Noelle's expression changed multiple times. "What do you mean by this?"

"Exactly what I said. Don't you want to leave him?" Beatrice asked, her tone almost urgent.

Noelle stared at her for a moment before replying, "But this is between him and me. You're his mother, so no matter what, you should be on his side.'

Her words seemed to momentarily silence Beatrice.

Noelle thought that her words had sunk in, but then, Beatrice laughed and asked, "So, are you pitying him now?"

Noelle felt that something about Beatrice's demeanor was off. Just as she was about to say something, Beatrice beat her to it.

"Noelle, you've gone soft on him."

That light, casual remark left Noelle stunned. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Beatrice stood up. Crossing her arms, she gazed out at the yard for a moment before finally speaking again.

"But that's fine. This is between you and him and also your personal choice. If you want to continue living like this, I certainly won't interfere. But Noelle, have you ever thought about whether softening your stance toward him is really the right thing to do?

"Oh, by the way, there's something you probably don't know. You've been taking birth control pills all this while, right?"

Noelle looked at her.

"Two months ago, Hendrix consulted his private doctor about whether there was a medication that looked similar to birth control pills but was harmless to the body. So, I wonder... are the pills you've been taking really birth control pills?"

Noelle instantly turned pale at Beatrice's words.

"You shouldn't think he's doing this for your sake or because he truly wants a child with you. The only reason he'd do something like this is so he can use a child to tie you down," Beatrice continued.

Noelle didn't respond and simply turned to leave.

Hendrix was waiting for her outside. The moment he saw her, he immediately stepped forward, but the sight of her pale face made him stop in his tracks.

Without sparing him a glance, Noelle walked straight to the car and got in after opening the passenger- side door.

Hendrix frowned but didn't press her with questions. Instead, he quietly got into the car after her.

The atmosphere in the car was completely different from when they had been leading to Freeman Manor. Hendrix badly wanted to ask what Beatrice had said to Noelle earlier, but for some reason, he suddenly found himself unable to speak. His hand tightened involuntarily around the steering wheel

As the car passed a certain street, Noelle suddenly said, "Stop the car."

Her words caught Hendrix off guard, but he still did as she asked and pulled over.

"I want to ask you something," Noelle said, staring straight ahead, her voice calm.

Hendrix responded with a simple "mm".

'Did you do something behind my back?"

"What do you mean?" He frowned. "What did my mom say to you?"noveldrama

Noelle turned to look at him. "Are you sure you didn't?"

Her lips were pale, and it was only when Hendrix glanced down that he noticed her hands were tightly clenched, her shoulders trembling slightly.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind, but before he could say anything, Noelle had already opened the car door and stepped out.

At first, he thought she was walking away, but then he saw her heading into the nearby pharmacy. Hendrix's eyes widened slightly.

"I need a

"I need a pregnancy test."