Chapter 61 Chapter 62

Chapter 61 Chapter 62

As the office hours came to an end, Marlie prepared herself to head home. She had been waiting in the office for quite some time, keeping an eye on the clock, anxiously waiting for 5 pm to arrive.

And the moment it struck 5 pm, Marlie wasted no time and hastily left the building. She had been longing to go home for so long. It was the place where she would see Chad.

The thought of him almost getting intimate with her and then immediately going out with his mistress fueled her determination to confront him.

As Marlie reached the entrance, the SUV was already waiting for her.

"Madam, the car is ready to take you home." The driver said politely.

"I'll take a cab instead." Marlie snapped at him.

"Madam, the boss said... "

"Go and inform your boss that I don't want anything from him! He should give everything to his mistress, I couldn't care less."

Marlie walked past the driver and, in frustration, hailed a cab to go home. However, as she arrived home, anger quickly gave way to astonishment and tears.

"Charlie...?"
Her mother, Vivian Anderson, and her father, Norbert Anderson, were waiting for her in the hall. For a moment, Marlie couldn't move forward upon seeing them.

It had been over two years since she last laid eyes on her parents. Even though she didn't expect them, or rather, she didn't want to see them, their presence brought tears to her eyes.

"Mom...?" Marlie whispered, rushing to quickly embrace her mother. Despite disguising herself as Charlie, she hugged Vivian as Marlie. Tears flowed freely from both mother and daughter, and even Norbert became teary-eyed.

Norbert gently rubbed Marlie's back as she joyfully clung to her mother. Once she let go of her mother, Marlie swiftly moved into her father's embrace.

"There, there, you shouldn't cry so much. It's not good for your condition," Norbert said.

The pregnancy?! So they were there because they had heard she was pregnant?

"My dear, come sit down," Vivian took Marlie by the hand and guided her to the couch.

"You shouldn't be standing for too long. It's not good for the pregnancy," Vivian said with concern.

Marlie's eyes were still filled with tears, not able to take her gaze off her parents. She couldn't deny how much she had missed them. But could she bring herself to tell them?

"Charlie, I am overjoyed that after two years of marriage, you are finally expecting," Vivian said with even more tears of happiness.

Marlie shook her head tearfully, attributing it to sheer happiness. But deep down, Marlie knew she was trying to convey that she was not pregnant. That it was all a fake pregnancy.

The look of sheer joy on her parents' faces when they heard the news only made things more complicated.

Furthermore, the little witch of a sister-in-law was now coming back from the company. If Marlie breaks the unfortunate news to her parents in front of Audrey, it will not end well for her.

Chad was nowhere to be found to provide any support or defense. The thought of Chad made Marlie roll her eyes. She still suspected that he was enjoying himself with Angelina out there. Her train of thought was interrupted by her mother's voice.

"How many months along are you, my dear?" Vivian asked.

Marlie was taken aback by the question and struggled to find an immediate response. She was not pregnant, so she had to think of something quickly.

"Hmm... two months, Mom," Marlie finally answered.

"Good, that means you haven't yet entered the second trimester. You need to..." Vivian continued before being interrupted by Norbert.

"Charlie, weren't you with Marlie two months ago?" Norbert asked, perplexed.

Audrey also stopped in her tracks upon hearing this question. They were right, Charlie had been with Marlie two months ago. How was it possible for Marlie to be pregnant already? Was the pregnancy a fake, or if it wasn't, was the baby not Chad's?

"I also visited Marlie at that time, Dad!" Chad's voice echoed from the entrance of the hall.

Marlie looked up, a wave of relief washing over her as she saw him. Chad had come to her rescue again and saved her from being exposed.

"Weren't you on a business trip during that time?" Audrey suspiciously questioned Chad.

"Yes, I was. And I went to see my wife during that trip. So what's the problem? Couldn't I visit my wife even if I was on a business trip?" Chad responded angrily.

"I didn't mean that..." Audrey tried to explain.

"Then, keep quiet!" Chad harshly silenced Audrey.
And she had no choice but to leave the hall.

"So, did you also see Margaret? How is she?" Norbert asked with concern.

The room fell into a heavy silence as Norbert posed such a question. How were they going to answer?

Both of them knew that Charlie, whom everyone believed to be Marlie, no longer existed. The daughter they were now inquiring about was sitting right in front of them, while the supposed Marlie was dead and gone. Was it finally time to reveal that Marlie (Charlie) was no more?

For Marlie, it felt like the right moment to speak up. However, Chad had a different perspective.

"Margaret is doing well," Chad reassured them.

Marlie looked at Chad in disbelief. She couldn't understand why he would lie to them. These thoughts were evident on her face.

"I'm relieved to hear that she's fine. However, I do hope she stops behaving childishly and comes home," Norbert remarked.

Marlie felt a mix of emotions and lowered her head. She didn't consider herself childish when she decided to leave. It seemed as though her parents didn't value her feelings or ever would.

Unfortunately, she was currently unable to tell them the truth and express her frustrations about constantly being labeled as childish. She was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.

If she were to vent her anger, her parents would surely find out, especially her father. He had a keen ability to differentiate between her and Charlie. Marlie sat composed and calm as her parents stared back at her.

"My dear, we don't want to prolong our stay here as we just returned from a trip," Norbert explained.

Vivian nodded in response to her husband's words, never releasing her grasp on Marlie's hand. She added, "However, I will come back later to check on you. For now, you need enough rest for yourself and your baby."

"Don't worry, Mom. I will take good care of Charlie," Chad assured them, making Marlie roll her eyes once again. "As if he truly cares."

"I trust you, son. I know you would take good care of my daughter and grandson," Norbert stated.

Marlie was overcome with emotion. "They trust Chad? This devil was with his mistress, leaving your daughter all alone, and yet you trust him." She scoffed quietly as she questioned herself.

Chad nodded with a warm smile while Marlie stood up with her parents, her mother still holding her hand.

"Just take care of yourself, okay? You're going to be a mother now, my dear," Vivian happily told Marlie, embracing her tightly. She whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Charlie."

Marlie forced a smile to accept all the advice and good wishes. Norbert gently kissed his daughter's forehead before they both left, leaving Marlie and Chad alone in the hallway.

Once their car disappeared, Chad attempted to say something, but Marlie angrily walked past him and headed toward their room.

He had a lot of explaining to do. First, why didn't he let her inform her parents about the death of her sister, Charlie? And then, where had he been? Who had he been with? What did he do with the person he was with? It was a typical wife's jury.

Chad followed closely behind her, aware of Marlie's anger, and understood the importance of calming her down.

If only he had initially explained to her why she shouldn't reveal Charlie's death to her parents, but there was no time to do that.

And if only Spark had been honest, Marlie wouldn't be so furious. As Chad ascended into their room, he noticed Marlie grabbing a blanket from the wardrobe. He tried to halt her by gently gripping her arm.

"Where are you headed?" he inquired.

"I refuse to stay in the same room as a liar!" Marlie exclaimed. Hold on, who was accusing whom? Seriously!

"Charlie, your parents were in no state to handle this devastating news. It would have crushed them. Besides, this alleged pregnancy is not even real. How can you burden them with these false sorrows?"

Marlie paused, seemingly processing Chad's words. Huh...when will this girl finally get a brain?! Fine, she understood, but she still insisted on taking the blanket. But why did she need the blanket anyway? She had her own room. If she wanted to sleep somewhere other than their bedroom, her room was available. So, why the need for a blanket?

"Charlie, I didn't cheat on you with Angelina," Chad attempted to tell her the truth, but Spark had already ruined his credibility. No matter what he said, Marlie wouldn't believe him.

"Spark lied to you. I was with him for the rest of the afternoon," Chad tried once more, but Marlie scoffed and marched towards her room, forcibly pulling herself out of Chad's grasp.

Chad followed suit, but as soon as she entered her room, she locked the door, leaving Chad to call after her and explain through the closed door. Yet, Marlie wasn't ready to listen.

Just as Chad cursed at Spark, his phone began to ring. "How's your hair now?" Spark teased.

"If you ever see me again, run!" Chad warned before abruptly ending the call, leaving Spark to revel in his own amusement. However, it wasn't long before he received a call from Mark.

"Yes, what do you want?" Spark asked. Gideon was by his side, observing Spark, but he couldn't make out a word from Mark's side of the conversation. It was only when Spark exclaimed, "Damn that woman! I knew it, I knew she was lying all along!" That Gideon heard something.

A few seconds later, Gideon overheard Spark say, "No, don't tell her now. Play the audio for her tomorrow. That will be the perfect time."

After that, Spark abruptly ended the call, leaving Gideon no choice but to inquire, "Is there a problem?"

Spark smirked at Gideon and replied, "Would you like to witness a good show tomorrow?"

Gideon looked at him in confusion, although Spark's laughter also made him laugh. He was wondering what Spark was talking about.