Give Up, Mr. Lawyer! This is Not Your Child-Chapter 145: What’s the Use of Crying

Leah’s reaction was excessively intense, leaving Mrs. Holden very surprised.

It’s just an amniocentesis, if the child is really Justin’s, what is she afraid of?

Mrs. Holden put down her teacup and looked at her in confusion.

"Leah, what’s wrong? It’s just a routine check-up, the technology is very safe, there shouldn’t be any problems."

Mrs. Holden thought Leah wasn’t one of those girls with bad intentions, maybe she was just afraid of the check-up itself, after all, amniocentesis sounds scary but it actually doesn’t harm the fetus or the mother.

Leah’s heart was pounding fiercely; her worry wasn’t about the paternity issue.

No one knew better than her that the embryo, obtained through extraordinary means, was not healthy enough. The doctor had privately hinted at developmental risks, and it couldn’t withstand the hassle of an invasive procedure like amniocentesis.

The report might not even come out before the baby could not be saved.

She forcibly suppressed the panic surging inside her, her eyes instantly turning red, her voice trembling with disbelief and grievance.

"Auntie, this child is truly Justin’s, how can you listen to others and doubt me?"

As she spoke, she looked imploringly at Zoe beside her.

Zoe knew better than anyone how the child came to be: it couldn’t be anyone else’s but Justin’s.

Catching her gaze, Zoe immediately understood.

She put down her chopsticks, her expression showing discontent, and said to Mrs. Holden, "Mom, what are you doing? Don’t you know what kind of person Leah is? Her loyalty to our Holden family, to Justin, is known to Heaven and Earth. How can you ask her to undergo such a check because of a few idle rumors? It’s so hurtful,"

The aunt who had stirred up trouble earlier inserted herself sarcastically.

"Oh, Miss Zoe, that’s not how it should be said. This isn’t about being hurt; it’s about ensuring the purity of the Holden bloodline. With so much chaos outside, there’s no harm in being cautious. If Leah is truly innocent, wouldn’t it be better to prove it with a test? That way, there’d be no gossip in the future."

"You!"

Zoe, furious, glared at the aunt.

Leah suddenly stood up; her swift movement caused the chair legs to scrape loudly against the floor.

Her chest heaved, tears welled up in her eyes but stubbornly did not fall.

She gazed at Mrs. Holden, her voice carrying a tone of humiliation and indignation.

"Auntie, is the Holden family trying to humiliate me? Though I’m not from a top elite family, I am still a daughter from a prominent family in Kingswell. The education I’ve received since childhood taught me what decency is. I’m not one of those women of unknown origin or shameless character. The Sutton family values its reputation."

Taking a deep breath, she invoked her background, her tone becoming firm.

"If my uncle in the United States knew that his own niece was being doubted and forced to undergo such a test by the Holden family, he would certainly fly back immediately and personally come to ask what the Holden family means by this. The daughters of the Sutton family cannot be treated with such contempt."

She glanced around at the relatives with varying expressions before fixing her gaze on Mrs. Holden, speaking each word firmly: "I will not do this amniocentesis. If Auntie, you insist on doubting whether this child belongs to the Holden family, then fine, I will leave the Holden family right now. This child, when born, will have nothing to do with the Holden family. I, Leah, can raise it on my own."

Having said that, she made a move to leave the dining table.

"Leah, don’t be impulsive."

Zoe quickly grabbed her arm, anxiously advising her while turning her head to Mrs. Holden.

"Mom, look at what you’ve driven Leah to. The child in her belly is definitely your grandson, Justin’s flesh and blood. Don’t listen to some people stirring up trouble here. If their own sons can’t behave and mess around with disreputable women, that’s their issue, but you know what kind of person Leah is: she’s well-educated, a refined lady. How could she possibly be carrying someone else’s child?"

Zoe held Leah’s hand tightly, speaking sincerely: "There’s no need for amniocentesis, it’s not a necessary test. In eight or nine months, when the child is born, won’t it be clear who it resembles? If anyone has any gossip then, doing a paternity test won’t be too late. Why cause trouble for Leah now and disrupt the family’s harmony?"

Mrs. Holden was somewhat dazed by Leah’s intense reaction and Zoe’s rapid-fire words.

She looked at Leah’s pale face and tear-filled eyes, then at her daughter who was eagerly defending Leah, and considered Leah’s uncle in the States who was said to be very influential.

She hesitated.

Indeed, Leah’s family background made it unlikely that she would act recklessly.

Moreover, Zoe made sense: it was just a matter of waiting a few more months for the child to be born.

Then, whether the baby was Justin’s would become apparent.

Forcing her to undergo the test now might drive her away or anger the Sutton family backing her, which would be more trouble than it’s worth.

The aunt who stirred up trouble wanted to say more: "Sister-in-law, this..."

"Enough!" Mrs. Holden interrupted, her tone carrying a hint of impatience along with a final decision, "Third Sister-in-law, I appreciate your concern. But since Leah’s not willing, then let it go. Just like Zoe said, once the child is born, things will be clear. Let’s not bring this up again in the future."

After speaking, she picked up the chopsticks again and placed a piece of dessert on the plate in front of Leah, her tone softening.

"Leah, sit down, don’t stand, it’s not good for the baby. It was inconsiderate of me, don’t take it to heart, have something to eat."

Leah looked at the dessert on the plate, her heart relaxing a little, but her back was drenched in cold sweat.

Following Zoe’s gentle pressure, she slowly sat back in the chair, whispering, "Thank you, Auntie, for understanding." She picked up her chopsticks but her hands still trembled slightly, unable to eat anything.

Zoe also let out a breath of relief, gently squeezing Leah’s hand to signal her to stay calm.

The storm seemed to have subsided, at least for now.

But the atmosphere at the dining table could never return to its initial harmony.

Many exchanged meaningful glances.

From beginning to end, Mr. Holden ate silently.

He didn’t even look up at anyone, only furrowed his brow once when no one noticed, then quickly relaxed and continued to eat with focus, drinking unhurriedly.

He still remembered what Justin said to him before he left.

No matter how things get stirred up, that child won’t be saved, and he didn’t want to say more.

Leah Sutton kept her head down, absentmindedly pushing the food on her plate with chopsticks, with no appetite at all.

Mrs. Holden’s temporary compromise didn’t ease her tension; it only made her more anxious.

Eight or nine months, the baby is born, a paternity test...

Only she knew that the child was unlikely to make it that far.

She silently placed her hand on her belly, her eyes full of sorrow. After all, this was her child, growing inside her, and she could feel a life.

Belonging to her and Justin Holden, but fate played tricks on her, heaven was mocking her.

After the meal, the Holden family relatives left one after another, Mrs. Holden was helped to the living room by the servants for a rest, and Mr. Holden had long disappeared.

Zoe Holden looked at Leah Sutton, whose complexion was still not good, with doubts in her heart.

She found an excuse and quickly led Leah Sutton upstairs, entered her own room, and locked the door behind her.

"What’s really going on with you?"

Zoe released her grip, crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowned, and asked in a low voice.

"Why did you react so strongly just now? It’s just an amniocentesis, after all. The technology is very safe now, it’s not like they are asking you to abort the child. We all know this child is Justin’s. By doing the test and getting the report, we can shut those people up for good, can’t we? But your reaction just now was even more suspicious."

Leah leaned against the door, her body trembling slightly, the facade of calm she maintained at the dining table had completely collapsed at this moment.

She looked up, her eyes filled with fear and panic, her lips moved a few times, but no sound came out immediately.

"Speak up." Zoe urged impatiently, "Are you going to keep it from me too? We’ve been friends for so many years, since college, I’ve helped you wholeheartedly, I even got my mom involved to create opportunities for you to get close to Justin, and to give you a chance for that IVF. I wholeheartedly want you to marry into the Holden family and become my legitimate sister-in-law, but you? You kept such an important thing from me?"

Leah’s tears finally fell, she grabbed Zoe’s arm, choking with sobs.

"Zoe, I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I just, I just didn’t know how to tell you..."

"What exactly is it?"

Zoe’s heart sank, a bad premonition arose within her.

Leah took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, speaking with a trembling voice.

"The baby, the baby has a problem."

Zoe’s pupils contracted sharply.

"What problem? Explain clearly."

"The doctor told me early on," Leah’s voice was intermittent, "of the three embryos, only one survived. This embryo is also developing poorly, there might be chromosomal issues. The doctor said it’s highly unlikely to survive past five months. Even if we spend a fortune to force the pregnancy to term, it might be severely disabled, I’m scared of that amniocentesis test. For a normal embryo, it might be fine, but this one, it’s too fragile, it won’t withstand it, I’m afraid once the test is done, it will be gone immediately."

Zoe staggered back a step, crashing into the dressing table with a "clang".

She widened her eyes, looking at Leah in disbelief, her face turned even paler than Leah’s.

"What did you say?"

Zoe’s voice became sharp with anger.

"The baby can’t be kept and might be disabled? You’ve been hiding such a big deal from me all along, Leah, have you ever considered me as family?"

She was trembling with rage, pointing at Leah.

"I spoke so well for you in front of my mom, trying to find ways to deal with Justin, even at the risk of displeasing him, I paved the way for you, helped you plot, and this is how you repay me? With a child that might not even survive."

"Everything I’ve done for you has become a joke. If my mom finds out, if she knows we went through all this trouble only to end up with a problematic child, do you think she’ll still treat you the same? Do you think the Holden family will still accept you?"

Leah was frightened by Zoe’s anger, she rushed over, tightly grabbing Zoe’s hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Zoe, I’m sorry, I really wanted to tell you, but I was scared, scared that if you knew, you wouldn’t help me anymore."

"I’m afraid of losing the Holden family as my support, I always wanted to find a chance to tell you, but every time the words were on the tip of my tongue, I’d swallow them back. I don’t know what to do, Justin doesn’t care about me, he ran off to the United States and won’t come back, won’t marry me, and this child... I’m really at my wit’s end now."

She cried almost to the point of collapsing.

Zoe looked at her, pathetic and woeful, gritting her teeth.

This matter was partially her responsibility; she couldn’t fully blame Leah.

She forced herself to calm down.

At this point, getting angry wouldn’t solve anything.

Zoe took several deep breaths, turned around, and held Leah’s cold, trembling hands, guiding her to sit by the bed.

Speaking in a calm tone.

"Stop crying, what’s the use of crying, now’s not the time to cry."