Sarah stared intently at Alden, feeling a deep sadness at seeing the man she loved looking so lost. They had sat across from each other in a cafe for over fifteen minutes, but Alden remained silent. He sipped his coffee and then drifted into his thoughts, staring out the window.
“Alden, what were you thinking about?” Sarah asked, breaking the silence between them.
“I’m not sure it’s wise to talk about it with you.” Alden looked at Sarah. “You have enough on your plate as it is.”
“Whatever I can do for you, I’ll never feel burdened.”
Alden lowered his head slightly and let out a weary sigh that only made Sarah more anxious.
“Don’t you trust me? Can’t you at least share a little?” Sarah pressed.
“It’s about Hannah.”
Sarah’s mind immediately flashed back to the incident at the hospital when she had switched her urine sample with Hannah’s. Could Hannah have received some devastating news? And did Alden know? Sarah wondered silently.
“What about Hannah?” Sarah tried to sound casual. “She’s okay, right?”
“We talked about Hannah’s physical symptoms-her dizziness, nausea, you know…” Alden took a deep breath. “… well, I thought she was pregnant.”
“Oh, and then?”
“I didn’t know that Hannah took the initiative to get checked out at the hospital without telling me. And it turns out…”
Sarah, too excited, interrupted him. “She’s not pregnant, is she?”
“She’s been diagnosed as infertile for the rest of her life.”
At that moment, Sarah felt like she had been hit by something painful. Her face turned pale. If it was her urine that had been tested, it was Sarah herself who had received the diagnosis of infertility.
“Oh my God,” Sarah whispered in disbelief.
“Hannah didn’t tell me. I found out on my own.”
“That’s terrible news.”
Alden nodded.
Sarah, however, thought about her own situation. If she couldn’t have children, winning Alden back from Hannah would be difficult.
“I could try to get a second opinion,” Alden said.
“Don’t!” Sarah objected firmly.
Alden looked at Sarah, puzzled by her sudden strange behavior. “But why?”
Sarah cleared her throat. “You said yourself that Hannah hasn’t told you about this. Have you thought about her feelings?”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
“Leave it alone for now. Maybe Hannah will tell you eventually, and she won’t feel any more guilty.”
Sarah began to search for other reasons that would make Alden believe her statement.
“What woman wouldn’t be sensitive about being told she can’t have children, Alden?” Sarah added.
Alden was stunned for a moment and considered Sarah’s words carefully. If Sarah was right, Hannah might become even more hurt and depressed. Alden certainly didn’t want that to happen.
“All right, I’ll wait until Hannah is honest with me,” Alden agreed.
“Yes, that’s good. Now, just act like everything is normal, okay?”
Alden nodded. “Okay. Thanks for the advice, Sarah. I didn’t know who else to talk to about this.”
Sarah gently stroked the back of Alden’s hand. “Hey, I’m always here for you. Forever.”
…
After the meeting with Alden, Sarah returned to Goldtime, her panic growing. Should she see a doctor for confirmation? If it turned out that Sarah was the one who couldn’t have children, Hannah might be able to conceive someday.
Sarah had to find a way to get Hannah out of Alden’s life as soon as possible.
Her eyes focused on her phone screen, searching for any method she could use. Then Sarah remembered the photo of Hannah and Jeffrey.
It would be easier to provoke Aspen. Sarah quickly typed a message to Aspen and sent the photos of Hannah and Jeffrey.
It wasn’t long before Aspen contacted Sarah, and a smile spread across Sarah’s face.
“Where did you get these pictures?” Aspen asked, sounding angry.
“From someone,” Sarah replied, holding back her laughter. “I guess your husband still hasn’t gotten over Hannah.”
“Bitch!” Aspen hissed. “I’ll destroy Hannah!”
“Calm down…”
“You think I can calm down?”
Sarah smiled again; Aspen was so easy to manipulate. Now, it was time for Sarah to push Aspen into action. Let Aspen be the one to play the martyr for Sarah.
“Listen, if you want to get rid of Hannah, you must stay calm,” Sarah advised. “Meet with Alden and show him the photos I sent you. But don’t say they’re from me; Alden won’t trust us if you do.”
“You just don’t want your name involved,” Aspen scoffed.
“Exactly. But Alden will realize that these photos aren’t fake. It’s just that…” Sarah cleared her throat. “If I show them to Alden, it will look like I’m trying to corner his wife.”
Aspen had no response, only the sound of her impatient breathing.
“It will be different if you show the photos. Because you’re Jeffrey’s wife, and Hannah is your husband’s ex-girlfriend,” Sarah continued.
“Why would I show them? I’m going to expose Hannah and Jeffrey! They’ll pay for this!”
Suddenly, Aspen hung up, catching Sarah off guard. She quickly called Aspen back, afraid the plan would fall apart if her stepsister acted rashly.
“What do you want?” Aspen said as she answered Sarah’s call.
“Don’t act recklessly!”
“Jeffrey is my husband!” Aspen shouted. “How would you feel seeing your husband hugging his ex-girlfriend?”
Sarah didn’t answer right away because she knew how Aspen felt. Sarah could have uncovered a scandal from the past and ruined Alden’s reputation for marrying Hannah.
But Sarah still loved Alden. So she didn’t want to destroy his name; she wanted to kill the person who was threatening her relationship with Alden.
“Since he is your husband, don’t embarrass him! It’s better to get rid of Hannah than to show everyone how screwed up your family is!”
On the other end of the line, Sarah could hear Aspen sobbing. It seemed that Aspen was devastated because she believed that Jeffrey was actually cheating on her with Hannah.
“Now, listen to me… just do what I say. And I guarantee Hannah will never set foot in Summerhill again,” Sarah said.
“Then what am I supposed to do?”