Chapter 12
Beverly heard the door being opened, but she didn’t want to speak to Evan or even look at him. So, she shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
She only had 28 days to go. This would soon be over!
When she didn’t respond, Evan realized she was asleep. He sat by her bed and held her cold hand, his eyes practically swimming with love and devotion.
He thought about what Calvin had said-that Beverly would demand a divorce and leave him if she found out about his affair with Cindy.
Yet now, she lay on the hospital bed obediently. She didn’t look like she knew the truth at all. He was the one being paranoid because he cared about her too much.
“Honey, you can’t ever leave me. I’ll protect you and make sure nothing ever happens to you again.” He placed his free hand on Beverly’s abdomen and rubbed it gently.
A lone tear rolled down the side of her face when she felt the warmth from his hand. She’d always had period cramps, and they’d only gotten worse after she’d had Harold.
Whenever she was on her period, Evan would watch over her and make sure she took painkillers. He would also rub her lower abdomen and tuck her into bed.
Now, however, all his tenderness felt like venom to her. It put her in unbearable pain. She couldn’t voice out her torment and could only suffer in silence.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before her fatigue overwhelmed her, and she fell asleep. When she woke up, she found herself in the backseat of Evan’s SUV. It was parked near Harold’s kindergarten, and her bag was on the seat beside her.
Beverly pulled her phone out and called Ashley, wanting to take this window of alone time to find out what the latter had meant earlier. However, the call went unanswered. She had no choice but to give up for now.
It was 4:30 pm, which was when Harold got out of class. Evan had probably gone to pick him up. Beverly felt dizzy and disoriented as she got out of the car with her phone, wanting to take a walk.
“Daddy, why are you sending Cindy away? I won’t be able to see her once she leaves the country.”
“Harry, your father has his reasons.”
Two familiar voices rang out nearby. Beverly followed them and stopped behind a tree in the bushes. Through the branches, she saw three people.
Evan stood to one side with an indifferent look on his face. Meanwhile, Cindy crouched before Harold and wiped his tears with a tissue. “I’ll call you even when I’m abroad, Harry. You can always come over to visit me during your breaks, right? Don’t be sad.”
That gave Harold an idea. He ran to Evan and said, “Daddy, I want to go abroad with Cindy! You said that you’d send me abroad to further my studies when I’m older, right? I can do it now!”
Beverly frowned when she heard that Harold was willing to leave his home and parents so that he could be with Cindy. What exactly had Cindy done to make him so determined to protect her and follow her every command?
Cindy smirked victoriously while her back was to Evan. Then, she hid it perfectly as she turned to face him, looking kind and understanding. “Harry, you can’t leave your parents for my sake, especially your mother. She’ll be devastated without you by
her side.”
“I get it now! Mom is the one who wants you gone, right? You can’t even come to our place anymore-it’s not like you have anything to do with her now! Why is she so hateful? She’s such a mean person!”
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Chapter 12
+25 BONUS
Beverly clutched her chest, unable to take the pain any longer when she heard his nasty words. However, she no longer wanted to run. The agony would soon max out, after which it wouldn’t affect her anymore.
Suddenly, a crisp slap rang out. Evan had hit Harold squarely in the face. This was Beverly’s first time seeing him do this, and her heart leapt to her throat. No matter how many mistakes Harold had made, he didn’t deserve to be hit.
Harold almost fell to the ground from the force of the slap, but Cindy caught him and steadied him.
Evan snarled, “How can you say that about your mother? She wouldn’t be in such poor health if not for giving birth to you and caring for you!”
He exuded iciness, and his gaze gleamed with venom.
Harold curled up in Cindy’s arms as a handprint immediately began to form on his face. He felt utterly wronged, and tears streamed down his face. Yet, he didn’t dare talk back. He started sobbing in Cindy’s embrace while she soothed him.
Why wasn’t Cindy his mother? He was so jealous of “Millie” for having someone as gentle as Cindy for a mother. Evan had never once lectured “Millie” for Cindy’s sake, yet he constantly berated him for Beverly’s sake. Now, he’d even hit him!
It would be wonderful if Beverly were to disappear. Once she was gone, Cindy could be his mother.
“Harry, hurry up and apologize to your father,” Cindy whispered. “I’m the one who wants to go abroad. It has nothing to do with your mother.”
Harold had no choice but to straighten up and apologize to Evan. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“Your mother is the one you need to apologize to. She’s sick now, so make sure you’re on your best behavior around her. You’re not allowed to upset her,” Evan said sternly.
Harold nodded.
Evan turned to Cindy. “A car is waiting for you outside. It’ll take you straight to the airport. You’re not allowed to come back without my permission.”
She nodded obediently. She’d hoped Harold would help change Evan’s mind and allow her to stay, but it seemed he was a useless pawn-he meant nothing to Evan! He wasn’t even half as helpful as her darling “Millie”.
It was too bad “Millie” couldn’t come into the picture yet.
Beverly gazed at Evan. The sunlight poured down on him, highlighting his tall figure. She couldn’t deny that he’d genuinely berated Harold and defended her. He’d also kept her promise to her by sending Cindy abroad. He still loved her.
For a moment, she seemed to see the old him-the man she loved.
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She took a step back. Once Cindy was gone, she, Evan, and Harold could live together in peace for the remainder of her time here.
“Cindy, what about Millie? She’s my sister. Is she going abroad with you?” Harold suddenly asked.
Beverly watched in astonishment as Cindy turned around and said, “No, she’s not.”
Harold’s sister? How could he have one?
She was reminded of the short-haired girl that he’d had his arm around at the amusement park. The photo album that contained pictures of her growth flashed in her mind.
At the same time, her phone buzzed. It was Ashley returning her call.
Beverly answered it to hear Ashley panting over the phone. “I was in an operation earlier, Beverly, so I couldn’t answer your call. You must’ve called to ask about what I said about Mr. Gray, right?
“There’s always been a rumor in the hospital about a young woman giving birth here five years ago. Mr. Gray’s name was put down as her child’s father after the woman gave birth.”
“Evan Gray!” Beverly snarled. She watched as Harold held Cindy’s hand in his left and Evan’s hand in his right. The three of them walked away happily, but she could still hear Harold chirping on about “Millie”.
He didn’t even show that much affection to his cousin.
Beverly staggered back in shock, her voice so weak that even she could barely hear it. “What was the child’s name?”
Ashley still heard her, though. “Something that started with an ‘Em.””
Beverly heard Ashley’s footsteps on the other end of the line as she hurried after someone and asked, “Hey, you guys always joke about Mr. Gray having another child, right? Do you remember her name?”
