Zachary reached out to take Jean, his movement rigid but extremely careful.
Lulu left to heat up some milk, and after testing that the temperature was good, she handed Zachary the bottle.
Zachary remained stiff—feeding a baby was yet another first.
“Just put it in her mouth,” Lulu told him.
Zachary did as Lulu said, and Jean quickly stopped crying.
Zachary’s heart felt warm and fuzzy even as he watched her.
Eventually, he said, “Thank you for giving her to me.”
Lulu said nothing, and he continued, “If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask. I let my emotions get the better of me-l’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Lulu said.
At the very least, this was not his fault.
“Her name is Jean,” she said, pausing before adding, “We haven’t registered her birth yet.”
In other words, Lulu was saying that Jean could use his last name-he was Jean’s father, after all.
Zachary understood and nodded.
“You can leave when Abigail returns,” Lulu added.
It was clear from her tone that she would like them to leave quickly.
Zachary looked up at her. “Do you really not need anything from us?”
“No, you won’t be able to help,” Lulu said, shaking her head. “Just take care of Jean.”
Zachary lowered her head again to look at Jean. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t It
“The past is the past, Zachary. We shouldn’t keep obsessing over it,” Lulu said, stroking Jean’s tender cheeks just then. “Just promise me to take care of our child.”
“I will,” Zachary nodded.
“Having a child if you’re going to marry might be inconvenient,” Lulu then said. “So you could let Abigail do it. We go way back, so she’ll raise Jean as her own—”
Zachary looked up at Lulu right then. “I’ll raise Jean myself. I’ll make the call whatever happens..”
In other words, he was telling her to not talk too much, especially about things he did not want to hear.
Jean was his flesh and blood-he would never let her suffer any grievance!
Also, why was Lulu presuming that he was getting married already? The thought never crossed his mind.
After all, what was the point of love when one thought about it, when all it brought was pain?
Now, he was finally over it and able to start anew.
Would he still get himself a woman who meddled with his life? No way!
Physical needs were nothing but that-sentiment was unnecessary.
Lulu certainly understood that she had no right to meddle after she entrusted Jean to his care.
She looked at Jean then, whose little lips were wiggling.
The baby was still so small, so soft.
She could not help being sad.
It was her hope and duty as a mother to watch her baby grow up.
But now…
She turned around then and said, “You should go.”
Abigail was downstairs, sitting beside a flower bed.
She did not leave to buy anything to eat.
In reality, she was ready to visit Ricky, since she could not do it last time.
Now that she had returned again, she really ought to visit him.
She glanced at her watch to see that just a dozen minutes had passed.
She waited a little longer, intending to return in around half an hour.
However, she had just entered when she saw Zachary carrying Jean in his arms, saying, “Let’s go.”
Lulu picked up a bag. “Jean’s stuff…”
“I can buy it for her,” Zachary said and left the house.
Abigail looked at him for a moment and sighed.
She then entered the apartment, staring at Lulu for a moment before hugging her without asking anything. “Zachary and I will stay at a hotel and leave in a couple days. I’ll visit Ricky in the meantime.”
“Yeah,” Lulu murmured softly.
Abigail then picked up the bag and said, “I’ll text you which hotel we booked. You can visit Jean if you want.”
Lulu said nothing-dragging her feet would not hurt more, and she had no time to raise Jean in the future anyway.
“You should hurry back after visiting Ricky. It’s not safe here,” she said.
Abigail nodded. “Okay.”
When she stepped outside with the bag, Zachary had already gone quite far.
“Wait up!” Abigail called out to him.
Zachary turned and frowned when he saw that she was carrying the bag. “I said I was going to buy those.”
Abigail snapped in annoyance, “I know you’re rich, but Jean has to use it immediately, so how are you going to buy them right now? Do you even know which brand of formula milk is healthier? Do you have the time to buy everything she needs?”
Zachary stayed silent, while Abigail hailed a cab. “We need to rest our legs in a hotel. And Jean’s too young to be carried everywhere.”
“Yeah,” Zachary murmured.
Once they got in, Abigail whipped out her phone to check for a nice hotel nearby.
Adults like them would be fine with any environment, but Jean was an infant and needed somewhere better.
Soon, she found one and showed her phone to the cabbie. “Please take us to this hotel.”
“Okay.” The cabbie recognized the place immediately.
After a while, he stopped his cab outside the hotel.
Abigail headed inside and booked two rooms. “We’ll stay the night. I’m visiting Ricky tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Just leave Jean with me. You haven’t learn how to raise such a young child n
“It’s alright. I’ll learn,” Zachary replied, reluctant to put Jean down.
Abigail put down the bag then, staring at Zachary for a moment before asking, “Did Lulu tell you what happened to Martin?’
Zachary paused for a moment and nodded.
“Did he get into an accident, or was he cheating on her?” Abigail asked.
Zachary lowered his eyes. “It was an accident.”
Abigail’s face fell.
She knew that Martin’s work was dangerous, but to learn that he was hurt again left her in disbelief.
It was not easy for Lulu to find someone, after all.
“Is it serious?” she asked softly.
Zachary nodded. “They haven’t found his body.”
He knew because Lulu told him eventually after he asked.
Abigail had to sit on the edge of the bed. “How could that happen?”
Zachary sighed lengthily in turn, unsure if he should be pleased or upset.
After all, Lulu would not have given Jean to him if Martin was alright.
Zachary thought he would at best watch Jean from afar and go his entire life without hearing her call him daddy.
Even if he was entrusted with Jean after Martin’s accident, it also meant an end to Lulu’s bliss.
Looking at Abigail then, he said, ‘Lulu was blaming herself. That’s why she gave Jean to me.”
“What do you mean?” Abigail asked.
“She and Martin had a fight, which was why Martin took the role of handler, but something happened and they don’t know what happened to him.”
Abigail blinked. “Maybe he survived.”
“Not really. Those are some serial criminals-there’s not much hope of survival if captured. Moreover…”
His tone turned somber. “Lulu was threatened. That’s why she’s entrusting Jean with me-she’s worried about her safety.’
Abigail was silent for a while.
“What about Lulu?” she asked eventually.
“She says she’s rejoining the force, so she won’t have time to care for Jean. ” Zachary heaved another long sigh. “I know her-
she’s working again for Martin’s sake.”
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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