Chapter 3:
1252 Words
How could it be Irene?
Did I see wrong?
Last night, he had a bit to drink, but he wasn’t drunk. He knew he’d been drugged with an aphrodisiac and didn’t remember clearly. He only remembered that the girl had bright eyes, eyes that made him feel deeply guilty. How could it be Irene?
Irene’s eyes glistened with tears, her lips bitten to where you could see the teeth marks: “I’m leaving. Nothing happened between us last night…”
She stood up, her steps faltering.
Louis looked at the bed and saw a glaring red stain, his brow furrowing. Irene walked to the door, knowing Louis well enough that crying and making a scene wouldn’t trap him.
But if she said it as if nothing happened, he would feel a sense of regret, especially since she had been by his side for two years. Everyone in high society knew this, but he had never publicly acknowledged it!
It’s ridiculous that he never touched her in those two years.
When Irene reached the door, Louis said indifferently: “Irene, I’m sorry... I will... take responsibility for you...”
In the following days, Nancy quietly looked at the empty house. Ryo had been gone for a week, with no news about him. She wondered how he was doing.
Was he still angry with her?
Nancy’s days revolved around work and studying. While working at the café, she noticed a man sitting there. She almost turned around immediately, running behind the counter.
Her heart was pounding.
How could he be here?
Nancy carried the coffee, struggling to suppress the emotions stirring inside her. The ambiguous memories of that night resurfaced.
Miss Lesli steadied herself before turning back and walking out. What were the chances he remembered her? Besides, he was too drunk that night, and she wasn’t wearing makeup. Thinking about this, Nancy walked up to him and placed the coffee down.
“Sir, your coffee.”
The man’s pleasant voice said a simple word: “Thanks.”
Nancy wished to speak, yet lacked a starting point. She turned, then walked back to the counter. As she did, she heard a very pleasant voice behind her: “Louis.”
Nancy turned around, and when she saw the beautiful and elegant woman in a blue knitted dress, her eyes darkened. The woman was stunning. Standing next to him, they looked perfect together.
Finally, Nancy understood what it meant to be “a blade of grass by the roadside, unable to reach the clouds.”
But Nancy didn’t expect that she was pregnant.
With his child.
Nancy held the pregnancy test and returned to her apartment. As she looked at the empty apartment, she placed a hand on her lower abdomen. After a sleepless night, she took a leave of absence from school and leave the city.
Time rushed by.
When she set foot in Rihota City again, it was four years later.
In July, torrential rain drenched the city. Nancy hurriedly stepped out of the taxi, not waiting for her change, and ran through the increasingly heavy rain towards the cemetery.
Mrs. Sherwood, under a round umbrella, shouted, “Dig it up!” as her bodyguards with shovels and tools stood nearby.
Nancy was startled and ran over: “Stop!”
She shielded her mother’s grave, her hands trembling as she looked at Mrs. Sherwood and screamed: “What are you doing, Sandra? This is illegal!”
Sandra commanded the bodyguards: “Restrain that wretched girl! Illegal? The Sherwood company has bought the land in the northern part of the city! Nancy, didn’t you say you’d never come back? Then I’ll dig up your mother’s grave so she’ll never rest in peace! Dead with no place to rest, becoming a wandering spirit!”
The bodyguards quickly restrained Nancy. No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t escape their grip. She struggled as her mother’s tombstone was smashed, shouting: “Let go of me, let go of me!!”
Nancy was extremely anxious. Seeing her mother’s tombstone being destroyed, she nearly collapsed: “Sandra, you will face retribution, stop this!”
Finally, Nancy knelt on the cold ground, rain continuously running down her pale face. She gritted her teeth, her eyes red: “I’ll marry!”
Three days ago.
Sandra had called her, asking her to return. Nancy refused; she had severed ties with the Sherwood family long ago, with no reason to go back. But she never expected Sandra to use such a cruel method to force her.
Nancy looked up at Sandra: “You want me to marry in Wendy Sherwood’s place, fine, but you must agree to one condition.”
Sandra, seeing Nancy agree, was immediately pleased: “Name it.”
Nancy looked at the shattered grave: “Move my mother’s grave to the Sherwood family cemetery.”
This was her mother’s only wish in life. Even if she never said it, Nancy knew.
“What?” Sandra screamed, but after a moment, she gritted her teeth and agreed: “I agree.”
That night, in the Sherwood family’s study.
Norman angrily slammed his desk: “Wendy, you have been foolish. You are a Sherwood, and you were about to marry into the Atcentret family. How could you do something so outrageous?”
Wendy was pregnant.
Three months pregnant.
“Dad, I didn’t mean to...” Wendy, in a dress, sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed Mrs. Sherwood’s arm: “Mom, didn’t you say you had a solution?”
Wendy had studied in the US, living a reckless life, having had abortions twice. The doctor said another one could damage her uterus.
Mrs. Sherwood glared at Norman: “What’s done is done, besides, there’s always Nancy.” Remembering Nancy’s condition, Sandra clenched her teeth, looking at Wendy: “It’s all your fault!”
Wendy retorted: “Mom, why are you scolding me!”
The Sherwood company had worked hard to attach itself to the Atcentret family, and backing out now would be disastrous.
Norman hesitated: “You mean to have Nancy marry the Atcentret’s third son in Wendy’s place? But what if it’s discovered? And Nancy might not agree... She’s been away from us for so long...”
Mrs. Sherwood approached, informing us that Wendy has been studying in the US for years, making her relatively unknown in Rihota. “It’s such a big city; how could anyone find out?..”
Seeing Norman still hesitant, Mrs. Sherwood continued: “Norman, think about it. Nancy lived in a small town. Who knows her? And besides the old servants, no one knows the Sherwoods have another daughter. I’ve arranged everything, and Nancy has agreed.”
Norman nodded repeatedly, squeezing Sandra’s hand: “It’s best if she agreed, Sandra, you’ve thought this through.”
Leaving the study, Wendy frowned: “Mom, are we really letting Nancy benefit from this? Marrying the Atcentret’s third son...”
“You foolish girl, if you hadn’t messed around, I wouldn’t have to think of this. Take this time to have your baby, then restore your health. When you return, you’ll be Mrs. Atcentret. Blame all the faults on that lowly Nancy.”
That night, Nancy lay in bed, eyes closed.
Her phone rang. She glanced at it, smiling, as she saw a video call invitation: “Mom, when will you come back?”
Nancy looked at her three-year-old daughter, feeling immense warmth, all her fatigue melting away: “Chuppie, do you miss mommy?”
- Writer
