Chapter 721
Jonathan’s embrace tightened around Rosalie, his unease was almost palpable. His tight hold begged questions.
What was it that he feared?
Was it perhaps the lingering impact of Howard’s foreboding parting words? Rosalie’s intuition stirred, prompting her to gently probe, “Jonathan, are you worried… that I’ll be upset?”
Jonathan’s body stiffened at her words, his breath quickening.
Yet, he offered no reply. Instead, he pulled her closer into a tight embrace. Rosalie could not help but feel she had hit the mark with her assumption. It appeared that Howard’s parting words had indeed shaken Jonathan.
After all, when Howard finished his words, Jonathan’s reaction, the hostility, the glint of menace in his eyes were enough to unsettle anyone.
It felt as though Howard had crossed a forbidden line, one that Jonathan could not bear.
“Don’t worry,” Rosalie reassured him. “I won’t be upset.”
Jonathan’s lips trembled, his voice shaky as he responded, “You… won’t… be upset?”
“No, I won’t,” she affirmed with a warm smile. She raised both of her hands and tenderly cupped his face. “I’m guessing Howard came to discuss the Hamilton Jade Gardens project, am I correct? I understand that you’ve been seeking justice for what happened to me, but don’t fret. Whatever he said last won’t come between us.”
He gazed at her with a dazed expression. “You truly don’t care about what he said?”
“Back then, you didn’t know me, did you? For you, I was just someone who had accidentally caused the death of your fiancée. Some people in prison intentionally made things difficult for me to gain your favor. However, at that time, it was something insignificant to you.”
Rosalie looked at him calmly as her fingers gently traced the corners of his eyes. “Jonathan, when we started dating and I fell in love with you, I had already moved past that chapter. Didn’t you tell me that if you had known me earlier, you wouldn’t have let me suffer?” she continued.
His eyelashes trembled, a myriad of emotions dancing in his eyes. Jonathan pondered if she perceived his fear as merely tied to that particular incident and if she assumed he had easily brushed it aside all those years ago.
In truth, his fear ran deeper. He feared her discovering the truth of her
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imprisonment, feared her learning of his role in her ordeal.
“Well, look. I have long moved on, and you should too,” Rosalie said.
“You truly don’t mind?” he murmured.
“I don’t,” she affirmed.
If one day, she was to uncover the complete truth and still say this, it would indeed be a blessing. He lowered his gaze, tenderly brushing his cheek against her palm. “I wish I had met you and fallen in love with you earlier.”
Everything that followed might have been different.
“In the future, let’s be open and honest about everything, okay? Jon, I don’t want us to end up like Amelia and Warren,” Rosalie said.
Jonathan pursed his lips. “Did you see Warren again today?”
“Yes, I saw him when I visited Amelia. I even took him to meet the doctor who was involved in Irene’s supposed abortion,” Rosalie explained. “And Warren’s reaction was just as you predicted. He still loves Amelia, and because of that, the truth hits him even harder.”
After a pause, Rosalie added, “Actually, between him and Amelia, if he had confronted his feelings and discussed past grievances honestly when he first fell in love with Amelia, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
“However, some things are better left unsaid, and it is best if the other person never knows,” Jonathan murmured.
“But…” Rosalie’s brows knit suddenly, and she gasped, her hands instinctively cradling her growing belly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice lacing with concern.
“Our baby… is kicking me.” At this stage of her pregnancy, Rosalie had been questioning the faint sensations she had occasionally felt, wondering if they were real.
However, the kicks she experienced now left no room for doubt; they were undeniably real.
The kicks continued, each one following the last like a chain reaction.
“Our baby is kicking you?” Jonathan’s gaze remained fixed on her belly.
“Yes, feel it,” she said, guiding his hand to where the baby’s movements were most pronounced.
As he felt the baby’s kicks, an almost surreal stillness seemed to wash over Jonathan, although he had heard of some theoretical knowledge about when pregnant women might sense fetal movements and what they might feel like. Yet, theoretical knowledge was only theoretical knowledge.
The actual experience proved to be an entirely unique and profound moment. It felt as if he was connecting with the tiny, vibrant lives inside her belly, a life that
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would cry, call, and grow after birth.
Rosalie watched Jonathan, who appeared entranced by the sensation of the baby’s- movements. In this instant, she found him strangely endearing, perhaps even more so than usual.
She could not help but think that nobody else must have witnessed him in this vulnerable state.
Having settled comfortably on the couch, Rosalie maintained Jonathan’s hand on her belly, diligently narrating the positions of each of the three babies nestled within her.
Today, it was as if the triplets had an uncanny awareness of their father’s presence, their tiny limbs stirring with extra vigor.
Rosalie’s belly seemed to be in perpetual motion. A kick in the left one moment, followed by a kick in the right in the next second.
Meanwhile, Jonathan remained focused, his head bowed as he earnestly experienced these fetal movements. Watching the scene before her, Rosalie could not resist the urge to capture this precious moment. She took out her phone and began snapping pictures of Jonathan.
“Why are you suddenly taking photos?” he asked, glancing up at her.
“I thought I’d want to seize this moment. It would make for a cherished memory. In the future, when our babies are born, I can show them that their daddy used to connect with them like this through my belly!” said Rosalie.
Then, as if finding something lacking, she raised her hand and playfully lifted Jonathan’s chin. “Come on, Jon, smile.”
His eyes welled up unexpectedly.
Stunned by Jonathan’s sudden tears, Rosalie withdrew her hands and said, “Do you not like it when I do this?”
“No,” he assured her, holding onto her hand. A gentle smile graced his lips, and a hint of redness flickered in his eyes. “I love it, and it makes me happy. Thank you for everything you’ve given me, Rosie.”
It was Rosalie who had given him the chance to have a family again.
He eagerly awaited the birth of their three children, certain they would be unlike his past.
Jonathan, with a smile gently curving the corners of his lips and eyes shimmering with tears, looked truly beautiful.
Due to the video of the street incident, Irene unexpectedly gained nationwide fame.
