Chapter 152
Catherine’s POV
I didn’t stop to catch my breath as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I ignored the staff members who looked at me in surprise and shoved the heavy front doors open. The air was cold, but I barely felt it. My mind was consumed by the sound of Julian’s voice in that recording. He had sounded genuinely panicked, and that terrified me more than anything else.
I ran down the long, winding driveway. My lungs began to burn, but I didn’t slow down. I kept thinking about Tessa.
By the time I reached the massive iron gates, I was gasping for air. I saw Julian’s car packed near the entrance. He was leaning against the driver’s side door, his head down, staring at the ground.
The moment he heard my footsteps, his head snapped up.
“Catherine,” he said, taking a step toward me.
I didn’t let him get close. I stopped a few feet away, my hands on my knees as I tried to get my breathing under control. I looked up at him, my eyes sharp with a mixture of exhaustion and fury. He looked very calm and I started wondering if Kiera was actually right about him using a lie to get me to him.
“If you are lying,” I choked out, my voice raw. “If this is just a way to get me to talk to you, I swear to God, Julian, I will punch you right here. I told Kiera I would, and I mean it p>
Julian didn’t flinch. He didn’t even try to offer one of his usual smooth excuses. He just shook his head, his expression dark and serious. “I’m not lying, Catherine. I wouldn’t use her for this. I’m not that far gone p>
“Then what is it? What happened to Tessa?” I demanded, standing up straight.
“It’s Ethan,” Julian said, his voice low. “He called me an hour ago. He took Tessa to a clinic on the other side of town. Things… they aren’t going well. She’s hysterical. She won’t let the doctors near her, and Ethan is losing his mind. Ethan asked me to call for you p>
I was confused. “What’s wrong with Tessa? Why is she being taken to a clinic and why did Ethan choose me p>
He scratched his head in a way that showed his replies would greatly shock me.
“Julian for fuck sake, stop the suspense and just tell me what the hell is going on p>
“Tessa is pregnant p>
Huh? My mind blanked for a moment, the whole place becoming blurry for a second. I blinked, “wait. What did you just say p>
“You heard correctly. Tessa is pregnant p>
I was trying to process his words and link it all together. “And your best friend is responsible for that p>
He nodded in agreement.
“What the fuck? Now, they want to flush the baby out.” The words weren’t directed to Julian because I was now taking to myself.
A cold pit formed in my stomach. My anger at Julian was suddenly pushed aside by a wave of fear.
“Take me there,” I said. It wasn’t a request.
Julian nodded and opened the passenger door for me. I didn’t say thank you. I climbed into the car, my body stiff with tension. Julian got into the driver’s seat and pulled away from the gates immediately. He drove fast, but not recklessly, with a focus that told me he was just as anxious to get there as I was.
The silence inside the car was suffocating. Usually, a car ride with Julian involved him trying to charm me or me trying to bait him into an argument. Now, we were just two people bound together by a crisis we hadn’t seen coming. I stared out the window, watching the city blur past, my mind replaying the good old days Tessa and I shared during the first few weeks we met, until that witch, Sasha, ruined it.
Right now, I felt like a failure. How had I not known she was struggling this much?
“Ethan didn’t want to tell anyone,” Julian said, breaking the silence after ten minutes. “He was afraid of his uncle finding out. He thought they could just handle it quietly, but Tessa… she’s terrified. She’s convinced something is going to go wrong p>
“Of course. She has every right to feel that way because something could actually go wrong,” I muttered in an angry tone, more to myself than to him.
Julian glanced at me, “yes but not doing it will ruin her future too p>
“Tessa’s aunt died during an abortion procedure years ago and that’s the main reason she is terrified p>
I shook my head in pity for her. “So basically, Ethan is the one forcing her to push through with it and my presence is needed so I can help talk to her. Perfect! Such an idiot. He should have controlled his dick rather than subject her to this torture p>
“You are misunderstanding everything. He’s scared too,” Julian muttered. “He doesn’t want her to get rid of the baby either but keeping it could cost him a lot p>
I didn’t respond. I didn’t have the energy. I just wanted to be with Tessa.
We pulled up to a small, two-story building in a quiet part of town. There was no large sign, just a discreet plate by the door. It looked like the kind of place people went when they didn’t want to be seen. Julian parked the car, and I was out the door before he had even turned off the engine.
I ran inside, my eyes scanning the small, sterile waiting area. Ethan was sitting in a plastic chair in the corner, his head in his hands. He looked terrible. His clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was a mess. When the door hissed shut behind me, he looked up. The relief that flooded his face was almost painful to witness.
“Catherine,” he breathed, standing up. “Thank God you’re here p>
“Where is she?” I asked, bypassing him.
“In the back. Room three,” Ethan said, pointing toward a narrow hallway. “The nurse said she needs to calm down before they can even talk to her about the options. She’s just… she’s crying so hard she can’t p>
I didn’t wait for him to finish. I pushed through the swinging doors and found the room. It was small and smelled of antiseptic. Tessa was huddled on the narrow bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, her face buried in her arms. Her sobs were loud and ragged, filling the small space with her grief.
“Tessa,” I said softly, stepping into the room.
She froze, lifting her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face streaked with tears. The moment she saw me, her lip trembled, and she let out a fresh wail of despair.
“Catherine!” she sobbed, reaching out her arms.
I moved to the bed and pulled her into my arms, holding her tight. She clung to me like I was a life raft in the middle of an ocean. She was shaking so hard I could feel her teeth chattering. I smoothed her hair back, murmuring words of comfort that I didn’t even think she could hear.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m here. I’ve got you p>
“I can’t do it,” Tessa choked out, her voice barely a whisper against my shoulder. “I’m going to die, Catherine. Just like her. I can feel it. I don’t want to go into that room p>
“You don’t have to do anything right now,” I told her, my heart breaking for her. “We’re just going to sit here. No one is going to touch you. I won’t let them p>
I looked up and saw Julian standing in the doorway. He was staying back, giving us space, but his eyes were fixed on us. He looked pale, his jaw tight as he watched the scene. For a second, our eyes met. There was no anger in that look, just the two of us witnessing the ugly reality of our friends’ lives.