No Divorce? The Billionaire's Love Chase! novel Chapter 325

At nine-forty in the morning, inside Portsborough Hospital, Claudia had finished her pre-op prep and was chatting with an old university classmate she hadn't seen in years while she waited.

"Rae, when I go in for the procedure," she said, asking for a favor, "could you stand guard outside? No matter who shows up, you have to make sure I get through this abortion."

Her phone was on silent, but it had been vibrating almost non-stop since eight-thirty.

If she was right, York was already on his way. But she had planned for this, deliberately waiting until half-past eight to register. The procedure was scheduled for ten. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't make it in time.

Rae Blake, her old classmate, happened to work in the obstetrics and gynecology department at this very hospital. When she heard that Claudia's husband had cheated and even had an illegitimate child, she was furious on her friend's behalf.

"Don't you worry, Claudia," Rae said, patting her chest reassuringly. "The procedure is quick, just a few minutes. I'll stay right outside this whole time and make sure you get through it without a hitch."

Claudia's face remained a mask of calm as she lowered a hand to her lower abdomen.

There was a time when she had yearned for a child more than anything. Now, she was scheming to get rid of one. The day she married York, she had wanted to shout from the rooftops that she was the happiest bride in the world. Now, she was doing everything in her power to divorce him, to escape him.

Looking back on her life, she realized how wrong she had been. But she was only twenty-six. It wasn't too late. She could turn back from the wrong path, and she could let go of the wrong man. She would sever all ties between herself and York, starting with this child.

At exactly ten o'clock, Claudia was escorted into the operating room.

A few minutes later, York arrived, breathless and frantic, at the operating room door.

"Claudia!" he roared, his eyes wild as he threw himself against the locked door.

Rae Blake blocked his path. "Sir, there's a patient undergoing a procedure in there. Please keep your voice down."

"My wife is in there!" York pleaded with her. "Let me in. I just need to talk to her."

"The procedure has already started," Rae said firmly. "This is against regulations."

"The anesthesiologist was a few minutes late," Claudia said faintly.

Her gaze fell upon York standing a short distance away. "Rae, thank you."

Rae and the nurse helped Claudia over to where York stood, then tactfully withdrew.

York stared at Claudia, her face pale and fragile, looking as if she might collapse at any moment. His entire heart trembled. He surged forward and pulled her into a fierce, desperate embrace.

His voice was a raw, choked whisper, trembling with unspeakable pain. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you get rid of our child?!"

Claudia let him hold her, her own voice weak but eerily calm. "I didn't want to, but I couldn't keep him."

His arms, wrapped around her, were shaking uncontrollably. "Why not? This was our first child!" he cried, his control shattering. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this?"