a reason.

She wanted to remember every second of this torment, the searing pain that cut through both flesh and soul. She wanted the agony etched into her memory, as a reminder of who had brought it upon her. She needed it to stop herself from. ever looking back. ---- Eyes shut tight, she let herself be consumed by the pain, while her mind replayed every moment she had shared with Donovan . In doing so, she realized there wasn't a single trace of anything that could prove he had ever loved her.

Everything between them, in the end, had been nothing more than a poorly filmed compilation of lust. The procedure lasted less than half an hour, but to her, it felt like an eternity . She glanced at the nearby medical waste bin. It was filled with her blood. When the doctor finally finished and wheeled her out of the operating room, she felt like more than just her uterus had been hollowed out. It was as if her entire being -her heart and her soul-had been scraped clean.

She had played this game and lost completely and pathetically. From the moment she agreed to play such a high-stakes game with him, she should have known what would happen if she failed. The fall would be hard, and the crash would be devastating. Outside the operation room, Vivienne had already paid the bill, picked up the medication , and even brought her something to eat and drink.

But when she saw Giselle, her face pale as death and her spirit so faint it barely held together, she couldn't hide her distress. This was no longer the dazzling beauty she used to know. ---- "Look at you," Vivienne said, clearly pained. "Risking your life over a man. It's pathetic. No matter what, take care of yourself first. Forget everything else for now." She was right. This image of herself, suffering for the sake of love, must have been grotesque. Giselle closed her eyes.

She didn't have the strength to think anymore. At that moment, she felt more fragile than ever. It was all over now, and though part of her felt relief, not a single part of her could feel joy. Dragging her broken body back home, she collapsed on her bed. Tossing and turning, she spent another sleepless night. By dawn, she had made up her mind to do two final things. First, she would return every cent Donovan had ever given her. She did the math.