There is a staircase by the side door of the villa that leads directly to the beach.
The sea breeze was quite strong, and even with the sun out, there was a noticeable chill.
"Miss, how about I go back up and bring you a jacket? Don’t catch a cold."
Vanessa squinted slightly against the wind and said, "No need, Auntie. You can go back; there’s no need to stay with . I’ll just take a walk nearby and head back soon."
Mrs. Shaw hesitated awkwardly: "But sir, he..."
Vanessa: "He’s watching from upstairs; I won’t run away. You go back and make lunch; I’m feeling a bit hungry."
"...Alright then, the wind is strong, Miss. Please co back soon."
"Hmm."
Miles stood by the window, watching as Vanessa slowly walked toward the sea along the beach, stopping at a spot where the waves couldn’t quite reach, and looking up at the vast ocean.
Upon hearing Mrs. Shaw enter the house, Miles asked, "Why did you co back?"
Mrs. Shaw explained, "The miss said she’d walk by herself and would co back, ntioning she’s hungry and asked to prepare lunch first."
Miles pondered for a mont, nodded, and then fixed his gaze back on Vanessa.
Seeing her not in a gloomy mood these days, it’s unlikely she’d jump into the sea in such cold weather.
But he still watched her closely; he genuinely wanted to know what she was thinking when she seed lost in thought.
She rarely communicated with him, let alone talked about what was in her heart.
After all these years, he realized he didn’t understand her at all.
Vanessa sat on the beach, basking in the increasingly higher sun, her gaze resting at the point where the horizon disappeared.
Looking at the vast ocean, the other side seed mysterious and unpredictable.
"Miss, the al is ready."
Vanessa pulled her gaze away from the horizon and her scattered thoughts, then followed Mrs. Shaw back to the house.
Miles didn’t stay to have lunch with them; instead, he picked up his car keys and left.
He didn’t ntion where he was going, and she naturally didn’t ask.
They seed like two people in parallel worlds, in the sa space yet oblivious to each other’s presence.
End of February.
Audrey Sutton and Shane Warner ca to the hospital again for a pregnancy check-up.
No matter how high and mighty Shane seed to others, at this mont, he was like any other father, cautiously wrapping his arms around his pregnant wife.
Audrey said she enjoyed the feeling of queuing alongside him, not wanting to rush in and out, so Shane complied and followed the hospital procedures—registering, queuing, waiting for the check-up, waiting for the results.
The two sat on chairs outside the corridor, where Shane glanced at Audrey several tis while Audrey just looked down at her phone, seemingly chatting with soone.
Unable to restrain himself, he snorted, "You said you wanted to accompany you to queue, but you’ve been playing with your phone nonstop."
Audrey turned her head and glanced at him, as if skeptical he had said such a thing, then explained, "I have good news."
Shane turned his head elsewhere, seeming uninterested in what she had to say.
Audrey tugged on his arm and said, "Your buddy is going to be a dad too."
Shane replied irritably, "What’s it got to do with ?"
Audrey gave him a look, "Brother Xavier and Brother Mor are both your brothers and family. Can’t you show a bit of concern? You’re always so indifferent with them, you might end up losing them."
Shane: "I’d like to see who dares."
Audrey gently kicked him and then seriously said, "I was just chatting with Flora. She said she’s coming to the hospital too, thinking she might be pregnant."
Shane: "Is Mor coming too?"
Audrey: "Of course he has to co."
Shane: "Then why didn’t you call the first ti you went to the hospital?"
Audrey: "You weren’t ho then. I actually wanted to wait for you to co back, but you have no idea how excited I was when the pregnancy test stick showed positive. I was afraid the test was wrong; imagine you accompanied to the hospital only to find it was a false alarm. Your feelings would be like riding a roller coaster, right? Also, I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t feel at ease."
Shane wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned down to ask, "Weren’t you lonely going to the hospital alone?"
"Sister Phoebe ca with , you know. I was so caught up in excitent then I didn’t feel lonely. But now if I had to go to the hospital alone with a big belly, it’d feel quite lonely."
Without hesitation, Shane said, "Not a chance."
Audrey smiled, pulled his hand on her shoulder, and leaned into his arms. Then she frowned, but soon her smile returned with joy, "The baby just moved again."
Expecting Shane to share the joy and marvel, he instead admonished her belly, "Behave! You just kept your mom up all night!"
Audrey raised her hand to slap him lightly, "Why so fierce?"
A few minutes later, Flora and Mor arrived at the hospital.
The hospital was crowded at this ti, making it hard to find a seat, so Shane stood up willingly and offered his seat to Flora. He and Lucian then walked to the side, presumably exchanging thoughts on becoming new dads.
Audrey pulled Flora aside and playfully teased, "What’s up with you? Weren’t you going to hold off on being intimate before marriage? Now there’s a little one in your belly already?"
The once-experienced player revealed a shy expression, laughingly saying, "That’s what we intended, but living together every day, accidents are bound to happen."
Audrey raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin, asking, "How did the accident happen?"
Flora glanced at the two n not far away, lowered her voice, and told Audrey, "During New Year’s, when we traveled, we got stuck deciding whether to book one room or two. He hesitated, clearly respecting my choice to book two rooms. But I thought it was wasteful, hotels were expensive, so I suggested just one room."
Audrey: "Not just because of wastefulness, right?"
Flora chuckled, "Wastefulness was indeed a reason, but also a bit of wishful thinking. You wouldn’t believe how strong his principles were; he vowed not to touch before marriage and ant it. I even worried for him, so that night I subtly hinted. But clearly, he had been holding back, and once I hinted, he took the initiative—a bit fiercely, unlike his usual gentle and refined manner."
Audrey joined in critiquing, "Seems all n are alike; their persona in and out of bed is completely different."
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