Chapter 597 Serafina, Are You Pregnant? 1
Serafina pulled out her phone to find a message from Beatrice, one of her former students.
It read: [Ms. Penrose, Merry Christmas Eve! Besides, I saw your husband Mr. Windsor at our school.]
Serafina froze for a moment. Then it dawned on her that while their wedding had been the talk of Evergreen City, their divorce hadn't made headlines. It was perfectly natural that Beatrice wouldn't know.
She typed back: [Merry Christmas Eve to you too, Beatrice.]
Beyond that, she didn't dwell on why Jacob had appeared at the school. They were divorced now—his reasons no longer mattered. After New Year's, she would be leaving Evergreen City anyway.
After sending the message, Serafina didn't immediately leave. She stood there watching the delicate snowflakes drift from the sky, memories flooding back of their newlywed days when she and Jacob had kissed in just such gentle snow, watching the Ferris wheel together. He had given her a necklace that night, and she had allowed herself to harbor feelings she shouldn't have.
What had been meant as a mutually beneficial arrangement had become something real for her—at least on her side.
As Serafina stood lost in melancholy, she felt a flutter in her abdomen—the baby's first movement.
Jacob couldn't quite explain why he was here.
The Windsor Group donated twenty million dollars annually to various causes. In previous years, he had simply signed the paperwork without much thought, but this year he had noticed the recipient was Serafina's former workplace.
After signing the documents, he had casually asked Anya about it. She mentioned the donation ceremony was today, so Jacob had decided to attend.
At the school, he had encountered Vivienne, the janitor, and her daughter Beatrice. Vivienne had asked after Serafina, wondering with concern if pregnancy had prompted her resignation.
Jacob was stunned—he hadn't known Serafina had quit.
Standing tall in his black overcoat amid the falling snow, he cut an elegant figure. The school staff all assumed he was Serafina's husband and that his donation was motivated by her connection to the school. They had no idea he and Serafina were divorced.
Since their last meeting at the restaurant, they hadn't seen each other once.
His family occasionally mentioned her. Oliver, naturally, and sometimes Sarah would forget about the divorce when inviting him for dinner, asking him to bring Serafina along.
Diana would bring her up during phone calls. These mentions created an illusion for Jacob that Serafina was still part of his world—they simply weren't sharing the same space day and night anymore.
But deep down, he knew they were no longer husband and wife.
He wondered about her progress with Floyd, though he hadn't received any wedding invitation. Sometimes he found himself hoping they weren't together, that Serafina had been deceiving him all along.
Lost in thought, Jacob was approached by Vivienne and Beatrice, who thanked him profusely.
Vivienne mentioned that even after leaving the school, Serafina continued to send Beatrice three thousand dollars monthly for her education.
"Ms. Penrose is the kindest, most generous person I've ever met," Vivienne said, gazing up at Jacob admiringly. "She must have done something wonderful in a past life to end up with such a handsome and successful man as you. Look at that height, those legs, that face—truly one in a million."
Vivienne continued chattering, but Jacob's attention had shifted to Beatrice—the child Serafina had been supporting all these years. She seemed earnest and well-behaved.
"Mr. Windsor, there you are," Anya appeared at his side.
"Just taking a walk," Jacob replied coolly.
He had planned to return to the office for a meeting, but his mood had soured for reasons he couldn't articulate. After giving Anya a few instructions, he drove home alone.
Since the divorce, he hadn't moved back to the family estate with his parents, choosing instead to remain in the newlywed villa.
Halfway home, he remembered Yasmin complaining that morning about being unable to find a particular seasoning. Jacob knew an imported goods store that carried it, and feeling restless, he decided a detour might lift his spirits.
Gentle snow continued to fall as Jacob, standing over six feet tall in his wool coat, entered the supermarket. His presence immediately drew admiring glances from female shoppers—attention he had long grown accustomed to. He made his way directly to the condiment aisle and selected two bottles of tomato sauce.
As Jacob headed toward the checkout, his eyes narrowed. About twenty feet away stood a pregnant woman with her back to him, her shoulders slightly hunched as she examined imported goods. Though he couldn't see her face, he estimated she was about four or five months along.
'A new life in just a few months,' he thought, then found himself remembering the child Serafina had lost. Perhaps if that baby had survived, they wouldn't have ended up divorced.
But he quickly dismissed such futile speculation—they had been divorced for three months now. What was the point of "what ifs"?
Jacob pushed the thoughts away and proceeded to the checkout counter.
A minute later, he left the store carrying tomato sauce, completely unaware that the pregnant woman he had observed was Serafina herself. Pregnancy had changed her figure, making her fuller and more rounded than before—enough that Jacob hadn't recognized her.
After he left, Serafina approached the register with her selections. "That'll be five hundred twenty-two dollars," the cashier announced.
As Serafina paid with her phone, she and Jacob existed in parallel worlds—she inside the store, he outside. When she finally emerged, Jacob sat in his car smoking a cigarette, catching another glimpse of the pregnant woman as she walked slowly past, carrying her bag and holding an umbrella, her figure noticeably rounder.
Leaning back against the leather seat, Jacob drew on his cigarette and found himself thinking of Serafina's once-slender waist. He shook his head with a bitter smile—Serafina was no longer his wife.
His brooding was interrupted by Oliver's call.
After three months, Oliver had finally abandoned hope of reconciliation and, fearing the Windsor family line might end, had begun arranging potential matches for Jacob.
"Her name is Chloe Moore—she's a lawyer, quite different from Serafina," Oliver explained, listing Chloe's various virtues before adding wistfully, "Though in my opinion, Serafina was still the best match for you."
Jacob held his cigarette, watching the delicate snow fall outside.
"Fine, I'll meet her," he said flatly.
Perhaps a career-driven woman like Chloe would suit him better—a marriage based on partnership rather than emotion. Serafina had been an unexpected chapter in his life. While he thought of her occasionally, he wasn't desperate enough to believe she was irreplaceable.
What Jacob didn't anticipate was that his arranged dinner with Chloe would lead to an encounter with Serafina—four months pregnant.