6. A Happy Day with Richard

"Stop, Krystal. You're startling Nikkie. It's not good for the baby," Richard soothed Krystal.

Krystal gave Richard a fierce glance, then turned to me. "We can't be soft on her forever, Richard. We've been waiting for this baby for so long, and I'm not willing to let our baby down because of her carelessness!"

I bowed my head sincerely. Secretly feeling guilty that this baby was not Krystal's as she thought. But on the other hand, I was also tired of not doing anything like this.

"I'm sorry, Krystal. I promise I won't do anything to harm this baby in the future," I said quietly without daring to raise my head.

I heard a long sigh from Krystal. She still nagged me for a while before deciding to go to her room on the second floor.

I felt discouraged after being nagged twice by Krystal. It lasted until the next day and was realized by Richard.

"Krystal doesn't mean anything bad. She loves the baby too much," Richard said as we ate breakfast. I hadn't seen Krystal's shadow since this morning, like she was avoiding me.

"Are you bored?" asked Richard. I glanced at Richard timidly, then nodded.

This morning, he was not wearing formal clothes, just a black hoodie and black pants. Realizing the direction of my gaze, Richard glanced at his clothes and then smiled faintly.

"I'm taking today off. Let's go for a walk," he invited, excited me.

Richard drove his car and took me to the shopping center. We passed a specialty maternity clothing store, and Richard invited me to go in and have a look.

"Try this on. It looks like it will suit you," Richard handed me a bone-white dress with a calf-length skirt. Followed by other outfits of different styles and colors, one for each model.

One thing I had forgotten was that there is no window shopping in the dictionary of the rich. Richard bought all the clothes I tried on.

Continuing to the shoe store, Richard specifically selected only shoes and sandals with heels no higher than 3 cm. In no time, the number of shopping bags had filled both of Richard's hands.

I offered to carry some of the shopping bags, but Richard flatly refused.

"Pregnant women can't lift things. Now, let's go there," Richard directed his gaze to the lingerie shop. My face heated up instantly. What was he thinking? Doesn't he feel embarrassed entering that store?

"Come on, you'll need a lot of new underwear when your pregnancy gets bigger," Richard explained, realizing my reluctance.

I shook my head vigorously, and with a blush, I reasoned that it was better to buy them when my body was more extensive so as not to get the wrong size. Richard considered that and agreed.

"Richard, you seem to have considered everything," I said as we headed towards the food court.

"I've been imagining this for a long time, finding out all about pregnancy. Because Krystal wanted to get pregnant and have her child," Richard said with a faint smile.

If they've been trying for five years, it's no surprise that Richard seems like a seasoned veteran. I can't imagine how often he's researched and supposed to do all sorts of things to get through pregnancy together.

"I realize that you get bored doing nothing at home. It can trigger stress, and stress is not good for the baby. I hope today's walk relaxes you," Richard explained.

I was touched. Although he seemed to be primarily silent, Richard was attentive to everything. He let me order whatever food I liked without thinking about Krystal's maternity diet.

But I went back to choosing salmon, which I didn't like. I should at least appreciate Richard's kindness in providing good nutrition for the baby.

Richard occasionally helped me get drinks that were a little out of my reach. He also helped me clean the corners of my mouth from the cream as I enjoyed the ice cream. He casually did all this.

Richard even mentioned how my mom's condition was getting better. He showed me some photos of Mom's medical check-ups at the hospital. That was a great relief to my heart.

"It's not that you can't contact your mom at all. You need to keep your current situation and condition a secret," Richard explained after I saw Mom's photo.

How did Richard know that? I avoided contact with Mom because I feared that if Krystal found out, she would get mad at me again.

"Krystal is not evil. She went through difficult days to get a successor. Please understand her," Richard pleaded. I nodded slowly. I just needed to be patient for another eight months.

"Krystal said she has scheduled a special trainer for pregnant women to start gymnastics and exercises that are good for pregnant women. How about starting tomorrow?" asked Richard after we finished lunch.

I nodded eagerly. I finally had something to do after all those dull days over the past week.

I felt a bit sleepy on the way home. We spent the whole day outside. Richard took me to the salon for my haircut and gave me the necessary treatments. We also stopped by a famous cake shop and bought a few pieces to take home.

Richard didn't turn the car into the garage right away. Instead, he took it to the lakeside. There was a small gazebo overlooking the lake, and Richard took me there.

"Can I practice baking in my spare time?" I asked after we sat in the gazebo. Richard raised his eyebrows as he was busy taking out the cake he bought earlier.

"Why, are you interested in that?" asked Richard, still with his hands busy serving cake and a glass of hot drink at the table.

I nodded slowly, tasting a piece of sweet and sour lemon-flavored cake. I told him I never had the chance to learn baking because I was always busy making money.

"Blake is an all-round chef. For now, learn from him. But it would help if you didn't spend the whole afternoon on it, pay attention so you don't get tired. I'll persuade Krystal to let you."

I looked at Richard with a look of disbelief. Richard, who was drinking his coffee, realized my surprise and nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you so much, Richard. I promise I'll take good care of my pregnancy," I beamed.

We spent half an hour there enjoying the quiet and peaceful afternoon before finally returning home.

Richard asked Sophie to help him carry our shopping bags inside and told me to go in first. I felt delighted today.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. When I entered the living room, Krystal had already gone home. She sat sullenly on the long sofa with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, not a smile on her face.

"Where have you been, Miss Nikkie? What time do you think it is? Are you trying to rebel after I gave you a warning yesterday?"