Laurence only went home around 1 am.His mother was waiting for him in the living room. She had noticed he had been busy the past few months but had no clue what he was busy with. It seemed he was keeping himself busy to distract himself from problems that plagued his mind.“Why are you home so late? Did you work overtime again? Were you the only one working overtime?”Laurence did go to the office to do work. He couldn’t sleep early anyway, so he thought that he might as well do that.“Things at the company have been hectic lately.”“Are you sure?”“Yes.”Mrs. Scott scrutinized him and only believed him when she could tell he wasn’t lying. “You should take care of your health nonetheless.”She was very sleepy but forced herself to stay up to see him. She had already forgotten what she’d wanted to say to him. Instead, she handed him a photo album. “The helper found this when she was cleaning the guest room today. There are two photos of Zoey in it. It should be hers. Return
Laurence was not a stubborn man. The only thing he was stubborn about was refusing to admit he had fallen in love with someone he didn’t use to care about. He was biased against her and told himself repeatedly that she wasn’t his type. Yet, he couldn’t forget her and wanted to get back with her. Laurence did not want to go back on the words he had said in the past. However, all his struggles were in vain. He regretted everything he had said and done. … Zoey had been pregnant for about five months. Her body was still weak. The doctor suggested she take maternity leave so she wouldn’t push herself further. She took the advice.Her uncle, Jason, accompanied her to her doctor’s appointments. At first, the nurses thought he was her husband. Zoey knew her uncle was busy, and she felt bad about taking up so much of his time. She no longer went to the studio. Instead, she employed Rose to help sort things out. Things at the studio were in a relatively stable stage. Hence, Zoey did not h
The wind howled.It had been a while since Laurence last called Zoey. They never contacted each other for work or personal issues. Zoey had been going out less often, so she never bumped into him on the street. They’d last met on the night of the dinner party. Since then, they hadn’t met at all. Zoey thought Laurence would not come looking for her anymore. She did not expect him to call her. She didn’t know what he had to say to her. They usually corresponded through email or held face-to-face meetings for work-related matters.Zoey kept quiet. Laurence did not seem to know what to say either.“I love you. I can’t live without you. Let’s get back together. It’s all my fault.” There were many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t. Instead, he said, “It’s been a while since we last met. My mom’s birthday is next month. She likes you a lot. I wanted to ask if you'd like to attend her birthday party.”He was using his mother as an excuse.Zoey hesitated. Mrs. Scott had treated he
Expressionless, Laurence stood at the door with his arms firmly pressed against it. Everything Janet said was true, and Laurence couldn’t argue with her. He calmly swallowed the taste of blood in his throat and said, "Ms. Fulton, I apologize for the intrusion. It was not my intention. However, there is something I must say to her in person."Even when Janet was indifferent in her words, she rarely made anyone feel uncomfortable. Her good manners over the years prevented her from uttering particularly harsh words. "She wouldn't want to see you. I hope you can exercise some discretion. Divorced couples shouldn't be seeing each other regularly."The words "divorced couple" felt like a dagger piercing to the heart.Laurence remained composed, but he subconsciously pressed his lips together. "Although we're divorced, we ended things on good terms. It doesn't mean we can't see each other."Realizing that he wouldn't get any answers from Janet, Laurence stopped questioning her. Tracki
Laurence stood rooted to the ground, not far away. He couldn't find the energy to step forward. His gaze lingered on Zoey’s protruding belly for a long time as if trying to get a closer look. The sunlight illuminated his increasingly pale face, reflecting a vivid image in his eyes. He remained silent, not wanting to disturb her.Although Zoey felt sore and swollen, she couldn't lie in bed all day. Moderate walking was beneficial for pregnancy, and over the past few months, she had gradually developed an emotional connection with the child in her belly. She finally understood why parents were willing to sacrifice everything for their children. Some love truly was unconditional.Although Jared would often boast that he was the child's father, he didn't dare touch her belly. It was as if her abdomen was fragile, and he was afraid of accidentally causing her harm. However, the baby in her belly was well-behaved. It wasn't picky with food and rarely kicked.Spring was about to arrive in
It wasn’t important, so Zoey did not have to listen to what Laurence was saying. She didn’t think he had anything nice to say to her anyway. He had always been mean. His words made her uncomfortable even when he spoke calmly.They were both silent for a long time, as if they were in a standoff.Zoey waited patiently. Laurence stood still as if he had no intention of leaving. He was blocking the way.“We’re going out to eat,” she hinted politely.Rose was right in saying that Zoey was soft. She never liked causing a scene. She always tried to compromise with others, so most people often thought she was a pushover.Laurence acted as if he hadn’t heard her. He stared at her with frosty eyes and asked, “If it’s not my child, then who’s the father?”Zoey was prepared to answer this question but remembered how Uncle Jason had called her bluff on the first day. She didn’t think things through. Jared was too young and childish. It wouldn’t seem convincing if she said he was the father.
Laurence stayed in Southgrove for a few days. He watched as Jared entered and exited Zoey’s house. He would leave for work in the morning and get off punctually in the evening. Then, he would shop for groceries before heading back to Zoey’s place. Zoey had made the right choice and picked a man that seemed to be devoted to her. He seemed more like her nanny than a boyfriend.Laurence did not want to believe she was pregnant with another man’s child. He remembered how opposed she had been to the idea of them having a child. She had rejected him so adamantly. He had always caught her buying birth control. He never thought of fooling her. When he brought her to the hospital, he had also bought her birth control. He never thought of deceiving her. Laurence asked his subordinates to check with the hospital where Zoey got her health checkups. Soon, he received her medical reports in his email inbox. They included a few maternity reports. He stared at the reports stating she was four month
Mrs. Scott fell silent. She never expected this would happen, but it made sense. Now that they were divorced, they were both free to do whatever they wanted. She was at a loss for words. Were Laurence and Zoey really not meant to be?Laurence swallowed and said dejectedly, “It’s too late, Mom.”He finally understood what his heart wanted, but it was too late. He was finally willing to confess his love for someone he had looked down on in the past, but it was too late. He only understood now why he said so many hurtful things to her. He had done it all in an attempt to get her attention. In those short moments he had hurt her, he was the only one on her mind. And so, he hurt her over and over again. It was sick, but that was how he treated someone he loved but couldn’t have. He was hurting them both at the same time. Mrs. Scott couldn’t bear lecturing Laurence as she watched his red and teary eyes. “You reap what you sow,” she said curtly. There was nothing she could do. She and her