Chapter 876

Karen's words usually made Dorothy chuckle in response. But this time, she looked at Karen with

earnest eyes.

"You'll support me no matter what I do?" she asked.

"Absolutely!"

"Good." Dorothy flashed a smile. Having someone in her corner was all she needed.

In the end, Dorothy still had Jeffrey accompany Karen for the check-up.

The two bickered playfully as they went, but as a father, Jeffrey didn't want to miss a single moment

of his little one's growth. That was a feeling Dorothy understood all too well.

After all, if you let such a regret fester, it could last a lifetime.

Dorothy stepped out of the hospital alone and looked up at the sky instinctively.

The weather was splendid today with an endless expanse of azure, dotted leisurely with a few

carefree clouds.

A sudden impulse struck her.

She wanted to escape the muddle of life, to forget who she was, and before the final verdict was in,

to gallop across the prairies, to race freely in vast open spaces.

Her phone was already in hand, the ticketing app open, and yet Dorothy ultimately backed out.

True freedom wasn't something she could claim in this lifetime. She couldn't really forget who she

was as well as the responsibilities weighing on her shoulders.

...

Before she knew it, only three days remained until the court hearing.

Dorothy could scarcely sleep more than three hours straight, exhaustion be damned. When she did

manage to close her eyes, a mere two hours passed before nightmares jolted her awake.

The more restless her nights, the more drained she felt by day, her weight plummeting nearly ten

pounds.

Thank goodness for Karen. Noticing her best friend out of sorts, she insisted on a pretext of meeting

Kenneth's girlfriend to coax Dorothy out of her apartment.

Karen chided Dorothy for neglecting her meals all the way there.

"Are you trying to starve yourself to death? Lose any more weight and you'll become a walking

skeleton!"

"It's not that dramatic." Dorothy chuckled, having donned a swipe of lipstick for Kenneth's girlfriend's

sake, adding a touch of color to her otherwise pallid complexion, "I've been eating, just not much

appetite."

"Why don't you move in with me?" Karen asked.

Dorothy shook her head quickly, "I don't want to intrude on your love nest."

Karen pouted, "You mean more to me than Jeffrey!"

Jeffrey, who was driving, instantly glanced at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Hey. Why you must be my top priority and I’m not yours?" He had, after all, reluctantly demoted his

best bud to second place.

"No reason. You should be grateful I haven't completely written you off!"

Jeffrey quickly shrank back and fell silent.

As they approached the agreed-upon diner, Dorothy spotted Kenneth's car parked on the curb. He

seemed to arrive early

"I still can't believe Kenneth has moved on!" Karen whispered to Dorothy.

"Be nice," Dorothy urged.

"Of course!"

The trio entered the diner to find Kenneth waiting by the door with a gentle-looking girl at his side.

She had a clean look and there was a warm aura about her.

Karen was about to wave when she saw Kenneth leaving his girlfriend's side and striding towards

them, his gaze fixed on Dorothy, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Dorothy, what happened? You've gotten so thin."