Chapter 436 The Call From Lincoln
I tossed and turned in bed for a long time before falling asleep. When I woke up the following morning, Michael’s side of the bed was already empty, just like how it was the day before. For some reason, that made me sad.
I recalled what he told me last night and felt conflicting emotions warring within me.
Then, I checked my phone, hoping that he had sent a message. I could not help but feel disappointed when I saw that there was none.
In the next few days, Michael still did not appear before me. It made me feel both relieved and a little sad.
Ever since that night, he seemed to have disappeared from my life. It felt like we had returned to being strangers again.
Previously, we agreed to meet in Birchwood every Friday so that I could see Amaury. On Friday evening, I came to Birchwood again. However, Michael did not show up. It was the nanny who brought Amaury there.
I searched the house, hoping to find him somewhere. Once I confirmed that he was nowhere to be seen, I felt even more dejected.
“Ms. Garcia, Mr. Shaw is unable to come here today. So, he asked me to bring Amaury here,” the nanny explained as she brought Amaury to me. She seemed to have guessed what I was thinking.
Her words confirmed that Michael would not be coming here. Although I felt kind of disappointed, I did not show it on my face.
I accepted Amaury from the nanny. Perhaps due to our previous meeting, Amaury seemed quite comfortable with me. He even smiled at me.
I could not help feeling warm as I looked at my son’s smile. It made all my troubles disappear instantly.
“Amaury, say Mommy,” I teased Amaury and touched his chubby cheeks with my finger. He’s adorable.
“Mommy…” Amaury gurgled.
I was only playing with him and didn’t expect him to really call me Mommy.
I remembered how content I felt when he called me Mommy the last time. Now, hearing him calling me Mommy again made me happy.
I brought Amaury to the living room and played with him. Soon, all my sadness disappeared.
That night, I hugged Amaury to sleep. It had been more than a year since I had him sleeping by my side. It felt like bliss.
The following day was Saturday, so I did not have to go to work. As such, I sent Michael a message saying that I would like to spend more time with Amaury. He replied with a word: Sure.
He didn’t bother to say anything else, and I was a bit disheartened by that. Previously, he would shower me with attention every day. Now, he only replied with a single word whenever I messaged him. I couldn’t help feeling sad about the disparity.
My disappointment grew as I continued to look at his message. I kept staring at the phone and wondered if he would send another one. However, minutes passed, and nothing more came from him.
I laughed, mocking at my stupidity. At the same time, I felt dejected and wondered if I had overthought my importance to Michael. Perhaps, he never cared about me. That all those sweet words he said to me meant nothing.
I’m stupid for thinking that he loves me. I should have known his true self after what happened a year ago. How could I still expect anything from him? I am truly an idiot.
“Anna, even a b*tch should have standards!” I muttered softly and reminded myself. I hated myself because I still dared to hope for something from Michael even though I knew he did not love me.
After that, I spent the whole morning with Amaury. At noon, the nanny received a call from Lincoln. When he heard that Amaury was with me, he went silent for a while. Then, he urged the nanny to bring Amaury home immediately.
I smirked but did not stop him. My heart turned cold as I recalled how cruelly he treated me a year ago.
Previously, he refused to let me see Amaury. As such, I returned to this country with the determination to get Amaury back.
After the nanny left with Amaury, I left Birchwood and returned to my apartment. Soon, I received a phone call from the Shaw residence. Since I had stayed in the Shaw residence for nearly a year, I could still remember the number.
Seeing that it was a landline number, I suspected that it was Lincoln who had called. With this in mind, I answered the phone immediately.
“Hello,” I answered the call in an emotionless tone.
“Anna, is it really you? Have you returned to the country?” Lincoln asked tentatively on the other end.
I hated Lincoln more than anyone, including Michael. Therefore, I replied coldly, “Yes, Mr. Shaw. It’s me. What’s the matter?”
“I almost couldn’t believe it when the nanny told me that you have returned. So, I called to confirm whether it was true. I didn’t expect you to come back.” Lincoln’s tone was calm, but if one were to listen closely, one could hear that he did not wish for me to come back.
I had no reason to show any sympathy to Lincoln. Hence, I smirked and said indifferently, “Why? Are you disappointed about my return? Or perhaps, are you worried about me meeting Amaury?”
In the past, I was a gentle person and had never spoken to Lincoln in such a tone. Therefore, Lincoln was shocked by how intimidating I sounded. He was stunned for a moment before saying, “Why would I be disappointed? We were a family in the past. Besides, we haven’t met for a year. So, I’m thinking of inviting you to lunch.”
Lincoln sounded gentle on the phone. I listened to his lies and my smirk widened.
This is obviously a trap. Does he think that he can still bully me around as he did previously? Since he took the initiative to invite me to lunch, I should agree to meet with him and see what he’s planning.
Lincoln had shown me tremendous cruelty a year before. As such, I knew he was up to no good when he asked me to meet right after finding out that I had returned. However, I had become a different person compared to a year ago. I was no longer someone he could bully easily.
“Sure, since you want to meet me for lunch, how could I refuse? Mr. Shaw, you can text me the address of the meeting place. I’ll be there soon,” I replied in an unconcerned tone, smirking while waiting for his reply.
Lincoln was stunned for a moment before he recovered quickly. “All right, I will send you the address now.”
After hanging up, I soon received a message with the address of our meeting place.
