Hence, it’s impossible for me to marry Cassie now.” “You mean you want her to be your mistress forever?” Elizabeth demanded. Oscar fell silent and glanced at her thoughtfully. “Mrs. Yard, we won’t reach a consensus. As I said earlier, I hired a designer from Irushea to design Cassie’s wedding dress. If she didn’t suffer from a miscarriage, I would’ve proposed when her bump showed. But her miscarriage messed things up. Perhaps we aren’t fated to be.” Elizabeth wasn’t as hot-headed as before. She inquired calmly, “Oscar, be frank with me. Are you not going to marry Cassie, ever?”
“Mrs. Yard, I can’t give you my word,” said Oscar. “Let’s just go along with the flow. If Cassie and I end up being husband and wife, that will be for the best. If we don’t end up together, I’ll think of her as my own sister. As long as Yard Group needs me, I’ll be of help.” Oscar’s promise was important to the Yards. He was a famous entrepreneur while Cassie was a talented musician. Even if she joined the board of directors, they’d treat her as an outsider. With Oscar’s help, things would be much smoother. Still, Elizabeth wanted more for her daughter. Oscar was the perfect candidate to be her son-in-law. “Oscar, Cassie relies on you a lot. You promised you’ll love her for the rest of your life,” Elizabeth remarked.
“Look, you’ve changed in just a few months. Isn’t that too fast?” Oscar couldn’t help but ask himself, Was I the one who changed too fast? Emotions rippled through his heart, but he kept a cool front and explained, “Mrs. Yard, it was Cassie who dumped me back then. I can’t give her my word for now. But when something happens to her, I’ll be by her side.” He’s right, thought Elizabeth. Oscar isn’t Cassie’s only lover. She got pregnant with another man’s child. She might’ve lost that child, but that doesn’t change the fact that she had other lovers in the past. Elizabeth might be protective of her daughter, but she was a reasonable woman. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and received strict upbringing.
Previously, she lost her cool because of her daughter, but that didn’t mean she was an irrational woman. She knew Cassie had indulged in some capers, so even though she was tempted to defend her daughter till the end, she couldn’t bring herself to put Oscar in a difficult position. Sighing, Elizabeth caved in. “I’ve thought about it. I’m not that unreasonable. Since you say everything’s up to fate, then I won’t force you.” She added, “But Cassie relies on you heavily. She’s weak after losing her baby. If you’re a man, you won’t choose to hurt her now.”
Oscar shot a puzzled look at Elizabeth. “Mrs. Yard, you changed your mind quickly.” Elizabeth knew what he was trying to say. “Oscar, please don’t be mad at my rude actions earlier. I feel bad for Cassie. Everyone adored her since she was young, so she had never suffered in her life. The doctor said she might not be able to get pregnant in the future. I was so mad and wanted to beat you up,” she clarified. “Now that she’s awake and revealed that it was her own fault, I can’t insist on pinning the blame on you.” Oscar listened to her explanation silently. Elizabeth implored, “Oscar, please do me a favor. No matter what happens, I hope you won’t hurt Cassie. She loves you dearly.” Oscar nodded.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Yard. I won’t hurt her. She was my first love. There will always be a spot for her in my heart. She’ll always be special to me.” Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief. “Oscar, you’re an adult. I believe you’re sincere. Remember, don’t hurt her,” she repeated. Oscar nodded without a word. Patting his shoulder, Elizabeth told him, “Let’s go back. Otherwise, Cassie might overthink things.” They returned to the ward shortly after. Cassie, who was fidgeting nervously, relaxed visibly at the sight of Oscar. “Mom, Oz, what took you so long? I was so worried. I nearly went out in search of you,” Cassie whined and pouted unhappily.
Elizabeth shot her an exasperated look. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll tear him to pieces?” Flushing beet red, Cassie replied softly, “Mom, stop talking nonsense. That was not what I meant.” Elizabeth poked her forehead and chided, “I know you well, my dear.” At 11 p.m., Cassie told her mother, “Mom, it’s late. You should go home. Oz will take care of me here. You don’t want to keep Dad waiting at home, do you?” Elizabeth nearly choked on her words. Cassie isn’t even married to Oscar, but she’s already siding with him. When they get married, will she forget to come home to us?
“Cassie, where are your manners? You aren’t even married to him yet. Look at how desperate you are. Don’t you feel ashamed?” Elizabeth remarked in frustration. As her cheeks turned a crimson red, Cassie whined, “Mom, Oz and I will marry sooner or later. There’s nothing wrong about him taking care of me!” Swiftly, Elizabeth packed her things up and told Oscar, “Look, I’m third-wheeling here. Take care of her, Oscar. I’ll come to take your place tomorrow.” Oscar planned to head back home. After hearing their words, he had no choice but to agree to stay for the night.
Elizabeth reminded her daughter. “Cassie, have a good rest. Don’t bother Oscar. He needs to take care of you and work. I believe he must be exhausted.” Cassie nodded obediently. After Elizabeth left, Cassie patted her bed and extended an invitation. “Oz, come join me in bed.” Oscar pulled the covers up and kissed her forehead. “No worries. I will spend the night on the sofa.” Pouting unhappily, Cassie demanded, “Oz, the bed is big enough for the two of us. Why won’t you join me?” Oscar explained patiently, “You’re still weak from the miscarriage.
If I join you in bed, I might not hold back seeing how gorgeous you are. I don’t want to hurt you.” Cassie turned scarlet and harrumphed shyly. “What were you thinking? I want you to sleep well, that’s all. You’re so mean!” Too caught up in her feelings, Cassie didn’t see the indifference in Oscar’s gaze. Gently, Oscar helped her down and tucked her in. “It’s late. You should go to bed.” Taking his hand, Cassie uttered shyly, “Oz, I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be with you. I wish I can be by your side forever. What do you think?” Oscar patted her head and avoided her question deftly.
“I don’t want to be with someone who is sick. If you want to be with me, get well soon.” Cassie flashed a grin. “I will, as long as you don’t leave my side.” She patted her bed again and implored, “Oz, come join me in bed. I know you’re a gentleman. Otherwise, you would’ve fallen for my seduction previously.” Pulling a chair to the bed, Oscar sat down before answering, “Go to bed. If I join you in bed, I don’t think you will be able to sleep well.” The light in Cassie’s eyes dimmed as she uttered in disappointment. “Oz, I lost the child. Do you still blame me for that?”
Oscar ruffled her hair to comfort her. “Nonsense. Did I ever blame you for that? It wasn’t your fault. Besides, we’re still young. We can have children later on.” Cassie pressed on. “You don’t seem upset at all, Oz. You don’t care that I’ve lost my child, right?” Oscar’s expression darkened. “Cassie, I’m upset at the loss of the child, too. I’m too proud to show my misery to you. I can’t believe you misunderstood me that easily.” Cassie panicked immediately. “Oz, I was afraid you’ll blame me for the incident. I spent all day in the hospital, but you didn’t even reprimand me. To be honest, I felt distressed and guilty,” she revealed while clutching his hands desperately.
“I was scared that you might blame me for the miscarriage. Also, it seemed like you didn’t look forward to the arrival of our child as you weren’t upset at all.” Oscar tucked her in again and reassured her. “Stop overthinking things. I’m heartbroken over the loss of our child, too. We have a long journey ahead of us. In the future, we will have our own kids.” “What if we can’t have any?” “Stop overthinking things.” “Oz, I’m serious. Mom told me that this miscarriage has affected my uterus. It will be hard for me to get pregnant in the future. If I’m infertile, will you still marry me?”
Instead of answering her question, Oscar said, “I’ll marry my soulmate, not a birthing machine. There’s no need for you to bear my child as I can get one elsewhere.” Cassie gazed at him adoringly. “But I want a child of our own, Oz. I don’t want outsiders to join our family. The children are adorable, but they aren’t ours. I can’t accept nor like them.” Something dark suddenly flickered in Oscar’s eyes. Cassie grabbed his palm and placed it on her cheek. She made an unreasonable demand. “Oz, if I can’t bear any children, can you not bring other children that you bore with other women into our household?” Immediately, Oscar retracted his hand.
