Ashton frowned with disgust. “I appreciate people who have self-respect and who know right from wrong. You’re none of these. I didn’t come here today to help or visit you, but to tell you not to ever call me again.
I had never seen Ashton behave so brutally to anyone. Rebecca looked equally thunderstruck. She gazed at Ashton in dismay and disbelief.
Rebecca remained that way for a long time. Unfortunately, Ashton was unmoved, he just grabbed hold of me and stormed out of the room.
The officer in charge of the investigation followed us hurriedly. With a nervous smile on his face, he stuttered, “Mr. Fuller, about Ms. Larson…”
“Do what you have to do. Don’t contact me about anything regarding her ever again. I’ll pay for her this once, but I’m not interested in hearing about her, whether she is alive or dead,” Ashton replied coldly. I shuddered. It seemed like Rebecca was already dead to him at that moment.
The policeman gaped at Ashton speechlessly. However, he maintained his professional veneer and ushered us out courteously.
When we’d gotten back into the car, Ashton reached out and took my hand in his. He gave a short sigh, then remarked, “Your hand feels so cold. How could you have been so disobedient?”
Ashton’s words stemmed more from concern than reproach. I raised my head and met his gaze. “I didn’t mean it. I just thought of something that I wanted to discuss with you right away, so I headed straight in. I didn’t think that you’d gone in to meet Rebecca!”
I said this with a twinge of regret. If I’d known Rebecca would be there, I wouldn’t have gone in to subject myself to her verbal abuse.
Ashton transferred my hands onto his stomach. Beneath his shirt, I could feel his firm, taut muscles. I reeled. What is Ashton doing? I wondered, startled.
Ashton laughed gently at my baffled face. “Do you feel warmer?”
Of course! My heart raced. We’d been married for years, but I suddenly felt shyness overcome me.
Ashton continued gazing at me. In a mellow voice, he urged, “What did you want to discuss with me just now? Was it about something interesting that happened?”
He looked at me expectantly. I rehearsed my opening in my mind once, then thought better of it. “After Hannah’s wedding is over, can you accompany me to the doctor’s for a visit?”
Ashton furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you feeling unwell?” he demanded.
I shook my head. “No, it’s… I would like to do a checkup. Don’t you always remind me to take care of my body?” I retorted.
Ashton gazed at me intently, then agreed. “OK!”
After feeling that my hands were sufficiently warmed, I withdrew my hand. Flustered, Ashton asked, “Is something wrong?”
“I’m warm enough. Let’s go home now,” I replied. “We can’t sit here forever, can we?”
Ashton smiled, then started the car.
The car flew past multiple homes, their warm lights forming many beacons in the dark. I pressed my lips together in a thin line, resolving not to raise the matter regarding in vitro fertilization with Ashton just yet. We’d been married for so many years now and had gone through so much together. I was lucky enough to be married to Ashton. Having a child was merely the icing on the top of the cake. After the multiple mishaps that had occurred, I didn’t think I had the courage to carry another child. More accurately, I didn’t believe either that I would be able to conceive ever again. Hence, in vitro fertilization would be the most feasible way for Ashton and me to have a baby of our own.
A smile flitted across my face at the thought. It was a procedure I’d never actually given much consideration to before.
…
Hannah had no family but only a few friends in K City, so Chandler’s house was more than enough to accommodate her guests. Chandler’s house was situated at the outskirts of K City in a village that hadn’t yet been touched by the rapid development the rest of the city had been subjected to.
Hannah called me over to the hotel the very first night. She insisted on me doing her makeup the first thing the very next morning when we’d have to wake up at the crack of dawn to start getting her ready to be a bride.
Ashton, however, felt apprehensive about me leaving his side. Like a chaperone, he escorted me to the hotel. I’d already set aside the dress I intended to wear for the wedding, having already agreed to be Hannah’s bridesmaid.
The next morning, Hannah donned a phoenix coronet as her bridal headpiece, and I was tasked with matching her makeup to the grandeur of her outfit. Hannah, however, constantly distracted me with her constant protests about the tightness of her dress.
Ashton appeared after a while when his video conference had ended. He stood in the doorway, gaping at us for a while, then exclaimed, “You look fantastic!”
Hannah tossed her head. “Of course, she looks fantastic! Scarlett has such a perfect face, with those refined features of hers. She’s the very picture of a classical beauty! She looks like absolute royalty in that dress of hers. Anyone might have mistaken her for a princess all dressed up for her debutante ball. If I were a man, I’d have fallen in love with her at the first sight,” Hannah declared, sighing enviously.
I was embarrassed by Hannah’s generous compliments. Smiling at Ashton, I said modestly, “The dress is pretty cumbersome. It’s a little difficult to walk around in.”
