By the time Charlotte woke up, Zachary was not beside her anymore. Reading the note under the lamp, a smile crept on her face.
Pig! Remember to have breakfast when you wake up. I will be busy today and might be home late again. Regardless, I will be back!
He signed off as ‘gigolo’, as he did before.
Charlotte could not help but laugh. She kissed the note, feeling a sweet sensation spreading all over her.
Cohabitating with him for the past few days made her feel particularly happy. Now, she realized that Zachary could be warm and good to her.
She began to think that she should confess to him and tell him about his children soon. Perhaps, they could live together happily as a family.
Breaking her trail of thoughts, the alarm rang. Glancing at her phone, Charlotte realized that it was already half-past seven. She did not hear it earlier.
In a hurry, she got out of bed and ran home barefooted with her phone in her hands.
Her children were already awake. A nurse was preparing breakfast while the others were combing the children’s hair and dressing them.
Taking the opportunity while they were busy, Charlotte secretly sneaked back to her room. Then, she pretended to have just gotten up. Waving at her children, she greeted, “Robbie, Jamie and Ellie, good morning!”
“Good morning, Mommy!” Her children greeted her cheerfully.
“Mommy, you can sleep a little more. We can get to school ourselves.” Robbie was very considerate. “You look very tired.”
“I am quite tired, but I still want to have breakfast with you guys.” Charlotte gently ruffled Robbie’s hair.
“Hmm, Mommy, have some hot cross bunnies.” The boy passed her a bun.
“Mommy, have some soy milk.” Following suit, her daughter passed her a glass of soy milk. Then, the girl used her chubby little hands to push away the hair on her mother’s forehead. “Mommy, don’t get tired. You should rest more.”
“Ellie, you are such a good girl.” Charlotte pecked her daughter’s cheek then turned to look at Jamie. She realized that he looked troubled, with his head hung low.
“Jamie, what’s wrong?” She softly asked.
He tilted his head and frowned. “I called Mr. Henry last night and wanted to ask him how I should use the toy he bought me. He was happily chatting with me when suddenly he went silent and…”
“What happened next?” Charlotte egged on.
“Then, I heard lots of voices. Some were screaming for Mr. Henry, while others were yelling for the doctor…” Jamie spoke while gesturing with his hands.
Then, he anxiously questioned, “Mommy, is Mr. Henry alright?”
“Is he sick?” Charlotte furrowed her brows, feeling an ominous premonition.
“Let me give him a call.”
Robbie immediately took out his phone and dialled Henry’s number. Unfortunately, it was off.
The family exchanged looks, and the atmosphere turned grim.
Ellie pouted, and tears filled her eyes as she asked, “Is Mr. Henry sick? Shall we go to the hospital to look for him?”
“Ellie, don’t worry.” Charlotte hugged her. She tilted her head and looked at the nurses. “Amelia, Violet and Mildred, did you hear anything about it?”
“Nope.” They shook their heads.
“Do you want me to call and find out?” Amelia took out her phone and made a call.
“Wait.” Charlotte quickly stopped her. “Don’t say anything about it, and don’t ask about it.”
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Jamie asked in confusion.
“Mr. Henry has a special status and there are many things about him that are confidential. We should not spread the news,” Charlotte explained. “If we say anything wrong to people outside, it may cause unnecessary trouble for him.”
“That’s true. We should listen to Mommy.” Robbie urged, “We should pretend that we don’t know anything and not ask about it.”
