“It was my fault, sir. Please don’t blame him,” she piped up in humiliation.
“Well, since everything’s okay, we’ll take our leave now.” In any case, the policemen knew it wasn’t their place to poke their nose into a couple’s personal affairs.
“Goodbye, sir.” Kathleen bid them farewell politely.
She only walked back after they had entered the elevator and stared at Samuel awkwardly.
There was a forced smile on his face. “Hmph.”
Kathleen approached him and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks to you, I was questioned by the police for the first time in my life,” he commented indifferently.
Gnawing on her lip, she protested, “I assumed you had left already. The door was open, too. I thought a thief broke in.”
“You assumed?” he repeated while frowning.
“I…” Kathleen didn’t know what to say.
Thwack!
He gave her a flick to the forehead and warned, “You didn’t do too badly this time. Since you know that you shouldn’t be reckless, I’ll forgive you just this once. If this happens again, I’ll break your legs.”
As she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead, she had a pitiful and wronged expression. “Can you really blame me, though? I thought you were rushing to see Nicolette and forgot to close the door.”
That made Samuel frown.
Is she really trying to justify herself here?
“Think about it. Why do you think I chose this place as our new home?” he prompted gloomily. “The security downstairs is so tight. Do you really think a thief could get in? Why don’t you use your brain a little?”
“You can never be too cautious,” she insisted in an aggrieved manner. “You just said that I didn’t do too badly!”
Samuel let out a chilling huff. “You’re really going to make me explode from anger someday, Kathleen.”
In response to that, Kathleen puffed up her cheeks. She looked like a kicked puppy.
That night, the two of them were lying in bed.
There wasn’t much movement going on.
Neither of them was tired, but they weren’t talking to each other, either.
Rather, they were both deep in thought.
However, considering that Kathleen was pregnant, she couldn’t fight off her sleepiness for long.
Some time later, Samuel’s phone rang.
Of course, a ringtone played along with it.
“What?” he exclaimed. There was a grim look on his face. “Got it. I’ll head over right away.”
“What is it, Sam?” Kathleen had woken up from the commotion.
“The security guards downstairs gave me a call. I’m going to take a look.” His answer was deliberately vague.
Her lips were pursed as he got changed and went downstairs.
She noticed that he took his phone and car keys with him.
There was an unsettling feeling in her heart, so she put on a white coat and discreetly followed him down.
When Samuel got downstairs, he saw Nicolette curled up into a ball on the couch.
The weather was cold outside, and she was only dressed in a hospital gown.
“Nicolette,” he called out. Samuel made his way over to her and immediately took off his coat to drape it around her.
“Samuel!” she yelped. Nicolette jumped up and clung to his neck while sobbing, “I’m so scared, Samuel. I’m scared of the chemotherapy tomorrow. The doctor told me that my hair was going to fall out. I’m going to become ugly!”
Samuel’s breathing grew deeper, and he reached his large hand out to pat her on the back. “How could that be? You’ve always been beautiful.”
“I’m terrified, Samuel. Can you chat with me for a bit before going back up?” she whined.
“I’ll take you back to the hospital.” There was no way he could let her hang around there.
If she were to get sick with a cold or a fever, it would be disastrous for someone like her, who had leukemia.
All of a sudden, Nicolette stared at someone behind him. “Kathleen?”
The realization made him freeze.
He let go of Nicolette and caught sight of Kathleen standing nearby.
Kathleen’s exquisite features were hidden behind the coat as she strode over.
“Why did you leave the hospital to come here in the middle of the night, Nicolette?” she confronted. “You’re an adult already. You should know how many people would be worried about you. Of all places, you came straight to Samuel. Are you trying to make him feel bad for you?”
Nicolette forlornly protested, “That’s not what I was trying to do, Kathleen. I just felt helpless. I have chemotherapy tomorrow, which is why I—”
“Whose fault is it that you feel that way? Is it mine?” Kathleen retorted. Her usually soft tone had become harsh and biting. “At least you have a father. For the three years that you were overseas, he was the one providing you with money the whole time, wasn’t he? I don’t have a single living relative. Don’t you think I need Samuel more than you do?”
“Stop it, Kathleen,” Samuel interjected unhappily.
“You came here at this ungodly hour to kick up a fuss. You’re trying to steal Samuel away, aren’t you?” she continued to accuse. There wasn’t a hint of warmth in her eyes. “Even if you manage to lure him into your arms, how long do you think he will love you?”
Nicolette chewed on her lip.
Kathleen isn’t gentle at all! In fact, she doesn’t hold back with her words.
“This is right below our apartment, Samuel. Everyone who passes through this place knows what kind of relationship we’re in. What are people going to think when they see you hugging another woman over here?” Kathleen pointed out while quivering.
It was then that Samuel noticed the weird looks that the security guards were sending them.
Even though their marriage was a secret to the public, the security guards were aware of it. It wasn’t like they would run their mouths, though.
Despite that, it would be hard to explain to them what was going on.
Having said that, Kathleen sighed. “Just send her back.”
She turned to leave. Her petite, lonely silhouette was heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, Nicolette’s jaw was about to break from how hard she was clenching her teeth.
Initially, she had thought that by making trouble, Kathleen would lose all sense of reason and go into hysterics in front of Samuel. That way, he would begin to despise her.
What she didn’t expect was for Kathleen to act completely differently from what she had predicted.
“I swear that isn’t what I meant, Samuel,” Nicolette persisted. “Kathleen must have misunderstood things. Give her an explanation. I’ll wait for you here.”
“There’s no need for that. I’m sending you back to the hospital.” Complex emotions had taken over Samuel’s mind. “I’ll give her a proper explanation when I get home.”
An explanation? Is Samuel really going to do that? He usually can’t be bothered with things like explanations, even if it was a misunderstanding.
Nicolette kicked herself for leaving for three years in an attempt to use reverse psychology. It was the only reason why Kathleen had gotten the opportunity to step in, after all.
Once Kathleen got home, she leaned against the door and put her hands on her belly. Her voice was choked with sobs. “I wonder, my child. Even if I gave him a year’s worth of time, would he have cleared up his relationship with Nicolette by then? To tell the truth, the chance that I gave him makes it so that he’ll never be able to go back on his choice. I’m sorry for being a useless mother. I can’t even provide you with a proper family. I’m truly sorry. I promise to give you the love you deserve from now on. I’ll never make you feel unloved.”
She was well aware of the fact that a month would pass by in no time.
Therefore, she had to start planning for the future.
No longer did she have the luxury of waiting on Samuel to deal with everything before she started thinking of the road ahead.
That would be too complacent of her.
Thus, she turned on her computer and sat in front of it.
After editing the image for a bit, she sent it to Federick.
Surprisingly enough, he replied in no time at all.
Federick: Why aren’t you asleep yet?
Kathleen: I’m getting ready for bed right now.
Federick: It’s already so late. You should take care of yourself.
Kathleen: Yes, I know.
Federick: There’s going to be a seminar for parents of autistic children later this afternoon. Would you like to come?
Kathleen: You’re asking me?
Federick: There’s nothing more to it. To be honest, I got the inspiration for those stories from them. Who knows? Maybe if you interact with them a bit, you’d experience something new.
Kathleen: Sure. I’ll go.
