I can’t remember which poet has said this before, that life is a constant replay of farewells. It’s made up of countless collections of moments when you send your beloved off so that the reunion becomes invaluable. The only thing is that no one knows when the next reunion will be.
Anthony noticed that I was feeling glum, so he passed Summer over to me.
The intelligent Summer stretched out her arms to me and requested, “Mommy, carry me!”
How could I still feel downcast when the little angel is around? I sat her on my lap and gave her a hug. “Summer, shall we spend each new year with Grandpa Charlie and his family?”
“Yes! I’ll get lots and lots of presents!” Giggling, she clapped her hands happily. Her crescent-shaped eyes looked very adorable.
“Little miss greedy!” I pinched her nose gently and then joked with Anthony, “I wonder who she takes after.”
Macy was a strong iron lady who owned a bar and bought her own house. She was also very outstanding in managing her finance, but she wasn’t an avaricious woman. That woman knew how to control her income and expenditures in order to have a more comfortable life.
As for Jared, he’s highly unlikely to be a money-grubber. The Crest family once monopolized the entire daily essentials industry. It definitely wasn’t exaggerating to say that they regarded money as manure. Besides her facial features, there wasn’t an area that Summer takes after him.
Anthony chuckled while turning to look at us.
I observed how gentle and loving he was as he stroked Summer’s head. An image flashed up in my head while I visualized Anthony holding our baby affectionately. The more I thought about having a test- tube baby as Sally had mentioned, my desire for it grew even stronger.
When we arrived in K City that evening, we had dinner with Cameron and Zachary to make up for the New Year’s Eve celebration.
Summer had already fallen asleep on Anthony’s shoulders when we finally got home. After tucking her into bed, we went back to our room to wash up and retire for the night.
It had been quite an exhausting day. Yet, I still spent some time researching on my computer about in vitro fertilization when Anthony was taking a shower.
“What are you reading?”
I was so focused that I did not hear Anthony’s footsteps approaching. His voice startled me.
Immediately, I switched off the computer and pretended as if nothing happened. “Nothing, really. Are you done?”
I was not sure if he saw my screen. One of the research journals that I read says that the success rate for women in an ideal health condition to become pregnant via in vitro fertilization is up to sixty percent. That’s the average result achieved by a healthy adult woman. Unfortunately, I’m not able to contribute to that statistics.
“Hmm,” Anthony gave me a quick reply. Subsequently, he placed a glass of warm water on the table as well as some pills that he had put inside a bottle cap.
Sally was very concerned about us. On the second day of the new year, she took me to see a doctor, who concluded that I was weak. I was told that it would take a while for me to be in the pink of health, and the only shortcut was to consume some prescribed pills daily. With that, the chances of me getting pregnant again before reaching thirty years old would be higher. Since then, I had been taking the medication, and it was about a week now.
I swallowed the pills as usual and drank some water. Then, Anthony carried me to bed.
The week after the new year was a public holiday. Since we had a day off, we planned some visitations for Summer.
First, we went to the Stanhope residence, where Summer received a big present from Louis. She was on cloud nine and brought so much joy to everyone at home.
Emma looked rather matured as she donned a new look and had her hair tied up. I caught a few sweet interactions between her and John when she was standing next to him. I doubt they got married just because they found each other compatible. John caught me observing him in secret like a paparazzi and rolled his eyes at me.
At the same time, Summer was spoiled rotten by the Stanhopes in J City. After opening her present, she made Louis play snowball fights with her. The strong and tough man obliged as she already had him wrapped around her little finger.
We sat around the sofa, in a circle. Looking out the French windows, we could see how gleeful Louis was, having some good fun with Summer. He was just like a playful big kid.
Moments later, as everybody quietened down in the living room, John blurted, “Have you heard? Armond’s out.”
Upon hearing the news, my heart sank. I was very surprised, and at the same time, confused because it was a different ending to what I had in mind.
When Anthony’s lawyer was analyzing the case, he stated very clearly that Armond was charged for multiple crimes, namely intentional assault, illegal possession of firearms, and inflicting cruelty against national Class 1 protected wildlife species. He should have been jailed for at least fifteen years. Why was he released?
I huffed as I felt a cold chill running down my spine the moment I recalled the dreadful incidents at the villa.
Just then, Anthony’s big hand patted mine to console me. I lifted my head to look at him. I could read from the message through his gaze. Stay calm. I took a deep breath and tried to hold myself together. Then, I plastered a smile on my face so that he would not get too worried about me.
Seeing that we did not react to him, John continued to share his thoughts solemnly, “He got away when he was on parole for medical treatment. I’ve inquired about this and found out that it was the Venrians who did it. They don’t care about their own safety and will only work for money. It’s so bold of Mr. Murphy to use a million to sacrifice a few lives in exchange for Armond’s freedom. No whistleblower and nothing leaked beforehand. Right after the prison break episode, the police ambushed at the Murphy Residence, only to find out that the Murphys have absconded with the money and went abroad.”
“Does it mean Armond will never ever return?”
I was panic-stricken. As soon as I popped the question, I could feel Anthony tightened his grip on my hand. However, I hid my emotions and tried to maintain a calm composure. “I was just curious. Can’t the law punish him?” I attempted to cover up eloquently.
“You’re too naive, Letty.” Raising one hand, John mocked, “The law is also a set of systems. Hence, in that system, the winner rules. Although it looks like we have the upper hand, the dirty games played inside the prison are not as simple as we think. The prisoner can choose to write his own survival story in this system. As long as he can find a loophole within the law, he’s able to start afresh, somewhere, somehow.”
His analysis had helped me to understand some life concepts. There was nothing much that money could not do in this world. Armond had probably thought of his escape plan the moment I exposed his involvement in organ trafficking. He must have foreseen his downfall one day and had a backup plan prepared in advance.
When someone turns evil, the extent of horror and ugliness the person can demonstrate through his thoughts, speech, and deeds is beyond our imagination. I learned this the hard way from Jared.
Understanding the reality is one thing; being able to calm my anxious heart is another. Like a vine, fear creeps all over me and invades every cell in my body.
Suddenly, Anthony placed my hands in his palm and started rubbing them to give me warmth. Frowning, I looked him in the eyes.
“I’m here with you,” Anthony asserted.
His voice was low yet soothing. Those clear eyes of his were resolute, and they comforted my apprehensive heart.
Anthony had saved me once from Armond. He could definitely save me again and protect me from harm.
Although the devil is prowling, Anthony is the light unto my path. As long as I follow him, I shall not fear.
That assuring thought made me feel better. A faint smile settled upon my face as I locked eyes with Anthony and was met with his unswerving gaze.
Seeing that, Emma teased us, “You guys are so sweet together.”
Anthony and I laughed at the same time as if we had planned it.
“Tsk… tsk… tsk…” John shook his head. “Only the two of you would do something like that. Your public display of affection is not welcomed here. But I won’t stop you, so please go get a room!”
“Arghhh!”
Emma gave him a tight slap on the arm, upon hearing his passing remark. John groaned in pain. With a scowling face, he commented, “Mind your manners, woman! Are you trying to kill your husband?”
John had a reputation that preceded him. Anyone who saw his long face would tremble in fear or bow reverently to him, regardless of who it was. Yet Emma was different. She faced him head-on as if she had gotten permanent immunization against his vehemence. Impatiently, she rolled her eyes and confronted him boldly, “Who allowed you say such derisive things?”
John’s expression became sullen after being refuted by Emma. Wanting to regain some dignity, he stood up abruptly and glared at her, intending to intimidate her. “Trust me. I’ll kick you out of the house if you dare to point one more finger at me.”
Those two had an agreement when they got married. They vowed to give each other freedom and not to meddle in the spouse’s private affairs. Thus, I always thought they were a match made in heaven. Faced with their sudden argument, I felt rather overwhelmed and did not know how to respond to it. I wondered if they were really upset with each other.
Even so, Emma ignored him completely. She scoffed at him and then pulled me upstairs, “How ridiculous! Letty, come with me. I have a gift for Summer, but I forgot to bring it down.”
My hands were tied, so I could only follow her upstairs. John roared a few times, asking for her to stay. However, she proceeded upstairs without even turning her head, as if his scolding were music to her ears. I was quite impressed.
Emma then brought me to their room. I waited on the sofa while she went ahead into her bedroom. Moments later, she returned with a vintage sandalwood box in her hands.
“Open it and take a look.” She passed me the box.
As I opened the box, I saw a shiny anklet lying on a sponge bed.
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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