Bryan jumped off the sofa.“Anna!”Although he was trying his best to suppress his emotions, he couldn’t hide the excitement shining through his eyes. Chloe could see them as clear as day.Chloe jumped up too and wrapped her arms around his, but he made to fling her away. “Bryan babe!”Chloe tightened her grip.Anna paused in the middle of her yawn, turned her head slowly to glance at Bryan and Choe in the living room.Bryan smiled and rushed to say, “Anna, I heard you won first place in the practical assessment, congratulations.”Anna saw Chloe’s warning gaze but still returned his smile. “Thank you, Bryan.”Seeing her smile at him, Bryan felt like the boulder pressing down on his chest had finally been lifted. He was unbelievably happy, all the tension and stress sapped from his limbs.“If there’s a chance, I would like to celebrate with you please,” he said.Chloe gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around his arm, faking a cry of pain.“Ouch, Bryan, my stomach hurts. Help me
Bryan drove Chloe to the hospital. When the doctor confirmed after a series of checks that everything was in order, they both sighed in relief.The doctor subtly reminded Bryan and Chloe not to do any strenuous exercises, making them squirm awkwardly.“Chloe, you scared me to death. Thank god you’re okay!” Nicole patted her rest in relief. “You have to be more careful in the future. You’re not alone now, you have the baby to take care of. Bryan, remember to take care of Chloe, the baby in her stomach is yours too.” Nicole was also unhappy that Bryan always asked after Anna.“Since you both have a child together, you’re parents now, you need to prioritize your child, anyone or anything else is not important anymore.”Bryan nodded, not making any comments. Chloe leaned on his chest and whispered, “Bryan, I was so scared. I thought something happened to our baby, thank God he’s fine.”“The baby is very important to me, Chloe. I know it’s hard for you but you have to protect the baby.”
The next day, Anna went to Nina’s house to meet Nina and her mother before visiting the hospital together. She supported her sore waist with a hand on her hip the entire way.“Nina, Nina. You don’t know how much I’ve sacrificed for you!”Anna walked up the stairs, the pain from her sore waist causing her to sigh at every step.Nina lived in an old, run-down neighborhood. The staircase was old and rusty from age and in urgent need of repair.Anna looked carefully before taking every step, worried that the staircase would give way and cause her to her fall.She followed the address Nina gave to the school, found her way to Nina’s house, and pressed on the doorbell.“Anna!” Nina opened the door, she seemed depressed.“What’s wrong?”“Nothing! Come on in.”The inside of the apartment was clean. There was not a speck of dust in sight, but the air was filled with the overpowering scent of herbal medicines.Melissa Baker, Nina’s mother, sat on the sofa clicking through the channels on the tel
Melissa’s emotions were out of control again. Dr. Hart hurriedly ordered the nurses to push her down on the table then they injected her with a tranquilizer. Melissa grew quiet, leaned on Nina’s chest, and fell asleep. Dr. Hart immediately seized the chance and arranged for some examinations to be done.“Anna, my mom is like this. When she’s sick, she’ll say anything! She even said she wanted to kill me…” Nina bowed her head, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.“Nina, I won’t take this against her! I just felt like she mistook me for someone else.”“She’s not conscious anymore. She doesn’t even know what she said or what she did. She’s in a blur most of the time,” Nina sighed.“Don’t worry too much, we’ll look at the results and see.” Anna patted Nina’s shoulder comfortingly. In the VIP ward.Melissa lay on the bed quietly with countless machines on her body. Her breathing was stable as she had an expression of calm peace while she slept. Nina sat at her bedside and stare
Anna accompanied Nina to the hospital the whole day.At night, her father called her home to take care of Chloe. Nicole and he had a cocktail party to attend.Anna was infuriated, “Don’t we have a maid at home? I don’t know how to take care of someone.”“A maid is a maid, you’re her sister! Your sister is pregnant now, shouldn’t you help take care of her?” Her father grew upset too.“Daddy, you have to know who is the father of her unborn child! I’m already tolerating her the best I can, why do I even have to take care of her?”“It’s all in the past, you have to look forward to the future! Come home, now!” Daniel finished and hung up the phone.Anna clenched her phone tightly in her fists, wishing she could fling it away to vent her anger. “I’m human too! In their eyes, I’m like an emotionless robot. They never considered how I feel!”Her family was like this, previously Bryan was like this, and now even Liam treated her this way.Nina walked towards her, “Anna, that’s because you hav
Chloe saw a man lurking suspiciously outside the gate and shouted. The man hurriedly hid behind a large tree.“Who’s there! Come out, now! I’m calling security!” Chloe shouted in fear.The man appeared from behind the tree, motioning for Chloe to keep her voice down.“Chloe, it’s me, Daddy! Shush! Don’t shout! Don’t let anyone else see us!”Chloe’s eyes widened in shock, expression full of disbelief as she stared at the man in front of her.Even though the sky was already dark, beneath the dim street lights, she could clearly see the middle-aged man’s face.His hair was messy and disheveled. Stubbles covered his face like small black needles, his clothes were dirty and torn. He looked like a beggar. “I don’t know you!”Chloe turned to run but the man reached out and covered her mouth with his palm then tugged her into the trees behind him.“Don’t call out, don’t shout! I’ve been mapping out the area for the past few days, I know the guards don’t patrol this area at this time.”Chloe
“You want me to be her bridesmaid?”Are they out of their minds?Anna couldn’t keep calm anymore, “I have nothing to do with their marriage. Don’t bring me into this!”Daniel’s expression darkened but he tried to keep his voice calm and neutral, “Anna, I know this is hard for you! But we need to show the public that we are a happy, loving family. That there’s no bad blood between you and Chloe because of Bryan.”“Didn’t you promise you will try to get along with Chloe?”“Getting along is different from making me the object of public ridicule!” Anna’s anger was growing, her displeasure written on her face.“Anna is saying that she hasn’t forgotten Bryan yet. Her acceptance and forgiveness is all an act! She said she’ll give us her blessings but deep down she doesn’t think so at all!” Chloe piped up.Anna’s gaze was as sharp as a knife. She looked as if she could cut through Chloe’s body and see right through to the heart. Chloe hid behind her father in fear, whining to gain sympathy, “D
Chloe pressed a palm over her mother’s mouth.“Mom! Lower your voice!”Nicole nodded, her expression harrowing. She lowered her voice and whispered, “He came to see you?”“Yes! I’m so scared! Mom, what should we do?”Nicole was flustered too as she paced around the room nervously.“Don’t panic, don’t panic. Tell me, how did he appear? And why did he want to see you?”Chloe sucked in a deep breath and reiterated the days’ happenings to her mother. “Mom, you need to think of a way! I gave him a thousand dollars, and the card is already expired but I lied saying there’s money inside. I couldn’t have chased him away otherwise!Once he realizes there’s no money in the card, with his personality, he won’t forgive me!”Nicole’s face turned pale as a ghost, “He knows you’re marrying into the Dawson family, he’ll definitely stick to you like a vampire!”Nicole was at a loss too, the more she thought about it, the more panicked she felt, “Why would he come here? How could he come here!”After sh