Jessamine had no chance to refuse when Thaddeus leaned over and lay down beside her.Thaddeus neatly folded the blanket that was on her and set it aside. He then covered them both with the large quilt he had brought. With practiced ease, he drew her naturally into his embrace."Jessie, I hope you'll give me a chance to meet your family when we return to Hajera."Jessamine grew quiet."There will be a chance."She pondered when would be the right time to introduce him to her family. She knew she needed to communicate with her grandmother in advance, as bringing him home suddenly might not be well-received.She knew very well how her grandmother would react.Thaddeus gently nudged her head with his chin and whispered, "I will do my best.""Don't feel too pressured about this. We don't need to rush this matter.""Okay."He understood that rushing was not an option. Changing her family's impression of him in such a short time seemed nearly impossible. He needed to find a way to w
Thaddeus kissed Jessamine, leaving her feeling dazed.Thaddeus's hand slid up her dress, looking for that particular soft spot of hers but stopping at her lower abdomen.He lifted her nightgown and saw a surgical scar on her otherwise flawless skin.It was clearly a scar from childbirth. Xander had mentioned before that she had endured hardships during the births of Layla and Lucas.When Thaddeus saw the scar, a sharp pain pierced his heart.He had missed out on many important moments by not being by her side."Jessie, that must've hurt a lot, huh?"Jessamine stared at the ceiling, recalling memories from four years ago. She spoke calmly, "It wasn't that painful at first. The doctor told me the babies were in an abnormal fetal position and that I had lost a lot of amniotic fluid. I was worried they would suffer from hypoxia and only hoped they could be born safely."She must have gone numb with pain when giving birth. It wasn't until the doctor advised her to move around afterw
Thaddeus wasn't speaking nonsense. It did rain heavily that night. There was no thunder, but the wind howled so fiercely that the raindrops pitter-pattered on the windows.Worrying that Layla might be scared, Jessamine slipped into her room in the dead of night. Layla was a timid child, always needing to snuggle up to her mother on rainy days to sleep soundly.The return to Hajera was now on the agenda. Jessamine had already booked the flight tickets in advance and bought local specialties from Zenville for her family. Everything was set.Friday arrived in a blink. For Thaddeus, this day felt more dreadful than the day before school started.Soon, he would be on his own again. To make matters worse, he needed a few more days to wrap up his work at the company and couldn't leave with them.Thaddeus couldn't bear the thought of what his life would be like after his family was gone.Lately, he had gotten used to the routine of waking up each morning to make breakfast for his family.
The next morning, Thaddeus got up early to make breakfast. It was quite a feast. He had recently gotten several recipes from Lana. As usual, he was on a video call with her, who guided him remotely while he cooked.After all, this was the last breakfast he would make for them in a while. Who knew when the next opportunity would be? He made sure it was a plentiful meal.There was a balanced mix of carbs, proteins, fruits, and so on.Jessamine came downstairs with the children after freshening up. Thaddeus had already laid out a table full of food. The breakfast resembled a grand feast.Seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes, she asked, "Did you get up really early?""Not really, just early enough," Thaddeus replied.He was lying. In fact, he had barely slept a wink. Instead of just lying in bed awake, he figured he might as well get up and make breakfast for his family.As he watched her eat, Thaddeus thought about Jerome, who was still hanging around Hajera. He wondered
Thaddeus exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "Who hit you?"Sasha was whining on the other side of the phone, "I was at the hospital. While waiting in line, a tall, burly, and disgusting-looking guy hit me."She paused for a moment and continued, "He's coming back after he's paid his bill. He said he'll show us who's boss. "Thaddeus, please come quickly! I'm scared!""Send me the address," replied Thaddeus.After hanging up, Sasha immediately sent her location to him. He drove over as quickly as he could. When he arrived, he found Sasha crouching in the hallway, looking completely defeated. One side of her face was swollen with what seemed like finger marks. It was clear she had been hit.Looking at her, Thaddeus knew she must have gotten tangled up in a troublesome situation.When Sasha saw Thaddeus exit the elevator, it was as if she had seen her savior. She stood up in a flash as her tears began to flow uncontrollably."Ted!"Her shout caught the attention of the man stan
Sasha knew she was in the wrong. With so many people accusing her, she had no way to defend herself. She just held her swollen, reddened cheek and shook her head.The atmosphere was tense. Not far away, the door to the examination room opened."Sasha, I'm ready. Let's head back."The gentle voice drew everyone's attention. Amy, wearing a loose cotton dress and holding a medical report, exited the examination room. She froze when she saw Thaddeus.Thaddeus now understood the situation. His blockheaded sister was accompanying Amy for a prenatal checkup. The two of them had cut in line, causing a dispute with the other pregnant woman. Sasha stood up for her friend and ended up hitting the pregnant woman.His sister was incredibly dimwitted.Thaddeus felt ashamed of her. When would she understand that her so-called friends were only using her for their selfish purposes and had never genuinely considered her a friend?"Sasha, apologize!"Sasha still felt reluctant. She had been hi
Amy was already on probation, so she didn't dare get involved in any trouble again. Besides, what happened today had nothing to do with her. She didn't say a single curse word, nor did she get physical.The person who rudely hit someone was Sasha.Even so, Amy was still somewhat scared and instinctively hid behind Thaddeus. The two police officers, with serious expressions, wouldn't just rely on the nurse's side of the story."Let's check the surveillance footage first."After a short while, the surveillance footage from that period was copied. After watching it, the police turned to Sasha and said, "Miss, please come with us."Sasha suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. While on the verge of tears, she looked at Thaddeus with reddened eyes, as if seeking help."Ted…" she pleaded.Thaddeus had just reviewed the surveillance footage with the police. Sasha's actions were even worse than what the eyewitness described. It was no wonder that man couldn't resist hitting her.
Thaddeus glanced at the electronic wristband on Amy's hand. "Aren't you on probation? Why are you running around?""Probation still requires scheduled prenatal check-ups; it's allowed by the authorities," Amy answered.Thaddeus faintly smirked as though mocking her. "True, we still need to take good care of it."Without the treasured "weapon" within her, how else could she hope to get a reduced sentence?"Excuse me, I need to get through," Thaddeus said. He pressed the button on the car key, but Amy leaned against the front of the car, showing no intention of moving.At that moment, Thaddeus' phone started vibrating wildly in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Jessamine. Before leaving, he had repeatedly reminded her to call as soon as the plane landed. After looking at the time, he realized the flight had probably just landed at the airport.He didn't immediately answer. Amy calmly crossed her arms and watched him. A few seconds later, she walked over fro