Did I just underestimate my own son’s ability to adapt and cope?
No, something’s not adding up. He was saying that I should be the one worrying about losing my status quo.
Is he suggesting that it is possible for them to shower all their love in the baby daughter and might neglect me in the process?
Clarissa furrowed her brows in worry.
The father and son were eagerly anticipating for a daughter, and she could already sense that her position in the family would be threatened.
Ah, that’s sad.
Clarissa smiled wryly. She almost felt like crying but was feeling too sluggish to even do so.
Ah, it’s better that I just keep quiet.
Damian transfixed his gaze on his mother’s belly. He reached out and caressed Clarissa’s belly. Anticipation was written all over his little face as he wished for a cute and pretty little sister. Damian was already thinking about how he could bring his little sister out to play, and how he was going to tell her bedtime stories…
Clarissa was oblivious to what was on Damian’s mind.
Matthew came back and gave Clarissa the pregnancy test kit.
Frowning, she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom while Matthew waited outside the bathroom eagerly as if it was his first time being a father.
In fact, it was his first time experiencing this sort of feeling.
When Clarissa was pregnant with Damian, Matthew had missed the chance to share the sentiment. However, it was different this time. It was the first child that he was able to experience the whole range of emotions—apprehension, anticipation, and even a little excitement, all of it intensified by the prospect that it may be a daughter that he was hoping for.
Damian lifted his head and looked at father, and his little hand reached out to grasp his father’s.
To Matthew’s surprise, the little guy was comforting him.
“Daddy, baby sister is coming.”
Matthew’s eyes glinted. “Yes, she is.”
He knew that the little guy was just playing guess, and his son’s words were not to be taken seriously. However, Matthew knew better than to question the inexplicably wondrous nature of children’s words.
Matthew hoped that his son was right, and that the little princess that he had been hoping for was finally here.
Right then, Clarissa made her way out of the bathroom and gave Matthew the pregnancy test calmly before she lay down on the bed again.
She closed her eyes and yawned. I can finally sleep.
The two red stripes on the pregnancy test left Matthew stunned and surprised for a long time.
He wanted to exclaim in joy to express his delight. However, at the sight of the woman sprawled out in bed tiredly, he was overcome with apprehension.
He hurriedly made his way over to the bedside and looked at her. “Clare, are you feeling unwell anywhere? Let’s go to the hospital right now.”
Feeling annoyed, Clarissa knitted her brows and said, “I want to sleep.”
“Huh? Okay then, sleep…”
Matthew lowered his voice and dared not say anything further. That being said, he still felt a surge of warm feeling coursing through his heart at the sight of the woman in bed.
The man had not noticed that Damian already made his way over to Clarissa’s side too.
Damian did not seem at all unhappy about being neglected. On the other hand, he was overjoyed to be able to have a baby sister soon.
Matthew carried his son and swung him around happily. The little guy broke into a chortle.
“Quiet, please.”
Clarissa grumbled and the father and son duo went mute and exchanged glances with each other with a smile.
The getaway trip started with Clarissa’s surprise. Despite feeling sluggish, she still pulled through and the little family went back with an extra family member.
Matthew was even more careful after knowing that Clarissa was pregnant. He arranged for a day flight back and made sure that no reporters were present to disturb Clarissa. Besides, he also made sure that his wife was not plagued by any negative news, and minimized the use of any electronics that might harm her. He took a step further by asking Julia to take care of any corners that would not suit a pregnant woman back at home and even prepared a new nursery room. However, the room would not be ready until some time later. Hence, Matthew planned on getting Clarissa’s input in the matter.
Matthew’s efforts had been proven to be an overkill.
All Clarissa did throughout the day were only sleep and stare blankly into the space languidly. She did not seem to have any liveliness to her.
Her demeanor got Matthew thinking if his little princess was an indolent little girl.
After getting back to the country, they went to the hospital for a checkup and found nothing abnormal. Clarissa was perfectly healthy, much to Matthew’s relief.
The man then thought that her laggard manner was perhaps nothing to worry about since pregnant women were prone to feeling sleepy all the time. Besides, she did not have any morning sickness. In that regard, she’s already quite lucky.
However, Matthew did not let anyone know about Clarissa’s pregnancy. He decided to keep the good news to himself for at least three months.
Matthew’s family had been heavily criticized for going on a trip at that critical junction, a piece of news that the man had forbidden anyone from letting Clarissa know. He kept all the computers and phones from her sight, even going to the extent of barring anyone from watching the TV.
Luckily, Clarissa was much too laggard to feel the impact of his orders.
However, it was a coincidence that the piece of news made headlines.
They had bumped into a few fellow countrymen who were there for a vacation at Erihal. Some of them recognized the little family and uploaded their photos to Twitter.
Hence, the piece of news had garnered the attention of a few brazen reporters as they chided and reprimanded the family for going on a vacation.
They were clinging onto the point that Hilary had just died. Clarissa was the prime suspect of her mother’s cold-blooded murder and yet the woman had the heart to go on a vacation abroad. Even if Clarissa was not the murderer, did she not even feel a hint of sorrow at the loss of her own mother?
How heartless must Clarissa be to be able to go on a vacation happily during the mourning period?
The netizens were in an uproar over Clarissa’s indifferent attitude during the mourning period and indulged in chastisement over her actions.
Of course, Clarissa was oblivious to the netizens’ sentiment. Matthew paid no heed to those people, and sent out his lawyers to deal with those who dared to slander Clarissa’s name. However, there were still a large number of people reprimanding her and accusing Clarissa of being a hard-hearted woman.
Some even went to the extent of tagging relevant government department’s official social media accounts in hopes of getting the government to intervene and punish Clarissa.
However, the government departments had ignored the mindless accusations and took no action.
Even though it seemed like they did not take much action officially, the public opinion’s wrath over the matter was too strong to ignore. Having said that, the relevant authorities did not look favorably upon Clarissa’s apathetic attitude seeing as she chose to go on a vacation when her mother’s murder, or maybe suicide, was still under investigation.
Therefore, the authorities had pressured the police into solving the case as soon as possible. Matthias had been requested by the higher-ups to demand Clarissa and Matthew to do something to appease the public’s sentiments.
To which, Matthias made himself crystal clear over the phone.
“Matthew, even if Clarissa’s mother had done something wrong in the past, it’s fair to move on since she’s already passed away. This thing with you and Clarissa is blowing out of proportion, and it’s not doing us much favor. Please, do something about it.”
“Noted.”
Matthew did not retort after listening to his brother’s advice, nor did he sound offended.
However, he did nothing after hanging up on Matthias. He continued to take good care of his wife and his son, pouring his heart and soul into learning everything that had to do with taking care of pregnant women and children as if nothing happened.
Meanwhile, Clarissa carried on with her life, mostly sleeping and staring blankly into the space. Life was as good as it could get.
Meanwhile, Shermaine and her mother paid another visit to the Wynters. They planned to stay longer as they wanted to stay for a meal.
Kayla was in a particularly good mood lately and did not wish to argue with Jacque and Sandra. Her visit this time was simply to have a meal and chitchat with her family.
However, Sandra was not pleased with their visit and was disdained at the notion of having to accommodate them, especially at the sight of Kayla’s smug face.
Sandra felt indignant at the thought of Clarissa having to suffer public wrath while her very own mother was gloating at her misfortune, and how Shermaine was supposed to mourn for her mother but was instead happily dining with them. How shameless.
She did not feel like sparing the shameless duo any courtesy and put on a long face throughout the whole exchange.
Kayla was not one known to toe the line. In the end, she could not hold it in and started to nag Jacque and Sandra.
“Jacque, Sandra, look at how badly Clarissa and Matthew are doing. Frankly, they deserve this. I really have no idea why you guys still choose to stand by them. Aren’t you guys afraid of getting dragged down by them? I mean, you guys should be wiser in screening people at your age. That Clarissa woman has been revealed to be a murderer, an unfilial daughter who is a homewrecker. This kind of girl…”
“Kayla!”
Sandra interrupted her before she could finish chiding Clarissa.
“That’s enough. The girl you’re reprimanding is your-”
“Enough.” Jacque interrupted Sandra, obviously trying to prevent her from revealing the truth.
He tugged at his wife’s shirt. “All right, Kayla. We’re done eating, and there’s something we need to tend to. You should leave.”
“Jacque, what do you mean? Are you chasing us out of the door right now? This is my home too, you know. What gives you the right to just chase me out like that? So what if I criticize that Clarissa? I’m just saying the truth. She’s a cold-blooded murderer who killed her own mother. She’ll suffer the retribution for her own actions and I wish her a horrible death…”
