Chapter 6: The Three of Them Could Live with Each Other
Matthew frowned and felt like he'd been cheated on.
In the living room, Coral was already up to make breakfast.
Seeing Dolores sitting alone on the sofa in her pajamas, Coral gave her a beaming smile. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Coral assumed Matthew wouldn't come back last night as he was with Helen. However, Coral had heard a noise in the night so she got and found out that Matthew had come back last night and even slept in his room.
The woman on the couch was the wife of young Master Nelson. And since the marriage was arranged by the late Mrs. Nelson, so naturally, Dolores must be a good woman. The young master was finally married so Coral, who'd been taking care of him for years, was happy for Matthew.
Her tone and expression sounded too obliging and made Dolores uncomfortable.
Dolores' lips curled into a stiff smile. "Quite, quite good."
"Then hurry up and change clothes. I'll prepare breakfast and it will be ready by the time you're dressed."
Coral walked into the kitchen and started making breakfast.
Dolores looked down at her pajamas. The clothes she'd brought were still in the room.
Matthew should be done with his shower and have gotten changed already, right?
Dolores stood and headed to the bedroom. She stood in front of the door and knocked softly a few times. No one answered. She knocked again but she still didn't get a response. Not wanting to still be standing in the hall, she had no choice but to open the door. The door wasn't locked and it swung open the moment she pushed on it.
However, the moment the door opened, Dolores was greeted by an icy wind that chilled her to the bone as if it were winter in December.
Matthew sat on the edge of the bed coldly staring at a piece of paper.
That paper…
As soon as Dolores saw the paper Matthew was holding in his hand and the mess on the floor, her heart fell and her blood boiled. She experienced total humiliation as her privacy was being completely ignored.
Dolores ran over to him, snatched the paper, and asked, "How can you touch my things without my permission? Haven't you ever heard of privacy?"
Matthew sneered. "Privacy?"
The way he smiled was particularly creepy, "You married me with a bastard in your belly and now you come lecturing me about privacy?"
"I-I…" Dolores wanted to explain but she was suddenly at a loss for words.
Matthew stood and his steps seemed almost robotic. Each step seemed to change the atmosphere of the room. Then an angry frown creased his forehead.
"Tell me, what do you want?"
Matthew didn't know what to think. Did she want him to be the father of her illegitimate child and make the child be the first grandchild of the Nelson family?
Was the previous deal merely a way to trap him?
The more he thought about it, the more his face darkened.
Dolores' lips pressing into a thin line and her body quivered. She walked backward until she ran into a wall with her hands covering her abdomen, fearing that Matthew would hurt her child.
"I didn't mean to hide it from you. The marriage was only a short-term arrangement, and that's why I-I hid it from you. I swear I don't have any ulterior motive."
Matthew's tone seemed to become thick with eerie intimidation. "Oh? Really?"
Dolores didn't move her hands covering her abdomen, trying to come up with a plan. "I'm certain that this kind of thing definitely can't be muddled through. If I have any deceitful or wicked thoughts, I swear I'll die miserably. Moreover, if I cause you any trouble Mr. Nelson, I think you'd have many ways to kill me, right?"
Although her movement was subtle, Matthew couldn't help but notice it. He glanced at her covered abdomen before looking back up at her face.
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
Matthew wouldn't believe her so easily. Her hands protecting her abdomen slowly clenched into fists. The child was unexpected for her too, but it was her child, after all. She'd already lost her brother, so she wanted to give birth to her child in his memory.
In the future, she would be with her and the three of them could live together just like in the past.
When Dolores thought about everything that happened that night, she couldn't help but tremble and she wiped her cold and clammy hands on her shirt. "I-I also just found it out not long before…"
She hadn't even told her mother yet. She didn't dare mention the battery of tests she had done in the hospital. She didn't want to leave the paperwork in the house, as she was afraid Jessica would find it.
She didn't expect her pregnancy to cause such a huge commotion. The last thing she wanted was for Matthew to think she was trying to deceive him.
She was still very young, but she surprisingly… How promiscuous was her private life?
Matthew's face looked immensely dark, and he spoke in a warning tone. "You better be obedient for this one month, if I find out you're making trouble…"
"No, I'll not cause any trouble. I'll be obedient, and if I do anything out of line, I'll be entirely at your disposal," Dolores hurriedly promised.
Even if she couldn't gain his trust, she wouldn't let him doubt her motives. She was already in a difficult situation, and it would be too detrimental for getting her things back if she had another enemy.
Matthew stared at her with probing eyes, as if he was judging the credibility of her words.
Knock knock…
The two of them turned to the door and Coral's voice called through the door. "Breakfast is ready."
Matthew stopped staring at Dolores and swallowed his anger. "Clean up the floor, I'll see you downstairs."
Before he'd finished speaking, he turned around and left the room.
As soon as Matthew left, Dolores' legs went weak. She braced herself against the wall behind her and held onto a low cabinet while she regained her strength. As soon as she felt strong enough, she squatted down and picked up the clothes scattered around the floor.
When she saw the ultrasound, tears trickled down her cheeks and dropped on the pictures. She wiped her face and told herself that she couldn't cry as crying was a sign of weakness. She couldn't be weak. Her mother and the baby in her belly needed her.
She folded up the picture and put it in her bag. Then, she changed into her clothes and headed downstairs.
There was already no one in the dining room and there was an empty coffee cup plate on the table. That meant that Matthew was already done eating and left.
Dolores heaved a sigh of relief, glad she wouldn't be pressured into spending time with Matthew.
She took a seat at the dining table and ate a delicious meal.
*****
After breakfast, Dolores left the house. She'd promised her mother she visit as soon as she could be afraid that Jessica would worry about her.
As soon as she arrived, Jessica stopped her at the door. "The young master of the Nelson family…"
"Mom." Dolores' tone was very heavy and she didn't want to talk about any of it. "He's a very nice person. Please don't worry about me."
Jessica sighed. Her daughter had grown up, was thinking for herself, and wasn't interested in listening to her mother anymore. She couldn't help but feel disappointed, "I'm just caring about you."
She was afraid Matthew would treat her daughter badly.
Dolores hugged Jessica. She didn't mean to do so but she was just too exhausted after spending so much effort to confront Matthew and convince him she meant him no harm. "Mom, I'm just a little tired, I didn't mean it."
"I know, I don't blame you." Jessica could feel her daughter's exhaustion. "If you're tired, go to sleep for a while."
Dolores nodded. Even though she didn't want to sleep, she was really tired. After going to her room, she fell asleep without realizing it.
At noon, the lunch Jessica made was ready and she woke Dolores up to eat.
Once Dolores sat at the table, Jessica served Dolores some rice. "I made the meal with the fish you like to eat."
Jessica felt guilty for her daughter. Although she'd given birth to her in a good place, she'd been unable to give Dolores a good childhood and she let her suffer together with her.
Dolores looked at the sour-sweet fish cooked by her mother on the table. It had a faint sweet and sour taste which she used to love to eat. However, when she caught a whiff of the smell wafting toward her, her stomach churned
She couldn't prevent the moan from escaping. "Urg…"
"Lola."
Dolores had no time to explain. She covered her mouth and made a beeline to the washroom, lowering her body to the sink and retching.
Jessica worried about her daughter and followed Dolores. Jessica experienced it before and when she saw her daughter's reaction, her face paled. But, Jessica didn't quite believe it as her daughter was very conservative and obedient so she'd never had a boyfriend at school. She was always honest.
Jessica's voice quivered as she asked, "Lola, what's wrong with you?"
Dolores's body stiffened and her hands on the sink clenched into a fist. She decided to give birth to the child so sooner or later Jessica would find out.
Dolores turned to look at her mother and plucked up the courage.
"Mom, I'm pregnant."
Shocked, Jessica lost her balance for a moment and took a step back. She was unwilling to believe it as her daughter was only eighteen.