I looked at Ashton and Chandler; one is reserved and arrogant, the latter kind and down-to-earth. It was not surprising that the two of them had very little in common to talk about. Hannah and I, on the other hand, were busy chattering away.
Hannah looked at the shrimps Ashton peeled for me and said, “You know what, I’m actually quite jealous of the way you two interact with each other. It’s not sickeningly sweet, but one that seems very natural.”
I smiled in return and watched quietly as Chandler carefully fed a shrimp to Hannah. “I’m the one who’s envious of you. Look at how thoughtful and gentle Mr. Coleman is to you. You must cherish him.”
She nodded in assent. “That’s for sure. I wish the best for you and Ashton too.”
It was already quite late by the time we finished dinner and returned to the villa.
Back to our bedroom, Ashton seemed already tuckered out, so I decided to keep the questions I had to myself. After taking a shower and finally lying in bed together, Ashton’s voice was a little croaky when he asked, “Is John going to do anything now that Hannah is getting married?”
I was mildly surprised by his sudden interest in this matter and shook my head. “I’m not sure. All I know is that he also plans to marry Yvonne. God knows what’s going on in his head.”
Now that he brought up this matter, I asked curiously, “Ashton, what would you do if I married another person?”
The man opened his eyes and fixed steadily at mine. His voice was low and solemn when he replied, “Will you?”
I rolled my eyes at him and said, “Why not? Life is so unpredictable, anything is possible. Case in point, years ago, John wouldn’t have thought that Hannah was going to bear his child. And now, when John finally falls in love with Hannah, she has decided to become someone else’s bride. We can’t bet on things to remain the same forever.”
Instead of answering my hypothetical question, his dark eyes continued to glare at me intently. I grew impatient and started to pester him, “Why are you looking at me like this? Just answer my question!”
“I will never let you go, or allow you to fall in love with another person, much less letting you marrying someone else other than me. So, your question is invalid.” His demeanor was so overbearing I had to forego all other follow-up questions at the back of my mind.
I sighed. “It’s just an innocent question. I don’t understand why you are taking it so seriously.” Feeling a little stirred up, I turned my back against him.
Ashton then moved closer to me, his chest was so close against my back I could feel his strong heartbeats. His big hand rested on my belly as he assumed a dulcet tone, “Scarlett, I believe that many things in life are achievable when you put your minds to it. I can’t predict my future, but one thing I know for sure is that, as long as I live, I will not let you go. I never buy the saying that if you love someone you should set her free. I’m just an ordinary guy who wants to be with my wife and can’t bear to see you live with anyone else. So, don’t you ever think of such a thing again, okay?”
I wasn’t sure if it was his bold profession of love or his steady heartbeat against my body, the fog in my mind suddenly lifted and I could see things clearly as they were. I finally conceded, “Alright, I won’t ask such a stupid question again.” My head rested on his shoulder and my fingers intertwined with his. “Ashton, when Summer gets better, we will start afresh as a family.” The man then held me tightly in his arms.
All my life, I was never able to fully grasp the concept of happiness. But at that moment, I finally understood that happiness could just be as simple as spending the night holding onto someone you love who also loved you back.
“Ashton, you…” Realizing what he was about to do, my eyes widened in the next instant. “What are you doing? I’m pregnant, we can’t do that!”
He turned me around so that I was now facing him. Our eyes locked and he said in a coarse voice, “Scarlett, it’s been a while since we…”
I hesitated for a brief moment before I replied in a soft voice, “But, but it’s inconvenient now that I’m pregnant.”
Ashton leaned his head against mine and I could feel his humid and heavy breaths inches away. I held my breath and dared not utter another word.
After a few seconds, the man took a deep breath and finally said, “Alright, let’s go to sleep.”
Ashton still held onto me, but his hands finally stopped moving around. I stole a sigh of relief and recalled what happened during the day. “By the way, are you not allowed to bring a phone during meetings lately?”
“No, why is that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just that I’ve tried calling you a few times and they all went to voicemail. So, I was wondering if there was a no-phone rule instated in your office.”
“My office is very close to the conference room. So, sometimes I’ll leave my phone in my office during meetings. It won’t happen again.”
I let out a faint smile. “Okay.”
Maybe it was just a coincident that Stella picked up his phone today.
The next day, I rushed to the hospital after being informed that Summer and Jared’s bone marrows were not compatible. I arrived at the hospital and met with Cameron and Zachary, who looked like they hadn’t slept all night.
There was discernible sorrow in Cameron’s voice as she spoke, “My dear, the doctor has confirmed that their bone marrows do not match. We’re going to have to search for one that’s compatible with Summer’s.”
