Martin looked up then. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to do it. Lulu, you can go now.”
Lulu turned to him. “Martin, give me some time…”
“Don’t you see that he’s being hostile?” Martin pointed out. “You won’t come to an agreement with him anytime soon.”
Ricky then glanced between Martin and Lulu.
Sharp as ever, he asked, “You… And him…?”
“We’re married,” Martin said.
Ricky was left dumbfounded, the rage in his eyes slowly fading, leaving only shock and disbelief!
Lulu then told Ricky, “He’s telling the truth. We’re married… and I’m having his child.”
“Hah. Haha!” Ricky laughed ironically, and at himself. “As long as it’s not Zachary Slate.”
He would never have been able to accept it if Lulu made up with Zachary, after Zachary and his family hurt her so much.
If Lulu still forgave Zachary after all that, Ricky would probably die from a heart attack!
Ricky studied Martin, who appeared solemn and dignified in his police uniform, which certainly gave a sense of security.
Ricky slowly understood why Lulu would choose Martin instead of him.
What he wanted and yearned so much for was ultimately not his.
It was a dream shattered, with nothing left for him.
Deflated and looking like he was done with life, he groaned, “Just ask whatever you want to know!”
It turned out that after he left Cloud City to look for Lulu, he had tried to start his own business while doing so.
However, he was swindled of all his money soon after he left and was bullied terribly, ending up homeless and wandering the streets.
He had thought about going back and contacting Abigail, but he was too embarrassed to do so when he had nothing to his name!
“Ricky, tell me you didn’t do anything bad,” Lulu said, looking him straight in the eye.
Nonetheless, Ricky bluntly said, “I did.”
“What, did you kill someone?” Lulu asked half-jokingly.
Ricky, however, paused and murmured, “Yeah…”
His expression was cold and jaded—the bright and cheerful youth from before was no longer seen.
Right now, he did not even seem to care about a thing.
Lulu started to stumble backward at the revelation, and Martin had to quickly catch her.
Clenching on Martin’s hand, her voice was shaking. “W-What should we do?”
How could they get Ricky out of this? If there was someone who could do it, who would it be?
She was so nervous that she did not know how firmly she was holding onto Martin.
But despite Lulu’s nails breaking skin, Martin remained unmoved and said mildly, “Calm down. You’re pregnant!”
Ricky looked at Lulu in turn and said calmly, “It’s fine. I get to see you, and see that you’re happy. Don’t feel sorry for me—I put myself on this path and I won’t blame everyone. It’s my destiny.”
Lulu could not think, let alone decide what to do.
Martin said, “It’s not like we are completely out of options.”
Lulu’s eyes lit up right then and she turned toward Martin with eyes full of hope. “Do you know what to do?”
“He can confess to everything and fight for leniency. And most importantly, we still haven’t arrested his ringleader,” Martin replied, before turning to Ricky. “If you can help us apprehend him, that’s a contribution on your part, and it would definitely help immensely. There’s also the chance for you to gain parole for good behavior while you’re serving your sentence, and that’s the best option for now.”
The glow in Lulu’s eyes slowly faded. She murmured, “But… is he still going to prison?”
“That’s inevitable, but it’s better than being executed.” Martin sighed, then turned to Ricky. “What do you think?”
Lulu turned to Ricky too. “Ricky…”
“I’ll do it,” Ricky said very calmly.
He knew how grave his crimes were, and no matter what he did to atone, he would not be free from punishment.
In fact, Martin’s idea was the best.
“Go home. Leave the rest to me,” Martin said, helping her out of the interrogation room.
Lulu understood that she would cause trouble for Martin if he stayed too long as well, and she was certainly not worried with him in charge.
Even so…
She turned toward Ricky, who pursed his lips and smiled. “You should go.”
With that, Lulu left the interrogation room, and Martin walked with her out of the precinct.
“I can’t go yet,” he told her. “But you haven’t slept well, have you? Try to get some sleep. I’ll buy breakfast when I get home.”
“It’s fine,” Lulu said. “What do you want to eat? I’ll cook.”
“Not while you’re pregnant,” Martin replied. “Just listen to me and get some rest. I’ll be here to help Ricky—like I said, the only thing we can do is try our best to reduce his sentence.”
Lulu nodded, while Martin returned inside the precinct.
He wrote a list of all charges against Ricky after he confessed and received approval from his higher ups to have Ricky embedded in the crime ring he was in.
With that done, he released Ricky, who pretended to have escaped and made his way back to his gang, but now as a mole.
He would now be passing information to the police to help them arrest the ringleader!
When Lulu returned home, she sat lethargically on the edge of her bed for a long while.
Deciding that it was about time, she got up and headed to the kitchen to cook.
She was done just as Martin got home. “Wash your hands. Breakfast is ready!”
Martin had actually bought breakfast, and he said, “I told you that you didn’t have to cook, didn’t I?”
“I can’t let you come home without eating something warm, can I?” Lulu replied as she put the food on the table.
Martin put the food he bought on the table too, then headed to the washroom to wash his hands.
Lulu took everything out of the box and laid it on the table—it would be a waste if they did not eat that too.
As Martin returned and took a seat, Lulu ladled a bowl of soup for him. “Drink something warm before you eat.”
Martin drank a spoonful. “It’s good.”
Lulu sat down as well, clutching her stomach and gently rubbing it.
“Martin…” she murmured.
“Yeah?” Martin looked up.
She returned his gaze as she said, “Thank you.”
“Why are you being this formal?” Martin replied. “We’re married.”
“I…” She was hesitant to continue. “Uh…”
“There was a love triangle?” Martin asked nonchalantly.
Lulu was not at all surprised since Martin had always been sharp—he must have noticed something, given Ricky’s outburst.
She felt at once enfeebled and embarrassed. “I only thought of him as a younger brother.”
“Thought so,” Martin replied. “You’re not into brats.”
Lulu rested her chin on her hand then, watching him as she asked, “Well then, who do you think I’m into?”
Martin put some salad on her plate, saying, “Me, of course.”
Lulu giggled in amusement and admitted, “Ricky came on this path because of me. He wouldn’t have left Cloud City if I never left…”
“It’s fate,” Martin said, looking her in the eye. “Don’t assume responsibility for the mistakes of others. I don’t like it when you shackle yourself over everything.”
Lulu reached out to hold his hand. “Are you my instructor in life? Why does that cheer me up so much?”
Smiling, Martin said, “You’re being overly sentimental. That’s why you feel shackled.”
Lulu smiled too. “Is that flattery I hear?”
“Not really,” Martin replied earnestly. “Being too sentimental isn’t good, because you’ll be easily affected by everyone and everything around you. I find that to live unconstrained, a clear mind is needed first and foremost.”
Lulu frowned. Did that not mean said person would become too unsentimental?
A person should at least have a couple of people they cared about, should they not?
Watching Martin just then, she said, “If you’re that calm, I guess you’ll remarry right after I die. All women are the same, aren’t they?”
Martin was speechless for a moment and stared back at her. “How did you manage to warp my words that badly?”
Lulu laughed. “I’m just kidding, You should look at your face.”
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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