She was afraid that Andrew would act exactly like those detestable men.
Even so, Ashley tried to keep those thoughts to herself.
She didn't expect to blurt out everything out of excitement.
Was this a side-effect of pregnancy?
Ashley rubbed her temples helplessly.
Andrew looked at Ashley, whose face showed a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. Her round
eyes adamantly avoided meeting his and were fixed on something else. She did not know it, but she
looked awfully cute to Andrew.
"Is there anything else you want to say?" he asked in a gentle voice.
"No, I'm done. Well, it's late. I'm going to bed."
Ashley finally managed to pull herself away from Andrew's embrace.
As she walked away, she heard Andrew chuckling behind her.
She buried herself in the quilt.
It was so embarrassing.
Andrew pulled the quilt away from Ashley and said, "Don't cover yourself like that. It's not good for your
health. Believe me."
His words were uttered in a soft voice, which made it sound like he was coaxing a child.
Ashley blushed.
She thought to herself,
'I am no longer a child. Why are you talking to me that way?'
Not wanting to give in, she also pulled on the quilt as if playing tug of war with Andrew.
"Ash, you'll suffocate."
Ashley threw away the covers and exposed her face, looking a little flushed.
Her lips had become rosy, probably because she had been biting them out of embarrassment.
With those lips looking sweet and plump like ripe cherries, it made Andrew want to kiss her.
Andrew's eyes darkened.
He murmured her name.
His face drew closer and closer to Ashley's.
Ashley covered her mouth with her hand. After being with Andrew for such a long time, she already
knew what he wanted to do by just looking at him.
She had just poked her head out of the quilt, but suddenly went back into hiding.
A muffled voice came from the quilt. "Well, I'm going to sleep now. Don't disturb me."
Andrew couldn't help it. His lips curved into a smile.
How could his Ash be so cute?
"But Ash, you have wrapped yourself with the whole quilt. What should I use, then?"
Ashley didn't say anything. She just silently moved aside and spread half of the quilt for Andrew with a
long-suffering sigh.
An amused laugh burst out of Andrew.
Hiding in the quilt, Ashley felt frustrated and embarrassed.
Andrew was still laughing.
Knowing how irritated Ashley was at that moment, Andrew refrained from saying anything further to
prevent the situation from escalating.
From under the quilt, Ashley heard a rustling sound and knew that Andrew had gone to the bathroom to
wash up. Slowly, she slid the quilt down from above her head.
Admittedly, it was very uncomfortable under the quilt.
Ashley mulled over Andrew's words, and a spark of joy flickered in her heart.
Andrew did intend to make her his priority.
Although there were a lot mothers whose husbands abandoned them in favor of their children, there
were still certain notable exceptions.
Ashley was so lost in thought that she did not notice Andrew coming back from the bathroom.
At the sight of her exposed head, Andrew released a bark of laughter.
'Now she was willing to show her face?'
The mattress mildly rocked under a heavy weight. Ashley looked up to find her husband sitting beside
her.
Her eyes widened.
Before she could say anything, Andrew murmured in a low voice, "Are you going to bury your head in
the quilt again?"
Ashley glared at him and snapped, "No! Who said that I buried my head in the quilt?"
"That's good."
Ashley's mortification at being caught increased ten-fold. She lay down, closed her eyes, and tried to
sleep.
Given the size and weight of the baby bump, Ashley could not sleep on her back. Because of this,
Ashley had been sleeping on her side ever since the bump got visibly bigger and heavier.
It was a little uncomfortable at first, but she had gotten used to it.
"Let's sleep then,"
Andrew said softly as he turned off the lights.
After lying down beside her, he pulled Ashley into his arms.
Smelling the faint, familiar smell of tobacco wafting from Andrew, Ashley eventually fell asleep.
It was really boring to stay at home alone.
Moreover, Andrew made Ashley swear on her life that she would never leave the house without him.
He was afraid that something untoward might happen to Ashley.
He did not want to risk it.
She now understood why Chloe had called her up and chatted non-stop while she herself was
pregnant—
it was painfully and extremely boring to be left alone in the house.
It was only when the kids had returned from school that Ashley's day would begin to look up.
Lately however, there was something going on with her children. The three of them would lock
themselves in their bedroom as soon as they arrived. Ashley would knock at their door sometimes, but
they would just tell her that something important was going on and refused to open the door.
She was so mystified by their odd behavior.
Ashley felt like expiring from the boredom.
In the bedroom, the three children, Fabio, Richard and Dany gathered together in a serious discussion.
From time to time, they had to deal with differences in opinion.
Despite the misunderstandings, the three of them never quarreled. Instead, they brought their heads
together and tried to decide on which option was the best.
"Have you ordered the cake?" asked Fabio.
"Yes, the bakers said that they would deliver it on time."
"That's good."
"We can do this!" Fabio's eyes suddenly lit up, and asked Dany and Richard to come closer. No one
knew what they were discussing.
Their whispers were only for their ears.
"Okay, but the two of you must keep it a secret. We will give Mommy a surprise then," Richard
reminded the younger duo.
"Got it."
"Okay,"
Fabio and Dany chirped in reply at the same time.
The children were lucky enough to have more pocket money than their classmates.
All of their money had been given to them as lucky money by their relatives, Ashley, Andrew, and
Chant during the Spring Festival.
Ashley neither managed their savings nor had an idea how much money Fabio and Richard had saved.
Instead, she gave them a cash card and instructed them to deposit money in it.
She also told them to save money well for their future, especially marriage.
Fabio did not know what marriage meant, so he kept asking his mother about what it meant.
Finally, Richard took Fabio away and gave him books that he had found that could help Fabio look up
the meaning of the word. At last, Fabio understood what marriage meant.
Outsiders would be shocked to find out how much money the three children had in their bank accounts.
"Okay, let's go to find Mommy now."
Their secret discussions after school involved planning a grand surprise for their mother. They were so
engrossed in their brainstorming sessions that they had even ignored Ashley at times.
Now that the three of them had finally decided on an idea, they went to find their mother.
"Okay." Of course, Dany agreed happily.
Richard followed behind Fabio and Dany. Talking about their mother brought happy smiles to their
faces.
"Mommy!"
"Mommy!"
The three kids went downstairs. When they saw Ashley sitting on the sofa and watching TV, they
immediately ran to her.
Ashley was happy to see them actively seeking her out.
Just now, she had been feeling a bit upset because they refused to open the door when she went to
find them earlier.
So, Ashley put on a long face devoid of any smile and asked, "Have you finished your discussion? Is
that why you have time to think of me now?"
Hearing Ashley's petulant voice, the three kids exchanged glances with each other and stared at their
own fingers without saying anything.
They did not know what to tell her.
They also thought that their mother looked quite angry.
Eventually, Dany spoke up.
"No, Mommy. Who told you that? Brother Richard was tutoring us on our homework just now, so we
couldn't open the door earlier.
"We ran downstairs to look for you as soon as we were done," Dany added ingeniously.
"Yes, Mommy. It's true,"
echoed Fabio.
"Right, brother?"
While speaking, Fabio glanced at Richard and winked at him.
Richard was actually the most obedient child among the three and the least likely to fib.
However, it was the first time that they lied to Ashley.
"There, there, Mommy's not blaming you. How's your homework? Do you find your homework difficult?
Do you want me to check it for you?"
The sight of the adorable good girl Dany banished Ashley's feigned irritation.
Of course, the kids did not know that she was faking it.
She was just so bored that she wanted to spend time with them to pass the time, but they did not even
open the door for her.
She fully accepted the explanation they offered.
"No, thanks, Mommy. Richard is very smart. We were able to understand a lot of things from his
explanation."
It was true that Richard had tutored Fabio and Dany on their homework, so they did not exactly tell their
mother a complete lie.
Time passed by quickly, and December 5th arrived soon enough.
This day was no different from the usual. The date fell on a Saturday, so all three children were at
home.
At dinner, the three kids did not sit next to Ashley as usual. Instead, they sat together, whispering to
each other from time to time.
They knew the saying that one shouldn't speak while eating or sleeping.
However, they were at home without the presence of strangers, so they were not made to follow a lot of
rules.
Besides, it would have been a sad meal if the family could not converse with each other and just sat
together and ate quietly. Their quiet chatter enlivened the atmosphere at the table. Chant looked at the
three children dotingly.
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes, everything's prepared." The kids were still whispering to each other.
"Okay, let's do it after dinner."
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