Since the previous incident had only just passed, I did not want to have too much contact with him.
He spoke in a low voice, “Don’t you keep your promises?”
I thought hard about what he could be referring to but came up with nothing. Frowning, I asked, “What did I say?”
“You are supposed to come to cook for me this month, remember?” he said, slightly angry.
I froze. I had been so busy that I forgot all about it until he mentioned it.
The issue with the reporters had just passed and I was busy dealing with Jared. I still had to think of ideas to ensure that Summer would stay with me. I had no time to go cook for him.
Back then, I only agreed to his request so that he would stop pestering me. I never expected him to take me so seriously.
“Marcus, I’m really busy. Please just let me off.” I felt as though I was being forced into a dead end with no other way out.
There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, he scoffed, “Let you off?” Since when did I even force you?”
My head started to hurt, so I stopped the car by the roadside and hung up, then turned off the phone.
Finally, I felt better after some rest. What’s wrong with me? I’m either suddenly nauseous or I feel helpless and get depressed by every little thing.
Perhaps it was due to everything that had happened recently. I got off the car and went for a walk to relax my mind.
Unexpectedly, I met Kristina. She was wearing a long tan trench coat and came over. “What a coincidence. Shall we have a chat?”
I shook my head and turned to leave. “I know you don’t want that kid to return to the Crest family. I don’t either. Can we talk?”
I hesitated, but eventually agreed.
We then went to a nearby café. Kristina looked pale, but her makeup brought some color to her face.
She got straight to the point. “Believe it or not, I’ve nothing to do with Macy’s death. Her hemorrhage was really just an accident. I know you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t either. All of you think that I said something to provoke her, causing her death.”
I pursed my lips and kept quiet. Then, she continued, “Since you won’t believe me, I won’t waste my breath anymore. That child has been with you for four years. I know you won’t let her be taken away. I also want a stable status in the Crest family, so I need to give birth to my own baby. Hence, I don’t want her back in the Crest family either.”
“Just tell me what you want,” I said impatiently.
She paused, taken aback by my bluntness, then replied, “The two of you have been together for four years. You’re basically her mother now. Jared and Anthony’s friendship should still be fine after this matter is settled. Since you’re legally married to Anthony, you can make it public that both of you are infertile. This way, you can then adopt that child. But the two of you just can’t have your own children in the future.”
Kristina continued, “You should know the law better than me. Based on your background, it should be easy for both of you to adopt her. It just depends on whether or not you’re willing to give up your reputation and the possibility of having your own child in the future.”
I calmed myself down before looking at her and breaking out in a smile. “Kristina, do you really think that Anthony would be afraid of Jared in an argument?”
She shrugged. “Of course not. Judging by his social status, Mr. Featherstone won’t be scared of Jared. But what about public opinion?”
I… Anthony indeed didn’t need to be afraid when it came to background and power. He has the ability to keep Summer by his side. But once the Crest family blows things up, what would happen to
Summer? It’d be fine if both her parents were dead, but I wouldn’t have the right to adopt her since her dad is still alive.
I was getting frustrated. Instead of actually discussing proper matters, Kristina was just trying to agitate me.
I stood up abruptly and looked at her with a straight face. “If this is all we’re going to talk about, I think I’m done with this conversation.”
She spoke as I turned to leave. “Think about what I just said.”
“Get lost!” I could not help but say. Soon after I left the café, I felt sick in the stomach.
I bent over and threw up, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
I was becoming more lethargic each day. When I got back to the villa, I simply sat on the balcony and enjoyed the breeze for the rest of the day.
Anthony’s return was what pulled me out of my thoughts.
He carried me back to the bed and covered me up with a blanket. Anthony was furious. “Are you still a kid? Don’t you know how to take care of yourself?”
I looked at him in a daze, then remembered that it was already late autumn in K City so the weather was getting colder.
Feeling upset, I hugged his waist and leaned into him, then said in a quiet voice, “Anthony, please sit with me.”
His gaze turned warm and he asked, “What’s wrong?”
I sighed even as a throbbing headache assailed me. “It’s okay. Just sit with me for a while.”
Initially, I thought everything would take a turn for the better after returning to K City from R Province, but I’d forgotten about Marcus and Jared.
After raising Summer for four years, I’d naturally regarded her as my own child from the bottom of my heart, and her existence almost had me forgetting about how my own child died. However, after returning to K City, it was as though everyone was reminding me of my bitter and agonizing past with Anthony.
He seemed to be able to understand my feelings, hugging me tightly in his embrace as he echoed my silence and stillness.
In the passing of time, we were often drained of courage by memories as we embarked on the road that led to doom, step by step.
Jared often came to visit Summer, and every time he did so, the distance between them reduced.
I was too afraid of Summer, so I tacitly acquiesced to Jared’s visits in the beginning. But as the frequency grew, I then made to leave with her.
As November came, the weather in K City grew increasingly chilly. In the evening of a particular weekend, Summer played with the dog in the yard after Jared had left.
At that moment, I gazed at Summer, my emotions indescribable as I sat beside her and watched the interaction between her and the dog.
When she noticed that I’d been sitting there for a while, she glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyes bright. “Mommy, come and play with Snowfluff together, okay?”
I shook my head while looking at her, my gaze radiating a faint sense of tiredness. “I’ll just look on as you play with it.”
Upon seeing my dispirited demeanor, she was no longer all that eager to play with the dog. Rather, she got up and stared at me while leaning her tiny body against me, her entire person soft and pliable. Resting her head against me, she queried, “Are you sick, Mommy?”
I shook my head as I hugged her, with relief slithering into my veins. “No. I’m just exhausted,” I replied.
At this, she nodded before exhaling on a soft sigh and remarked, “You seem to be quite tired recently, Mommy. Are you exhausted because exams are coming soon?”
Flashing her a faint smile, I murmured, “I suppose so.”
When the little girl heard this, she seemed to be racking her brains for a solution. After some time, she fixed her gaze on me and ordered, “Wait a moment, Mommy!”
Then, she ran into the villa. I remained sitting there, watching Snowfluff roll about on the grass. All of a sudden, a wave of pain assailed me. If my child had lived back then and Macy hadn’t died either, would we now be sitting here together, chatting as we watched over our children?
At the thought of this, my mood soured.
Clang! A loud crash rang out in the villa. I was stunned for a moment before I promptly rushed in, only to be greeted by the sight of shattered glass all over the kitchen floor. Meanwhile, Anthony, who sprinted over from the main house, had yanked Summer away, his swift movement appearing a touch rough.
Summer was still in a trance, and it was only about two seconds later did she abruptly burst into tears from fright.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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