Chapter 4

The crowd was astonished. When they looked toward the voice, they saw a woman in a simple outfit in the corner, lifting the signage in her hand. "Who's that?" "I've never seen her before." People started whispering. They had mocking, condescending, and disdainful looks on their faces. But more than that, they were simply enjoying the bustle. They felt that Estelle was just an idiot with too much money to spend and no knowledge on how to differentiate between something that was good or bad. Nonetheless, Estelle didn't care at all. Collectors didn't just look at the value of an item. They had to consider the meaning behind an item, too. To her, this broken crystal carried significant meaning. Dillon had made this decorative crystal item personally for her birthday back then. However, it was ruined in the same fire that destroyed their relationship. Right at this moment, a gut-wrenching pain pierced through her stomach. Alarmed, she rushed to the washroom. The moment she leaned over a sink, she couldn't hold herself back anymore and threw up a mouthful of fresh blood. Her breathing quickened, and the pain from her stomach drained all the color from her face. Estelle grabbed her medication from her bag and swallowed a dosage that was more than her usual. It was only after a long while that the pain subsided. With her shaky hands, she turned the tap on to wash away the blood in the sink. Then, she plodded weakly out of the washroom. All of a sudden, a voice remarked in a mocking tone from behind her, "Why, this is such a coincidence! I didn't think I'd bump into you again here, Estelle." She turned around, only to see Alison standing behind her in a white evening gown, sizing her up as if she were a clown. When Alison noticed the fresh blood on Estelle's calf, she scoffed. "You didn't have a miscarriage, did you, Estelle?" Estelle furrowed her brows and looked toward her calf. Then, she let out a laugh. "That's a speculation I'd expect from someone with cunning thoughts." Alison's face fell. Just as she was about to argue, a familiar, tall figure walked in their direction. She forced herself to contain the fury within her and to look toward Dillon with tears in her eyes. The tall and handsome Dillon was wearing a presentable, customized suit today. When he stood next to Alison, the contrast between their black and white outfits made them look like an exceptionally matching couple. He removed his jacket and put it gently over her shoulders. "Are you alright?" Alison nodded slightly, then leaned limply on him intentionally. But when Dillon looked toward Estelle, the tenderness in his eyes turned cold. He questioned, "What are you trying to do now, Estelle? Didn't I warn you previously to be more respectful toward Alison?" Estelle sneered. "How did I disrespect her?" As if he hadn't expected her to argue, Dillon was stunned. Thereafter, his expression darkened even further. "Don't deny it. Let me warn you—if I find out that you pushed Alison around again, I will not consider the friendship we shared since we were kids." Upon saying that, he picked Alison up in a princess carry and walked off without looking back. A smug grin came across Alison's face as she stared at Estelle. After they left, Estelle straightened her outfit to leave, but she noticed a piece of paper that had fallen onto the floor. She paused momentarily before walking over and picking the piece of paper up. After reading the contents on the paper, she widened her eyes. It was a pregnancy report. Alison was actually… pregnant? Despite knowing that the relationship between Dillon and Alison was no longer pure, Estelle's heart still wrenched in pain when she saw proof of that with her own eyes. There was so much pain in her heart that it became difficult for her to breathe. With much difficulty, she placed her hand on the wall next to her for support. No wonder. It was no wonder that Dillon was in such a rush to have his wedding ceremony with Alison. As it turned out, it was because of this… This was so insulting and ridiculous. As Estelle laughed, she was brought to tears. The tears in her eyes blurred her vision, and the pain in her stomach intensified so much that it became unbearable. "Estelle." When Seth came to look for her, what he saw was her crying all on her own. "What happened?" He ran over to the crumbling Estelle and held onto her to support her. Instinctively, she tightened her grasp over the report in her hand and shook her head gently. "I'm fine." Seth had the impression that she was crying over the fact that she had cancer. Concern filled his eyes as he urged, "Estelle, stop forcing yourself to hold everything together. "Come with me to receive treatment. As long as you continue complying with the treatments and take your medications on time, you'll be able to find relief from your symptoms." Suddenly, they heard a husky and frigid voice ask, "Medications? What medications? "Are they medications to prevent you from being promiscuous? Estelle, how long are you going to put on this act of trying to gain sympathy by pretending to be weak?" "Pretending to be weak?" Seth lifted his eyes and shot Dillon a sharp glare. He let out a condescending scoff when he noticed the way he looked at Estelle. "Mr. Waverly, be nicer with your words, won't you? Estelle is—" "Seth." Estelle shook her head slightly, signaling to Seth not to tell Dillon the truth. Upon seeing that, Seth frowned and glanced at Dillon resentfully. Then, he gazed at Estelle with a helpless look in his eyes. "He doesn't even care about you. Why do you have to hide the truth from him?" This pair shared a secret? A bout of frustration rose in Dillon's heart when he saw how close the two were. He wanted to step forward to pull them apart. Alison clenched her hands into fists. The envy concealed in her eyes was so close to brimming over. She gave Estelle another fierce glare and took a deep breath. In the blink of an eye, tears pooled in her eyes as she looked toward Dillon pitifully. "Dillon, my stomach feels off." Dillon became flustered immediately after he heard what Alison said. He grabbed her wrist tightly and asked out of concern, "Are you okay? Let's go to the hospital right now." Estelle couldn't help but smile. There—as long as Alison was involved, Dillon would protect her as if he had lost his mind. She no longer wished to watch them. She looked toward Seth and urged, "It's getting late. Let's go." While she said that, she pressed her hand onto her stomach subconsciously. The pain in her stomach caused her to break out in a cold sweat. Even walking became difficult for her. Noticing her distress, Seth took her by her wrist. He prompted, "Let's go." Estelle froze for a moment. But since she didn't want Dillon and Alison to notice anything amiss about her, she leaned closer to Seth so that she could advance with him as her support. Suddenly, she let out a cry.