Chapter 488 - 484: Whose Little Cutie is This?
"Why are you here at this hour?" Her voice was calm, not a hint of panic.
He strode over, pinned Nora Ainsworth directly against the wall, and kissed her lips.
Nora Ainsworth reached out and flipped on the light, meeting his gaze. "Are you insane?"
"Where did you go? I thought you..."
Nora Ainsworth slipped past him. "Thought I left? With all your people here, where could I possibly go? I just went downstairs for a walk and came back up."
He seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Saphira, let’s not stay in this room, okay? Come stay in my room."
Her expression changed. "What?"
"I mean, stay in my bedroom. We’ll have two beds, one for each of us. I just want to be able to see you at all times. I won’t touch you until you’re ready, Saphira. I’ll give you time."
Nora Ainsworth sat on the edge of the bed. "You know perfectly well that telling me won’t change anything. So why even say it? Even if I say no, you’ll still do it anyway, won’t you?"
"Saphira, you... you’re as smart as ever. You always see right through me."
Nora Ainsworth replied subconsciously, "And you’re as domineering as ever, aren’t you?"
He walked over and hugged her. "Saphira, you finally admit it."
"Admit what?"
"What do you think? I’m never letting you go again. Saphira, I know you love me."
Nora Ainsworth struggled free. "Fine, I can stay in the same room as you, but you can’t keep restricting my freedom. Do you think I’ll be happy being trapped in your cage all day?"
On this point, his will was firm. "No. Not unless you give me our child. Otherwise, I’m scared. I’m scared you’ll leave me again. Do you know? When the news of your death came, it took me so long to recover. I can’t... I can’t take a blow like that again."
"At dawn, gather all your men. I’ll pick a few to stay by my side. I can’t be bothered to try and run."
Seeing this, he smiled. "Of course, that’s no problem. You can pick them yourself, how about that?"
Nora Ainsworth nodded. "Alright."
He took the opportunity to kiss her on the cheek. "Go back to sleep for a bit. I’ll sit here and watch you."
"How am I supposed to sleep with you here?"
"I don’t care. Even if you don’t sleep, I’m staying right here."
Nora Ainsworth looked at him and said coolly, "Suit yourself."
She turned on her side and lay there. Toby Dalton covered her with the blanket and sat watching her. Nora Ainsworth felt as if a pair of eyes were burning a hole in her back.
She closed her eyes and told herself, ’This time, I have to succeed. I can’t fail. There’s only one chance.’
’Whether I get out of here or not, it’s all up to me now.’
「It was a drizzly morning in Alveria.」
Mrs. Hawthorne arrived bright and early, bringing lots of things she had bought, as well as food she had personally cooked that was good for the baby’s development.
Mrs. Ellsworth watched her with a wide smile. "Look at you, coming over and bringing so much. We have everything we need here."
Mrs. Hawthorne took a sip of tea. "What you have is yours. This is for our Zoe and the baby in her belly."
Mrs. Ellsworth glanced at the items. "The baby hasn’t even taken shape yet, and we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl. And you bought so many baby clothes..."
Mrs. Hawthorne said magnanimously, "Who cares if it’s a boy or a girl? I bought a hundred pieces for each. We have plenty more at home, all ready to go. Is Zoe up yet?"
"Not yet," Mrs. Ellsworth said. "I’ll go wake her."
"Don’t. A pregnant woman needs plenty of sleep. Don’t wake her, let her rest." Mrs. Hawthorne moved closer to Mrs. Ellsworth. "Listen, we’ve been like sisters for so many years, and now our kids are having a child of their own. You have to help me get them back together. I think my son has already fallen in love with your Zoe."
Mrs. Ellsworth’s eyes lit up. "How do you know?"
"Of course I know. We’ve both been through this before; it’s obvious. For example, last night Herman was watching TV with me and kept checking his phone. I asked him what he was looking at, and he said he was checking the time because he needed to remind Zoe to go to bed by ten—that staying up late is bad for her. But really, I think he was checking to see if Zoe had called or texted him."
Mrs. Ellsworth nodded. "If what you’re saying is true, it’s definitely possible. But it’s better for us parents not to meddle in matters of the heart. Our Zoe is as stubborn as a mule. If you tell her to do one thing, she’ll deliberately do the opposite. I can’t do anything with her unless she’s a willing party herself."
Mrs. Hawthorne agreed. "That makes sense. And seeing that rascal of mine just makes me furious. I mean, they had a perfectly good life but insisted on divorcing. And now they’re divorced and she’s pregnant. Really, if you think about it, if your Zoe didn’t love our Herman, how could they have... ended up sleeping together and getting pregnant?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Ellsworth gave a meaningful smile. "It seems we mothers need to give things a little push."
Mrs. Hawthorne exchanged a look with her. The two then huddled together, whispering back and forth for a long time. Finally, they both broke into wide, knowing smiles.
When Zoe Ellsworth got out of bed, she saw Mrs. Hawthorne and Mrs. Ellsworth sitting on the sofa watching a drama, their eyes all teary as if something terrible had happened.
"Mom, what are you two crying about?"
Mrs. Ellsworth pointed at the TV. "The female lead died at the end! Tell me, what kind of garbage drama is this? It starts as a comedy and then they tack on a tragic ending. I’m so mad!"
Mrs. Hawthorne was just as indignant. "Exactly! Is there something wrong with the scriptwriter? They actually killed off the female lead! What’s the male lead going to do now? He’ll probably never get married in his life."
Zoe Ellsworth was speechless. She walked over, sat down next to them, glanced at the TV, and said, "So what if she died? The female lead is dead, but the main female supporting character isn’t, right? He still has a chance."
"You silly girl, your mother only roots for the main characters! Forget it, I’m not watching anymore."
"It’s the finale. You couldn’t watch more even if you wanted to."
Mrs. Hawthorne stood up. "Zoe, what would you like to eat?"
"The other day, she was eating pizza like a madwoman. Normally she won’t touch the stuff. But ever since she got pregnant, it’s like she’s a different person. I didn’t have the kitchen save any breakfast for her; it would’ve been a waste since she wouldn’t eat it anyway. I’ll go wash a couple of tomatoes for her."
Mrs. Hawthorne stopped her. "You’re going to let a pregnant woman eat tomatoes first thing in the morning?"
Mrs. Ellsworth replied, "These past few days, she won’t eat anything if there are no tomatoes. They’re sweet and sour; she’s been enjoying them lately."
Mrs. Hawthorne said with a chuckle, "It might be a boy. Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl."
Zoe Ellsworth said sullenly, "I like girls. I want to have a daughter."
Mrs. Hawthorne immediately said, "I like daughters too! Let me tell you, Zoe, I have my regrets. I only had Herman when I was young, and he spent all day driving me crazy. If I’d known better, I would have had another child back then. Maybe it would have been a daughter! Daughters are good, daughters are wonderful, a daughter is a mother’s little sweetheart."
Zoe Ellsworth said in agreement, "Exactly!"
Mrs. Ellsworth brought over a plate of cherry tomatoes and handed it to Zoe Ellsworth. "Here, your favorite."
Zoe Ellsworth took the plate, ate a few, and said, "Mom, I’ve gained five pounds."
"Gaining weight is good! Look at you, you’re as skinny as a little chick. A strong gust of wind could blow you away."
"Will I become a huge fatty by the time I give birth? I feel like I’m gaining weight every day. A fair complexion can hide a thousand flaws, but being fat ruins everything."
Mrs. Hawthorne comforted her, "Zoe, it’s normal to gain twenty or thirty pounds during pregnancy."
Zoe Ellsworth paused, then said with sudden seriousness, "If I actively work my way up to two hundred pounds, at my ugliest, sloppiest, and fattest—if someone still loves me then, it’s either true love, or they’re just after the family fortune."
Mrs. Ellsworth’s jaw almost dropped. "Zoe, you’re... you’re not serious, are you? You’re so fashionable, the kind of person who’d scream over gaining a single ounce of fat, and you want to eat your way to two hundred pounds?"
She slipped on her shoes, stood up, and carried the plate upstairs. "Yup. Mom, from today on, I’m eating whatever I want. I’m going to become a huge fatty."
Mrs. Ellsworth looked at Mrs. Hawthorne, at a loss. "That silly girl, she’s lost her mind again."
Mrs. Hawthorne stood up, smiling. "I’ll be heading back now. I need to start looking up auspicious wedding dates for a year from now."
Mrs. Ellsworth, on the other hand, hurried up the stairs and pushed open Zoe Ellsworth’s door. "You were just kidding me just now, weren’t you?"
"Mom, didn’t you just say gaining weight was a good thing?"
"Gaining twenty or thirty pounds is fine, but you want to get to two hundred pounds? Are you trying to scare me to death? If you weigh two hundred pounds, dragging all that blubber around... Zoe, what man could stand that?"
Zoe Ellsworth closed the door, the smile vanishing from her face. "Mom, if I have what it takes to eat my way to two hundred pounds, I’ll have what it takes to lose it all again. It’s just that at two hundred pounds, I won’t look like I do now. Tell me, if a man still loves me then, what could it be but true love? After all, not every woman has the courage to test true love this way."
Mrs. Ellsworth poked her on the forehead. "If you get too fat, you’ll have a difficult delivery. You could get gestational complications, have a macrosomic baby... It’s bad for you and the child, there are no benefits. Stop overthinking it. Just eat and drink what you should, and focus on delivering this baby safely. Don’t be thinking about fattening yourself up. Just let nature take its course."
"Hahaha, Mom, I was just saying. Look how scared you got. Even if I wanted to eat my way to two hundred pounds, do you really think I could?" She put down the plate, opened her closet, changed her clothes, and suddenly smiled at her mother. "Your Majesty, didn’t I say ’if’ earlier? ’If... I work my way up to two hundred pounds...’"
Hearing this, Mrs. Ellsworth finally let out a breath. "Just focus on eating well. Don’t be a picky eater, get balanced nutrition, and the baby will be healthy and the birth will be easy."
"I know, I know. I’m heading to the shop." Zoe Ellsworth walked out the door.
Sitting in front of her computer, she had a sudden idea. She went online and photoshopped a picture of herself, editing it to make her look like she weighed over two hundred pounds. Staring at her own bloated, piggy-faced image, Zoe Ellsworth couldn’t stop laughing. ’If I really got that fat,’ she thought, ’finding clothes that fit would be a serious problem.’
She saved the photo to her phone and sent it to Herman Hawthorne.
A moment later, he replied: Whose little cutie is this? How much per pound?
Zoe Ellsworth quickly replied: You couldn’t afford a single pound even if you sold everything you own. Besides, if a guy with your little bit of money married a fatty like the one in the picture, she’d eat you into bankruptcy, no sweat.