Chapter 7
Leontradicdout and took the paper. His gaze namowed slightly when he saw the words “early intrauterine prepucy” written on it.
Kelly had been watching in closely, nervously gauging his reaction. When he post kept staring at the paper without saying a word, she started to pante
“The baby is yours, Pontessor Butler I–I’ve never been with anyone else!” tien face flushed the moment the words left her mouth
Leon finally shifted his attention fmin the paper to Kelly
No wonder she was so nervous. She was just a an year oldcollege student who had never gone though anything like this before the probably felt helpless and terrified when she found
(young woman’s life.
If she had any other choler, she probably wouldn’t have come to him at all Leon cursed bamself internally. He had lost contend and mined this yo He set the test peults down on the table and asked gently, “What do your want to do?
Kelle was throwned by how calms he was and couldn’t quite figure out what he meant. But she still shook her head and answered truthfully, “I don’t know. I’m scaped”
Les peticed the
situation ”
i the way her hands kept nervously twisting in herlag, and his heart softened, “That’s normal. Argone mur age would feel the same way in this
Kelly kept her head down and stared
Leon started, “You’re only 31 years old. You’re still in college, so your studies should be your top priority. The best choice is probably to abort the baby,”
That was exactly what she had expected to hear, yet it still made her heart miss abeat “I can’t tell my parents. The hospital would need my family member’s signature for the procedure ”
Η
Leon noticed her lashes were flattering slightly. “First off, Lowey
Lowe you all
Can apology. That night.…… I drank too much and lost control..”
He found it hard to describe what had happened after that and chose to skip over it instead, he said, “I’m older than you. I should’ve been more careful.” Kelly’s face flushed crimson, and she hurriedly waved her hands. “It wasn’t just your fault..”
He said, “If you decide to go through with the procedure, I’ll be with you the whole time. I’ll take care of the medical costs, and I’ll make sure you recover properly
His firm one miraculously eased her andious beam. At the very least, she wasn’t completely alone in this.
Kelly hit her lip and nodded. “Olay.”
That was the best option. He had addressed her concems about the signature and the cost.
Then, he added, “I’m not done. There’s another option.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Huh?”
There was another option?
Leon looked her in the eye and dropped the bomb. “The other option would be for us to get married.”
Kelly stared at him indisbelief, wondering if she’d misheard him. However, he looked like he was completely serious, as if what he’d just said wasn’t earth
“An abortion can take a real foll on your body. But if we get married, the baby can be born without any complications. I’ll take responsibility as a husband and
“As for your studies, you can take a break when you’re in the later stages of pregnancy. Once you’ve given birth and recovered, you can go back to school. I’ll take care of the baby.
“While you’re on leave, I can tutor you. I’m confident it won’t affect your studies.
Lromet her stunned gaze. “1kw I’m older than you, and you might think that’s a problem. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve been through things you haven’t tehelp you avoid mistakes.
“Plus, I’ll get my retient benefits before you do,”
Was this supposed to be a joke? Kelly couldn’t believe that in just a few minutes, Leon had not only accepted the fact that he was about to be a father but also come up with an options of which was marriage.
He had even thought about her studies and the baby. Only a professor could process life changes this efficiently.
Heremotions shifted from shock to fear. “Professor Buller, you can’t be serious..
“But I am,” he responded, his solemn expression catching her off guard.
o work at
“Let me tell you a bit about myself. My name is Leon Butler. I’m 29 years old, and I was born and raised in Celine City. I have a PD. and camentlys Crillon GlySchool of Medicine.
“My salary is decent, rough to support a family. Tail returned to the country, so l’in renting for now, but Fran buy a place whenever I want, I dilve my family’s cat, don’t smuke on drink, and l’innot violent.
“My hobbies include reading and prezing. My parts on a small business and won’t need our support later on We won’t have to live with them either after we
“I just started my job, so I might be a little busy for awhile. But once selle in, things will be fine. I get weekends off and have winter and summer breaks, so I’ll have plenty of time for you and the baby.”
What a down–to–earth introduction. Anyone who didn’t know better might think they were on a blind date.
Kelly felt as though she had been hit by a bolt of lightning. For a while, she was at a loss for words
Leon noticed she was still reeling from the shock and added patiently, “Based on what I just said, do I meet your expectations for a lite partner?*
To be honest, he more than met them. It felt like she had hit the jackpot. Kelly couldn’t believe that someone as amazing as Leon wanted to marry her Beneath the table, the pinched her thigh. And it hurt. So, it wasn’t a dream.
Kelly looked at Leen again and realized he wasn’t joking. He was being completely serious. He meant every wend he said.
But marriage… still felt impossibly distant to Kelly. She’d never even considered it before. This was far more life–changing than an abortion.
“Professor Butler Can I think about it?” she asked hesitantly.
“How long do vounced?
“I’ll give you an answer by Monday.”
“Alright” on nodded.
In the end, she didn’t need that much time. When she arrived home and opened the door, she immediately heard Helena’s and Jackson’s voices coming from Inside
“I want a pair of new shoes.” Jackson’s voice sounded
Helena inquired, “Didn’t you just buy a new pair?”
“They too while I was playing basketball yesterday.”
“How much is 117¬
“Two brandred dollars.”
Helena raised her voice. “That’s expensive, Jackson! We really don’t need to spend that much on a pair of shoes”
Jackson sounded annoyed. “My classmates wear shoes way pricier than that. I can’t even hold my head up at school! Never mind, forget it. Emused to being mad fun of bromclassmates anyway.
Helena humedly said, “Alright, alright. We’ll get them! Il buy them for you, okay?”
Kelly stood rooted to the spot. Their family wasn’t well off. Helena was a stay–at–home mom who made a bit of money selling handmade crafts, William worked as a low–level govemment employer, and his salary wasn’t high
From a young age, she had always been told by her parents that their family was struggling financially, that eaming money was hard, and that she shouldn’t spend recklessly. Because of this, she barely had any allowance while in school,
When she went to high school and stayed in the dorms, she was given just enough to scrape by and only after she asked for it. She had to be very trugal, and she would only go home to ask for more when she had absolutely no money left. Every time, it came with a lecture.
Later, when she went to college, she stopped asking them for anything beyond ultion
Two hundred dollars was what she lived on for several months during high school. Kelly had to work up the courage for a long time to ask for it, but now, her younger brother got the same amount so easily.
The suffocating untaimess of it all washed over her. For the first time, she felt. an overwhelming urge to break free from her family. And Leon felt like lifeline she had left
Kelly bolted out of her parents place, pulled out her phone, and soon found Leon’s number.
“Hello.” His voice was calm and clear as ever.
the only
“Professor Butler.” For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes the moment she heard his voice. Kelly tightened her grip on her phone, her voice shaking as she said, “Let’s get married: ”
