"Calvin, I'm not going to the office today. If there's anything important, contact me on my phone!" "Alright, Ms. Johnson," Calvin replied from the other side. After dawn, I nursed Prince until he fell back asleep. Not only did he fall asleep, but I also unknowingly dozed off again. I don't know why, but I had a hard time falling asleep last night. After Troy left, my mind became restless. Seeing Troy's unusual behavior made me anxious. Even the usual goodnight text he sent every night didn't come last night."Mommy... Wake up! Uncle Troy is here to take us to the villa!" Gillian suddenly burst into my room. My daughter had the day off today because the upper classes were having exams. So, Troy took the initiative to take us on a trip."W-what? Uncle Troy is here?" I gasped at Gillian's words.Glancing at the clock, it was just seven in the morning."Gillian, please tell Sofia to prepare breakfast for Uncle Troy. I'll take a shower first. Ask him to start breakfast without me!"
"Gillian, sit up front with Uncle Troy, okay?" I tried to persuade Gillian."No, Mom. I want to play with my dolls in the back." Gillian had already taken the back seat with her three dolls.Troy chuckled."Stop fighting over the seats. Give way to the kids!" Troy smiled and teased me.I just sighed."I'm worried that Prince might get fussy and want to nurse. There are only two bottles of milk left."He opened the door for me and Prince in the front seat."Don't worry. If Prince gets fussy, we’ll stop somewhere for you to nurse later," Troy countered casually.I clicked my tongue. As if it was so easy to find a place to nurse!Prince was still sound asleep in my lap. He was getting heavier and taller. Prince looked very much like Albert. He was handsome, and his smile could make any woman’s heart flutter."Why are you smiling while looking at Prince?"I turned to see that Troy was already beside me and had started the car engine."Are you missing his dad?" Troy asked quietl
Troy’s P.O.V"The woman isn’t your wife, is she?" Grace looked at me with a suspicious gaze.I shook my head."Good to know she isn’t," Grace smiled widely.‘Sarah is not my wife now. But someday she will be. She will give birth to my children. We will have many children, and our palace will be even more crowded.’ I smiled to myself, imagining it."Let’s go to my bungalow for a bit. Mom will be very happy to see you." I turned back to the red-haired woman.Grace took my hand and pulled me outside.It might be okay to stop by Grace’s bungalow for a moment. It wasn’t too far from here."Joyce, tell Sarah that I’m going to Grace’s bungalow for a bit!""Sure, Mr. Peterson."After leaving a message with Joyce, Grace and I walked to her bungalow. Grace held my arm tightly. My Aunt Lucy’s stepdaughter had always been affectionate toward me. Aunt Lucy was my mom’s younger sister, who married Grace’s father when this girl was still in junior high."Where have you been? Why didn’t you
Troy’s P.O.V "Come on, Prince. You have lunch there!" Sarah had emerged from the room looking quite different. Unintentionally, I stared at her without blinking.This time, Sarah was wearing a long-sleeved blouse and jeans."Here, take Prince," Sarah extended her hand to me."Let Prince stay with me for now. See, he calms down right away in my arms. You should have lunch with Gillian first!" I persuaded her."Really?""Really, beautiful mom. Eat well so my champion here won’t lack milk," I encouraged her while taking Prince to the porch."Gillian, come eat first!" I heard Sarah calling her daughter."Okay, Mom!"I felt sorry for Sarah and Gillian. Because they waited for me too long, they had their lunch late.Prince began to fall asleep in my arms. I kissed the chubby baby’s cheek affectionately. ‘You will be my pride, Prince. I will teach you how to be a real, responsible man. I will make Albert proud of you!’"Why are you smiling to yourself?" Suddenly, Sarah was alrea
"You look different today," Troy said, smiling as he glanced at me while I loaded pasta on his plate."Different how?" I asked, pretending not to understand and indifferent. But my heart was racing faster. Hopefully, he didn’t hear it. Troy looked me up and down."You look fresher, like a teenage girl," he complimented.Oh God, Troy was still staring at me without blinking."Yeah, right. Just because a teenage girl shows up, you start imagining things. Now you think I look like a teenage girl."Troy raised an eyebrow."What do you mean? I'm not imagining things. You really do look different today."I didn’t respond further. I shouldn’t have spoken like that to Troy. He might think I was jealous.‘Oh no! Maybe I am jealous.’"Do you want juice or water?" I asked after placing the plate with food in front of him."Water is fine!" he replied, still looking at me.Troy smiled and began enjoying his meal."The one who came yesterday is my cousin. Grace is the daughter of Aunt Lu
"Let’s walk. The bungalow is close by," Troy explained.We walked side by side along the street between various bungalows with different architectural styles."Uh... Don’t you want to hold my hand?" Troy leaned closer to me. Occasionally, our arms and shoulders brushed against each other as we walked.I only smiled, not answering Troy’s question."Seriously, don’t you want to hold hands?" he repeated, reaching for my fingers."Which bungalow is it?" I tried to shift the topic, pulling away and pretending to scratch my head, though it wasn’t itchy."It’s the one with all the lights on," Troy pointed to a bungalow about twenty meters away. Three luxury cars were parked in front."Troy, won’t they have strange thoughts about us later?" I asked, feeling uneasy."Let them think about what they want. It’s not a problem," he replied calmly.I sighed deeply. Sometimes I didn’t understand what this man was thinking. What exactly did Troy see me as?"Troy! I told you Troy would come, M
"Joyce, has Prince woken up?" I asked when the middle-aged woman opened the door for us."No, miss. He’s sleeping very soundly.""Thank you, Joyce." The woman smiled and nodded, then walked away, leaving the two of us in the living room.I was about to walk to the bedroom, but Troy’s strong hand grabbed my arm."Don’t go, keep me company here!"I stopped walking and sat beside Troy.Tonight was very cold and quiet. Faintly, I could hear music and karaoke from one of the nearby bungalows. I hugged myself because of the cold.Troy sighed deeply several times. He looked at me intently."What’s wrong?" I asked."I’m sorry about earlier. I was wrong to ignore you." Troy spoke seriously, his gaze never leaving my face.I exhaled slowly."Yeah, next time don’t invite me if you want to gather with your family," I said softly.Troy shook his head."No. I don’t mind bringing you. I’m just sorry about Grace’s behavior. She’s always like that.""I’m fine. I have no right to be angry.
"Joyce, where's Troy? Is he awake?" "Mr. Peterson is still sleeping, Mrs. Batterman!"I heard Joyce talking to someone. She mentioned Mrs. Batterman. Could Lucy be here?I had just finished bathing Prince and came out, pushing his stroller."Good morning, Aunt Lucy!""Morning... Oh, whose baby is this?" She seemed surprised to see me and Prince."This is my son. Please, have a seat. Do you want to meet Troy? I think he’s still asleep in his room," I replied."Where is Troy sleeping?" She immediately walked past me. Well, this bungalow did belong to their family."In that room." I pointed to a room that was further back and smaller than the one I was staying in."Why isn't Troy sleeping in the master bedroom? Why is he in the guest room instead? And you’re comfortably sleeping in the master bedroom. What’s Troy thinking?" Aunt Lucy suddenly stopped in front of the room I was staying in.I felt uneasy hearing her irritated tone."S-sorry. I was just following what Troy said."
Arnold and Erica's faces became tense as they saw the doctor standing in the doorway."How is she, doctor?" Erica couldn't wait to hear about Irene and her baby."Congratulations, sir. You have a healthy baby girl," the female doctor said, and for a moment, Arnold and Erica breathed a sigh of relief.But their faces remained anxious, as they still hadn't heard about Irene's condition."How is the mother, doctor?" Arnold asked, his voice trembling."Are you her husband?" The doctor looked at Arnold intently."Y-yes, doctor," Arnold stammered, feeling guilty for never accompanying Irene to her hospital visits."Sir, Irene's condition is... critical. We are still trying to stop the bleeding. Please pray for her."Arnold was stunned by the doctor's words. He couldn't say anything as the doctor turned and left him and Erica in the waiting room."Oh God, what kind of husband am I? Erica... Erica... Irene is critical. What should I do?" Arnold shook Erica's body in frustration."All
"Irene, are you okay? Is Arnold taking good care of you?" Erica asked in a panic when Irene contacted her. Irene's voice sounded hoarse and rough, making Erica worried."When are you coming back to Jaketon? I want you to be here when I give birth.""Wait, where's Arnold? Is he still not paying attention to you?" Erica's concern grew. She rarely received calls from Arnold, except when there was a work-related issue that needed to be discussed."Arnold... he says he's very busy with work."Erica let out a heavy sigh. From Irene's voice, she suspected Erica was in trouble. But it seemed that the heavily pregnant woman was still keeping things to herself."Alright, Irene. I'll finish my work here. I'll try to come back before you give birth. You and your baby need to stay healthy, okay?""Thank you. Thank you!"After hanging up with Irene, Erica sent a message to Arnold, urging him to be more attentive to Irene. However, Erica did not answer Arnold's calls when he tried to reach her
Sarah squealed as Troy lifted her. Her husband's strong arms carried her bridal-style toward an enormous bed. The beautiful bed was surrounded by thin yet lovely curtains, and sprinkled with rose petals that filled the room with a fragrant aroma."The doctor said we're allowed now, ahem... so, it's okay, right?" Troy gently laid Sarah's body on the luxurious and comfortable bed.Sarah smiled, her face blushing as Troy hovered over her. His face was so close to hers."I've missed you too, Troy!" The beautiful woman wrapped her arms around Troy's neck, and he couldn't wait any longer. He began planting kisses on Sarah's face, which soon turned into passionate lip-locks that he couldn't get enough of.It was unclear who initiated it, but a few minutes later, they had both discarded everything that was on their bodies. Like their first night, they were eager to satisfy each other. The intense expression of love and the deep longing drove Troy wild. He didn't want to miss even an inch o
"Honey, are you awake?" Troy gently caressed Sarah's face. She blinked, just waking up from her sleep. Sarah turned onto her side to face Troy."What time is it?""It's six in the morning. We're still going to the office today, right?"Sarah sat up. "Of course. You're going to the office too, right?""Yes, darling. Oh, by the way, how's the breastmilk stash for Kingsley? Do we have enough?""More than enough," Sarah replied, hurrying to the bathroom to freshen up. Unbeknownst to her, Troy quietly followed her into the bathroom, which she had forgotten to lock. Ever since giving birth to Kingsley, Sarah usually remembered to lock the door."Troy!" Sarah squealed, surprised to see Troy standing behind her just as she was undressing.Troy's heart raced at the sight of his wife's body, which he hadn't touched in almost two months. This morning, Troy felt bold enough to approach Sarah, especially after the doctor confirmed yesterday that she had fully recovered. She had also complete
"Are we going home now, honey?" Irene asked as she sat up on the gurney. The IV needle had just been removed from her hand. Her face still looked pale."Just a moment," Arnold replied curtly without turning to look at her, making Irene take a deep breath to ease the pain that kept gnawing at her. Since Erica left, Irene noticed that Arnold had been pacing back and forth, trying to call someone on his phone. She guessed he was trying to reach Erica, but she wasn't answering.Irene sat silently, waiting for Arnold, who was still pacing in front of her. Theresa, who had promised to return, ended up not coming back."Alright, let's go home. Can you walk?" Arnold asked as he watched Irene, who was struggling to get down from the gurney with her weak body."Excuse me, ma'am, please use this wheelchair. Your body is still very weak." An ER staff member offered a wheelchair. Irene, who had just stood up from the gurney, slowly sat down in the wheelchair. The staff then pushed the wheelchai
"Yes, congratulations again on your wife's pregnancy. If the observations go well, she can go home this evening."Arnold only nodded at the doctor's explanation. He remained silent even after the doctor left the room. What he had just heard was completely unexpected."H-honey, aren't you happy that I'm pregnant?" Irene asked in a trembling voice. Her chest felt tight, unable to find any trace of happiness on Arnold's face after hearing about her pregnancy. Instead, she saw confusion and surprise. Irene tried to suppress the sadness and disappointment she felt."Is it because it's not Erica who's pregnant?" Irene asked again, this time steeling herself to hear Arnold's response."Don't overthink it. Mom and Dad will be thrilled. I'll go out for a bit." Arnold quickly left Irene and headed to the waiting area in front of the ER.'It's only his mom and dad who are happy. Arnold isn't.' Irene clutched her chest, which felt overwhelmingly tight, trying to hold back her tears. She strug
Diego hugged Carrie tightly. His heart was finally at ease. The different traumas they had both been struggling with had finally been overcome.The same was true for Carrie. Since she had been secretly seeing a psychiatrist a month after marrying Diego, the trauma from her past had gradually faded. The beautiful woman with reddish hair had slowly been able to forget the painful memories of her past after several months of treatment. However, she was reluctant to be upfront with Diego about her recovery. She also felt too proud to make the first move or ask Diego not to leave her in bed."Where are you going, honey?" Carrie clutched her husband's strong arm one night while they were being intimate. But Diego still got up and left her."Sorry, Carrie. I-I just can't..."Carrie was stunned by her husband's rejection. She couldn't understand why Diego kept choosing to satisfy his desires in the bathroom."Should I just tell him that I'm better now? Shouldn't he realize that I'm no lon
"Why are you in such a hurry, honey? Weren't you supposed to stay here for three days?" Irene had been watching Arnold eat quickly since he left the bedroom. Her husband hadn't said much since then. The sweet words or loving gestures that should be present between newlyweds were completely absent for Irene. It was as if Arnold had already forgotten what happened last night.Arnold didn't answer. He only glanced briefly at Irene, who was sitting across from him. A few minutes later, he got up, grabbed his car keys from the table, and said, "I'm leaving. Don't wait for me!" Without waiting for Irene's response, Arnold hurried out to his car. He only gave a brief glance at Irene, who was watching him leave with an unreadable expression. But Arnold didn't care. His mind was entirely focused on Erica. He felt guilty about his first wife.'Erica, forgive me. What did I do last night? What if Irene really gets pregnant? It will be difficult to divorce her later.' Arnold ran his hands thro
Irene was still sobbing, her back turned to Arnold. She lay there, trying to endure the pain, not just physically but also emotionally. Without realizing it, Arnold had mentioned Erica's name at the end of their bedroom session, which made Irene's pain multiply tenfold.Arnold quickly fell asleep from exhaustion beside Irene. He felt relieved that the desire he had been harboring since that morning was finally satisfied. Although it was Erica he truly wanted, Irene was still legally his wife.After crying her heart out, Irene tried to get up and clean herself. Slowly, she sat at the edge of the bed, reached for her clothes, and put them on again.She remembered her mother-in-law's request earlier that morning. Drew had called her and spoke over the phone."Irene, you need to get pregnant as soon as possible! We know Arnold hasn't touched you yet. You have to make him sleep with you!" Drew's words over the phone had shocked Irene."Mom... how do you know... that I haven't been... t