Chapter 179
Nina got locked up—not by Michael, but by her own parents.
When she called me, I was eating dessert Oscar made for me, leisurely listening to prenatal music.
She sounded pretty worked up. "My parents are seriously the most old-school people ever. Like, I'm pregnant—deal with it. I got engaged and blocked them from my posts—deal with that too. If they were actually chill about things, would I even need to hide anything?"
I couldn't help reminding her. "So what? They don't approve of you and Oscar?"
Nina sounded helpless."They've been telling me since I was little not to go too far away, and now I'm marrying a man from Solstice. They think there are no good people in Solstice, which automatically puts Michael in the bad-guy category. I'm speechless."
I laughed. "Technically speaking, they're not wrong."
Nina was about to lose it. "Just get over here and help. If you don't come soon, you're going to lose your future daughter-in-law."
I had no choice but to get up, and with Oscar accompanying me, we drove to Nina's house.
Nina's father, Lloyd Davis, though retired for many years, still carried the air of someone who once held power. He sat upright on the sofa and nodded slightly at us when he saw me arrive.
It was the first time I'd seen Michael so humble. He sat across from Lloyd, visibly uncomfortable, his tone full of humility. "Mr. Davis,if you're worried that Nina marrying me means she'll be too far away, I can bring both you and Mrs. Davis to Solstice so you can still see her every day."
Lloyd glanced at him sideways. "Our family isn't so poor that we need charity from others."
Michael's facewent red to the tips of his ears. "That's not what I meant. As someone younger, I have a responsibility to take care of you and Mrs. Davis. You're Nina's parents, which makes you my parents too. Dad, as long as you and Mom can accept me, I can come to Lumaria too."
My eyes went wide. Wait a minute—who said Michael was an emotionally distant robot with no people skills? That seamless shift from 'your parents' to 'our parents' was pure genius.
Clearly, both Lloyd and Nina's mother Nova Davis were caught off guard by his words, but Lloyd still kept a straight face. "Nina tells me your family's business in Solstice has been around for generations, and you've made it number one. You'd really just leave all that behind?"
Michael quickly stated his position. "Business can be done anywhere, and the market here is even bigger. I've actually considered moving the company to Lumaria. Nina is here, and where she is, I have everything. Dad, Mom, I love her. We really hope to have your blessing."
Nina was moved to tears on the side, crying. "Don't make things hard for him. Our love is enough. You were pushing me so hard to get married before, and now that I've finally found someone I love, you're the first ones to object."
I guiltily touched my nose. Nina was wrong—I think I was actually the first one to object, but unfortunately, my objection didn't work.
I smiled and stepped forward. "Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis, even if you don't trust Nina, you trust me, right? Michael was single before. I believe there's no one more devoted than him. You want Nina to be happy too. Our goals are the same. For Nina, being together with him is happiness."
Nova looked at me with a frown, concern written across her face. "Emma, of course we believe what you say, but... it's so far away. Nina's entire career is here. We can't bear to have her go to Solstice. By the same logic, his family naturally wouldn't want him to come to Lumaria. Marriage isn't dating, and it's not child's play. You have to consider reality."
Michael pressed on. "My family has already met Nina. They love her, and they'll respect my decision. Mom, don't worry. If you and Dad don't want to come with us, then I'll come to your home. I'll be good to you, as long as you agree to let Nina marry me."
My eyes widened again, surprised by Michael's words.
After one round of negotiations, both sides reached a satisfactory agreement—Michael was going to marry into Nina's family.
Nina, very much still pregnant, held a grand wedding with Michael in Lumaria. After the wedding, they started their romantic honeymoon.
The whole thing made me terribly envious. I turned to Oscar with a look of pure grievance. "Look how happy Nina is. I went to work at the company the day after our wedding, didn't even get a honeymoon. What if I'm having regrets?"
Oscar pulled me into his arms and kissed me hard, his warm breath brushing my ear: "That's easy. After you have the baby, we'll take the honeymoon. Turn off our phones and ignore everything."
I quickly pushed him away. From his kiss, I could feel his desire getting stronger and stronger. If I wasn't careful, I'd get burned: "You... be careful, don't scare the baby."
Oscar buried his face against my neck and took a deep breath, his hand gently touching my swollen belly as he said with dissatisfaction: "If I'd known pregnancy would be hard on you and this much of a test for me too, we should've used protection before. This little guy is blocking our alone time before he's even born. Once he's out, we're handing him straight to the nanny. You need to make it up to me."
I smiled at him: "Who said anything about handing him off to your parents and forgetting about him? He's my child. I want to give him the best childhood, the most time with me."
"What about me?" Oscar gave me his most pitiful look.
I gently pinched his nose: "You need to be a good dad too."
Oscar lifted his head quickly and pressed my finger to his lips.
"I need to be a good husband even more. Your needs always come first."
I pushed his face away again. "Okay, I get it. You're the best. Can we please sleep now?"
He lay down beside me, and when I turned onto my side with my back to him, he curled around me the same way, pulling me close, his chin resting gently against my hair. "Sleep. I'll just hold you like this."
I adjusted to the most comfortable position and closed my eyes peacefully.
But Oscar wasn't behaving himself.. He edged closer, inch by inch, until his whole body was pressed against mine.
Warning signs went off in my head. I turned over to stop him, but he grabbed my hand and moved it toward his hard cock. He smiled at me: "I won't do anything. Just touch me for a bit. Just a little while, I promise."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Are you really that desperate? Do it yourself. My hands are getting tired."
He guided my hand up and down, letting out satisfied grunts from his throat. "Your hand has magic. Just like that, faster, a little faster."
I looked helplessly at his unsatisfied face and could only try to meet his demands, but then...
"Oscar, I think... I wet the bed..." I stared wide-eyed in horror as liquid flowed uncontrollably from under my body.
Oscar, who had read an entire encyclopedia on parenting, knew more about this than I did: "Damn, your water broke? Don't panic. Just lie still. I'll call the hospital emergency number. They'll bring a stretcher to take you. Don't panic. What's the emergency number again?"
I looked at him somewhat helplessly."I want to use the bathroom. I don't want to ruin the whole bed."
Oscar stopped me while calling. "Don't move, just lie there. If it gets dirty, we'll change everything. Hello, my wife's water broke. Yes, the address is..."
After hanging up, he frantically packed the hospital bag, blaming himself: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have bothered you. Honey, does it hurt? Let me check if there's any bleeding."
I was the one having the baby, and yet somehow I was the one doing the comforting. "I don't feel anything. Don't panic. It's around the due date anyway. It's not your fault."
The medical team arrived quickly. I was lifted onto a stretcher, and Oscar followed in a fluster, helping the doctors push me into the delivery room.