Caroline’s POV:
One evening, Icey invited Nina and me to a bar.
My belly was getting bigger and bigger with each passing month. Charles prohibited me from going to
bars, so I lied to him that I was just going to a bookstore with Nina.
As soon as we entered the bar, the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and alcohol wafted into our nose.
The putrid odor choked me, causing me to cover my mouth and cough. Icey swept away the smoke in
front of her.
“I’ll just finish this cigarette and I’m done.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for pregnancy, Icey?” I asked tentatively.
“I don’t have to do that anymore. He already has a son.” Icey took a deep drag of her cigarette and
continued, “You should all know that he once slept in a waitress. If he just still has some feelings for
that girl, then I can bear the thought of it. After all, she was before me, and he and I were married
because of our families’ interests and businesses. But I’ve never thought that he’d have a child with
that waitress.” Nina and I exchanged glances when we realized the gravity of the matter.
“Did that waitress came to David with their child?” Nina guessed.
“Yes, and it seems like the child is suffering from a rare condition. The waitress said that she’s not
capable of paying for the medical bills, so her only choice was to turn to David for financial aid.” Icey
scoffed and stubbed out the cigarette as if it would help to vent her anger. Having heard what she said,
I was rendered speechless.
Though David and Icey indeed got married for mutual interests, as bystanders, we could tell that their
relationship was getting deeper than before. Icey had been actively preparing for pregnancy these past
months, hoping to bear David’s child. She even decided to quit smoking
But now that things had turn out this way, how could she take it?
“It’s going to depend on how David will deal with this matter.” Nina sat down next to Icey, and patted the
latter on the shoulder.
“The child is sick. Paying for the medical bills is easy. But what is he planning to do once the child
recovers? Does David have a plan already?”
“Who knows what that guy is thinking? I’ve been a strong independent woman for over thirty years.
Never have I imagined that I would experience something like this one day!” Icey chuckled bitterly and
then she bent down to pour some wine for herself.
After a while, David came in, visibly embarrassed. I shot him a cold glance.
“I heard that you’re a father now. What are you doing here? Since you have so much spare time, you
should just spend it with your son.” David was rendered speechless because of what I said.
Then, he frowned and said, “I heard from Charles that he forbade you from going to bars.”
I looked him dead in the eye, pretending to be calm. “Do not use his name to threaten me. He doesn’t
scare me.”
“Is that so?” he countered
Suddenly, Charles came in from behind David. He walked towards me, locking his fearsome gaze at
me,
The look on his face sent shivers down my spine and I couldn’t move.
‘What the…? When did he arrive?’
“I’ve got something important to do, guys! I gotta go. You guys talk!”
Seeing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, Nina looked at me with pity, picked up her
purse, and walked out in a hurry.
David cleared his throat and took the drunken Icey away.
Soon, only Charles and I were left in the room.
“Oh, so this is what a bookstore looks like, huh?” he asked. He raised his tone at the end of his
sentence, and for some reason, it made me fear him even more.
I was at a loss for words for a few seconds. “.. um…” He leaned over, placing one hand on the back of
the chair and lifting my chin with the other, forcing me to look at him.
“How should I punish you for your insubordination tonight?” My heart raced and my cheeks blushed
when I saw his face inches away from mine.
Feeling guilty, I looked away and said, “I only lied to you this time. You know what happened to Icey. I
knew that she was suffering, so I thought it would make her feel better if I accompanied her.”
“It’s their problem. They should deal with it themselves. Tell me one good reason why you should
interfere in their business,” Charles countered.
“Back when we had a fight, Icey gave me advice out of the goodness of her heart. I can’t just leave her
alone in her time of need.” I scoffed and slapped his hand away from my chin.
“Were you aware that David has a son with another woman? You came home late the other night.
Were you trying to help him solve his problem?” Charles wasn’t annoyed that I slapped his hand away,
and he nodded affirmatively. I glared at him to express my dissatisfaction.
“You also meddled in their affairs! What right do you have to judge me? If this had happened to me
instead of Icey, I would definitely feel worse.” Charles held my hand and pulled me into his arms.
“I won’t ever let this happen to you,” he said,
Icey’s POV
I followed David into a private room and closed the door behind me.
“What are you doing here?” “I had an appointment with Charles to have tea here,” he answered.
“You came to a bar to have tea? Do you honestly believe that I’d buy that?” I rolled my eyes at him,
feeling even worse.
“Aren’t we supposed to be preparing for pregnancy?” he asked. I scoffed at him, trembling with anger.
“What’s the point? You already have a son!”
“Icey, that child may be mine, but that doesn’t mean I’ll only have one child for the rest of my life,” said
David.
I laughed bitterly for quite some time before I managed to gather my composure and looked him in the
eye.
“So. you’re saying that you want to have a child with me, but you also want to keep your bastard son
with that woman? Would you like me to share my husband with her as well?” David rubbed between his
eyebrows and sternly promised, “You’re the only wife I’ll ever have. Unless you decide to leave me.”
“I see. So, you’re just waiting for me to take the initiative to divorce you so you can be with her? Is that
it?” I was so angry that I broke into laughter and glared at him.
“Fine! Let’s get divorced. That woman can have you.”
“I refuse!” David was visibly agitated now.
“I know that you’re angry, and I’ll have you know that I’m just as surprised as you are. But the boy is
indeed my child. Once he recovers, we’ll give them some money, and tell them to go abroad and never
come back. How does that sound?” I fell silent when I saw the sincerity in his eyes.
The thought that he refused to divorce me for that woman and their child made me feel a little better.
But, pretty soon, I felt bad again. I couldn’t bear the idea that a father would abandon his child like that.
In the eyes of other people, I was emotionless. True, I’d never been a person who was attuned to her
feelings for others Nonetheless, my parents and I shared a close relationship.
I had no idea what might happen to the child if he grew up without his parents around. After all, many
cases of children growing up without a complete family to be horrible adults had happened. Aside from
that, I would feel bad if that boy were to be rained abroad and couldn’t come back to the country just
because of me.
Feeling tired and stressed out, I muttered, “Let’s separate for a while. I’ll be living with my parents until
this whole thing blows over.”
“Should we tell our parents about it?” David asked.
“Do you think we’ll able to hide something this big from them? Even if I want to hide it from them, your
son is receiving treatment in the hospital, and my parents have friends in that hospital. Sooner or later,
they’re going to find out.”
“I know we won’t be able to hide it from them. But, Icey, can you at least wait until the child has
undergone surgery and recovered?” David pleaded.
I must admit, the child was innocent.I held my bag tighter. I didn’t agree, nor did I refuse his plea. When
I was at the door, I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him.
“David, I think it’s best that we don’t see each other for a while. That way, you’ll have more time to
spend with your son.”
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