Chapter 23 – His Second Chance Love: The Freezing Silence

Anthony’s study was very large and there were all kinds of books here. I flipped through some books with illustrations to pass the time, and it didn’t take long for my back to feel sore.

I put down the book in my hand and wandered around the study. My gaze fell on a small cabinet tucked in the corner that looked slightly dated.

Out of curiosity, I searched through it and found some photos. They were quite old and worn, but I could tell that they were all photos of Anthony when he was young.

I’ve never met Anthony’s parents, so an old and faded photo of a young couple holding a baby together with smiles on their faces caught my eye.

The man’s eyes were quite similar to Anthony and Grandpa’s, so I deduced that he must be Anthony’s father. Hence, the woman, who looked gentle and elegant, was probably Anthony’s mother.

I flipped through the album and noticed that something didn’t add up. The next few photos showed Anthony’s parents carrying a baby girl. Confused, I turned back the pages and found that there were indeed several photos where there was a little girl, about two to three years old, standing beside Anthony’s parents.

In the past, Grandpa told me that Anthony was his parents’ only child. I don’t recall there ever being a daughter. As for Uncle Charlie and his wife, I heard that they didn’t want any kids, so this couldn’t be their daughter either.

Just who is this little girl in the photo?

With no other explanation, I assumed that it was the daughter of one of their neighbors from back then. Without giving it much thought, I continued looking through the album.

The photos at the back were of Anthony during his schooling days. This showed how sentimental Grandpa was, recording every special moment of his grandson’s life since he was but a baby and keeping them as memories.

At the end of the album was a group photo which seemed to have been taken more recent. Rylee, Jared, and Joe were all in it.

There was a boy who looked bubbly and enthusiastic. All of them were good-looking in their own way, but this boy had a paler complexion, seeming like he had some kind of health condition. Because I didn’t recognize him, I didn’t try to figure out who he was.

The girl standing among the four boys was none other than Rylee. At that time, she still gave off an innocent and shy vibe.

It was obvious at first glance that she was the precious little princess everyone coddled. How lucky.

After looking through all the photos, I felt like my heart was being squeezed by an invisible force. Anthony and Rylee had a long history, while I had only known him for barely two years.

If it weren’t for my grandma’s illness and desperation which led her to bring me to meet Grandpa George, I would never have had the chance to marry Anthony.

If anything, I had only relied on Grandma and Grandpa George to marry Anthony. It was justifiable that he harbored no feelings toward me.

Come to think of it, even after such a long time, I never once stopped to think just how Grandma and Grandpa George came to know each other. Logically speaking, the Featherstones were wealthy and influential, while Grandma was a rural old lady who lived in the countryside. Just how did they meet each other?

Unwittingly, I had stayed in Anthony’s study until the sky turned dark. I couldn’t tell if it was because of my pregnancy, but I didn’t feel hungry even after not having anything to eat for the whole day, but my stomach did feel uncomfortable.

I went downstairs and rummaged through the kitchen cabinets for something to eat. Fortunately, Stacey stocked up enough food previously. After some time, I spotted some cucumbers in the refrigerators. Since I was too lazy to cook, I simply washed some cucumbers and planned to eat that as my dinner.

I didn’t notice Anthony returning to the villa. It wasn’t until I walked out with a slippery cucumber in hand that I saw him sitting in the living room.

When did he come back?

Sensing my presence, Anthony turned his head, his eyes instantly zooming in on the cucumber in my hand. A frown appeared on his face as he asked in a gruff voice, “What do you plan on doing with that?”

I was baffled, and answered in a matter-of-fact manner, “Eat it, of course!” What else can I do with this besides eating it?

Anthony scoffed. “Did I fail to satisfy you? Is that why you’ve resorted to using that?”

What?

I couldn’t quite grasp where he was going with this. What does he mean by “using that”?

He stood up and approached me with a brooding look on his face. I couldn’t figure out what was up with him, so I raised the cucumber in my hand and asked, “Do you want one?” I just so happened to wash two cucumbers just now.

Anthony’s gaze turned stormy as he growled, “No!” Before I knew it, he had snatched the cucumber in my hand and thrown it aside. His hand wrapped around my waist, while the other hand reached up to my lips, grazing them with his fingertips.

No matter how slow-witted I was, I still realized what he wanted to do right now. I instinctively tried to make a run for it, but his arm was holding me firmly in place. In a deep and husky voice, he said, “It’s already been a few days. We should be in the clear now!”

I just couldn’t hear the logic in his words.

“Anth…” My words were cut off by his actions. I reached up to try and push him away. Unfortunately, he overpowered me as a man, and I was utterly powerless against him.

When I felt his arousal against my belly, my eyes widened. He…

“Anthony, don’t…” I gasped halfway through my sentence.

“No, Anthony, we are so not in the clear! There’s still a risk of infection!” Rylee just recently had a miscarriage, so he couldn’t touch her, and the same was true for me. Hence, I could understand why he was acting like a sex-deprived man now.

Seeing him ignore my warnings, I started to panic. “Anthony, the doctor said to abstain for a month. Please!”

I was on the verge of tears.

Perhaps he heard the plea in my voice, because he gradually stopped what he was doing. Without a word, he hugged me tightly in his arms, then gently traced my collarbone with his lips.

After a long time, he finally calmed his raging hormones and released me. “Hungry?” he asked with hooded eyes.

I was slightly embarrassed because of how loud my stomach had growled. With a slight nod, I cracked a smile that looked more like a grimace. “I didn’t eat anything since I woke up.”

Anthony was stunned, then his eyes fell on the cucumber from just now. He transferred his gaze back to me, a complicated expression on his face. “You were going to eat the cucumber just now?”

I nodded. “I don’t feel like cooking because of the smoke and grease, so I washed two cucumbers.”

He gazed at me as the corners of his mouth tugged upward slightly, as if he was smiling but exasperated at the same time.

A moment passed before he went into the kitchen. After a while, he came out with a bowl of noodles. He even added two eggs to it.

When he saw the way I was gaping at him, he cocked a brow at me and said, “Come and eat!” Although it was an order, it didn’t sound unpleasant.

What Jared said to me earlier today surfaced in my mind. If I come clean with Anthony, will he really handle this matter?

I got up and sat at the dining table. Noticing that Anthony had only cooked one bowl of noodles, I blinked in surprise. “You’ve already eaten?”

He nodded and motioned for me to quickly eat. Then, he lowered his head and read through the messages on his phone.

The noodles looked and smelled delicious, but after only a few bites of it, my stomach started to churn.

---