The Stranger's Baby

Jenny Walter walked out of the divorce court with a divorce decree in hand.

Warren Duncan, her butler, looked somewhat embarrassed as he said, "This is for you from Old Mr. Faust, Miss Jenny."

Then, he passed her a bank card. Even though he didn't explain what it was for, Jenny understood.

She was a little taken aback. After a moment, she responded, "There's no need for this. Please thank him for me. I am grateful for his care for the past two years."

With that, she headed to the street and entered a black Maybach that had been waiting a while for her. She felt a little frustrated when she saw the people in the car.

"It's just a divorce. Why are y’all so nervous?"

"Did you really get a divorce?" asked Zack Chandler, who was in the driver's seat. He turned around to cast her a skeptical look.

Nodding, Jenny chuckled, "Look at my divorce decree. It's still warm from the printer."

She produced the document from her bag and waved it before them.

"Lovely!" said Zack, laughing aloud. "You should've gotten a divorce ages ago. In fact, you should've never married him!"

Jenny looked at him before interjecting, "Can you focus on the road? I don't want to die right after my marriage did. Also, a divorce isn't exactly a good thing. Why are you so happy?"

Wasn't marriage something sacred? Jenny wondered why her brothers had wished hard for her to get a divorce.

"Of course, I'll be happy," he said, glancing at their eldest brother, who had been silent since Jenny entered the car, "I'm not the only one who's happy. Gilbert is happy too."

When Jenny looked at him, Gilbert Hawthorn did not deny Zack's statement. He nodded immediately, saying, "Zack is right. This marriage should have never happened in the first place."

"It was Grandpa's last wish," she replied with a helpless sigh. "You know I couldn't go against his will."

At the mention of their grandfather, they fell quiet for a moment.

Zack broke the silence, whining, "I don't know what Grandpa was thinking. Why would he make you marry that bastard Alec? He treated you as if you were invisible for the entire two years of your marriage!"

If Jenny hadn't stopped him, Zack would have taught Alec Faust a lesson ages ago.

In contrast to Zack's outburst of anger, Jenny was much calmer.

"It's not too bad. We respected each other's space and boundaries for the past two years. He never visited the Faust mansion since we got married. I bet he doesn't even know what I look like."

After two years, the married couple should have been each other's closest person. However, for some ridiculous reason, they had never met each other.

No one else would have been able to accept such a marriage, but Jenny accepted her situation. To begin with, she had been reluctant to marry Alec, but she needed to fulfill her grandfather's last wish. Meanwhile, Alec must have been coerced by Old Mr. Faust; therefore, neither of them would have been happy.

"If I knew he was such a jerk, I wouldn't have allowed you to marry him," Zack said, clearly resentful towards Alec.

"If Grandpa really wanted you to marry, he could have asked you to marry me!" he suggested, grinning. Then, he added, "Or you could have married Gilbert. We are both better candidates than that bastard Alec."

Jenny was speechless. She had no idea what went on in his head.

"Can you stop joking around? No one would marry their sibling."

Unfazed, Zack countered, "We are not related by blood. There's no reason we can't marry."

Jenny rolled her eyes at him. Although her older brothers had been adopted by her grandfather, they all grew up together. Hence, regardless of their biological relationship, she regarded them as her true brothers.

"Stop it, Zack. You'll always be my brothers."

Zack was joking around, so Jenny didn't take it seriously. However, neither noticed how Gilbert was utterly silent in the back seat.

When Zack asked Jenny to marry him, Gilbert's eyes immediately shifted toward her. However, after hearing her response, the intensity in his eyes died, returning to normal. He had kept things to himself very well. Despite being around each other for so many years, neither Zack nor Jenny noticed anything unusual about him.

"Let's talk about something else. It's great that you've finally gotten a divorce. Do you have any plans for the future?" Gilbert asked. His voice had a magnetic lull to it. Like the sun in winter, it brought warmth and comfort to the listeners. "You chose to retire for the sake of your marriage, and you disappeared for two years. Everyone outside our family is going crazy trying to look for you."

Jenny sighed, feeling a little nostalgic about the old days. "I've been gone for too long. I wonder if they still remember me as Dr. Walter.”

"Of course, they would!”

Gilbert looked at her, his eyes flashing with emotion as he said, "You are one of the most famous brain surgeons in the world. No matter how long you're gone, no one will ever forget you."

"Really?" asked Jenny, smiling. Her eyes glowed with eagerness as she said, "In that case, let's celebrate my return as a surgeon."