Chapter 453

Ivy was left bewildered, completely at a loss as to why he’d suddenly lost his temper like that.

After a brief, uneasy silence, she asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Did your mother’s condition change?”

That was the only thing she could think of that would make him so anxious and on edge—so upset that he’d snap at her.

“No, nothing like that.” Jamison realized, hearing her question, that he’d overreacted and probably scared her. He quickly softened his tone. “Never mind. Just lie down and rest for now. We’ll talk when I get back to the hospital.”

“Alright. Drive safely, there’s no rush,” Ivy reminded him gently before setting her phone aside, her expression tired and full of questions.

What on earth had just happened?

Suddenly, her phone chimed, pulling her from her thoughts.

She picked it up and saw a message from her roommate Roberta—their first time messaging since exchanging numbers the day before.

Where did you go? Your boyfriend came looking for you, but after taking a call, he just rushed off. Did you two see each other?

Ivy’s eyes widened as she read the message, and she sat bolt upright.

What? Jamison had come to campus looking for her?

A thought struck her, and she quickly replied: Did you tell him I was sick today?

Roberta: Yeah, I did. I just figured you’d called him to come pick you up, so I mentioned it.

Now everything made sense to Ivy, though she couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

No wonder he’d been so upset on the phone.

He’d told her again and again to let him know if anything was wrong, insisted she tell him if she wasn’t feeling well—especially when her cramps acted up. But today, she’d deliberately kept it from him.

And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, she’d ended up fainting.

With his temperament, of course he’d be mad—not only that she’d lied, but that she hadn’t taken care of herself.

Thinking about how he’d gone to campus while she’d ended up in the hospital—they’d missed each other perfectly. Ivy couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.

Was this some kind of uncanny connection, or just a total lack of harmony between them?

She didn’t have the energy to ponder it. More pressing was figuring out how she’d explain everything to him later, and hopefully calm him down.

Half an hour later, after finishing her IV drip, Ivy felt a bit stronger—her energy was coming back.

Once the nurse removed the needle, she got up to leave the ward.

But just as she reached the door, she ran into Celeste passing by in the hallway.

Their eyes met.

Ivy managed a polite smile. “Dr. Quinn, right? Thank you for earlier.”

Celeste smiled back. “No trouble at all. Just doing my job.”

They stood facing each other a moment, but Ivy had no intention of lingering. She turned to leave.

“You have severe adenomyosis. That can cause infertility, you know. You and Jamison are both aware of that, right?” Celeste turned slightly, lowering her voice before Ivy could walk away.

Ivy paused, glancing back at her with a faint, composed smile. “Why, Dr. Quinn, do you have a cure?”

“For your condition, the only way to really cure it is a hysterectomy. But you’re so young—you’d never go for something so extreme. The best option for you is a hormonal IUD, but its main function is contraception. If you use that, you and Jamison won’t be able to have kids.”

Ivy already knew about this treatment. The most effective way to manage adenomyosis was a hormonal IUD, which gradually released hormones to counteract the estrogen fueling her disease, easing her pain and keeping things from getting worse.

Professor Penn had mentioned it before, but since Ivy was still a virgin, no one had ever seriously considered the procedure for her.