Chapter 8 Pregnant
Anne was not a pushover. She was about to respond when a figure rushed to Cherry's side in a flurry, ready to protect her tooth and nail.
"Anne, what are you doing?" He stared at her with a furious glare in his eyes. "Apologize!"
His words came out as an indiscriminate conviction. Apparently, he didn't even remember they were a couple.
"Kevin, I don't know what I've done wrong." With a petrified gaze, Anne turned to him, profoundly hurt by his assumption. "Why should I apologize?"
Rage boiling up inside him, Kevin kept his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him. "You don't know what you've done wrong?" He pointed at the cup in Anne's hand and roared, "Then what is this?" Attracted by the commotion, people started to gather around them wondering what was happening.
The scene spoke clearly though: Cherry's clothes were wet and Anne was holding an empty cup. It took them one second to assume that Anne had tried to take revenge on Cherry by pouring water on her while no one was watching.
The disdain in their eyes grew intenser, sending a clear message of condemnation.
Even though everybody was already pointing finger at her, Anne was determined to set things straight.
"Anyone can lie, not to mention a cup that can't even speak. Cherry's clothes..."
"Apologize now!" Furious beyond words, Kevin didn't want to hear Anne's excuses.
With judging eyes, everyone was staring at her quietly, making the tension so thick that it could be cut with a knife.
Kevin was enraged, and so was Anne, but she didn't want to put up a fight. Throwing one last look in his direction, she turned on her heels, ready to leave.
All of a sudden, Kevin grabbed her wrist and forced her to face his livid glare. He said through his gritted teeth, "Already leaving? If you don't apologize to Cherry today, I won't let you put feet out of the house!" "I'm not leaving." Dumbstruck, Anne frowned as Kevin pinched her wrist so hard it almost made her eyes tear. "Let go of me!"
She was distracted when the water somehow found its way out of the cup and on Cherry's clothes.
But now she was determined to find the culprit. With her senses more acute than ever, she perceived a delicate fragrance on her body. It was definitely not hers.
Like the scent of a flower shaken by a gust of wind, it had traveled through the air to land gracefully on her.
Everyone here smelled differently.
Lost in thought, she could swear that someone had just touched her, even though she didn't see it happen.
"Kevin, forget it." As she noticed that everybody was there witnessing the scene, Cherry decided to plead with Kevin. Showing compassion for Anne while still being the victim of her misdeed was a successful strategy for winning the favor of the people around her.
"It's just a little water. I'll change my clothes," Cherry added in a considerate tone. "She didn't do it on purpose."
A sneer started forming on Anne's face as she glared at Cherry fiercely.
That last sentence was suggesting that she had spilled the water deliberately!
How skillful of them to frame her like that!
"Ru... Ah..."
By the time she turned around ready to shove off the person who had bumped into her, Kevin pulled her back and yelled at her once more. "Apologize right this instant!"
She suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision blurred for a moment and her legs threatened to give in. Soon after, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
Staring at her face growing pale, Kevin didn't look any better. Regardless, he kept a straight face, convinced that Anne didn't want to admit her mistake.
It was out of his heart's kindness that he decided to accept Anne in the old house. He surely didn't expect her to be secretly against Cherry. His tiny hope that Anne would improve her behavior had now disappeared altogether.
At this moment, the pent-up rage inside his chest was strong enough to burn the old house down if it just broke out.
With his eyes fixed on Anne's, he barked, "Stop pretending. Don't think that I will forgive you if you faint in front of me!"
As if taking his words literally, Anne blacked out before him right after he finished that sentence.
In a flash, her eyes grew dark and shut closed. Her legs were so weak that she had no control over them anymore.
"Anne!" Seeing her collapsing in his direction, Kevin felt a pinch of angst forming in his throat, but it quickly resolved into anger. Although his voice rumbled powerfully, she didn't respond to her name.
As Kevin started to shake her unresponsive body impatiently, he grew more and more worried.
"Hey, Anne!" His voice was still angry and resounding.
But she didn't react at all.
"Get out of my way!" An urgent yet calm voice traveled quickly through the air from behind the crowd. Pushing his way through the horde, Sam rushed apprehensively past Kevin and toward the unconscious girl.
"She fainted." Barely controlling a gush of anger ready to break out from his chest, Sam hurried to hold Anne up.
He was a doctor. As long as he could conceal his interest for Anne behind the pretext of doing his job, he knew that no one would doubt his intentions. He was indeed seen as a good and benevolent doctor. "Where are you taking her?" Kevin's tone revealed a hint of uneasiness, as if he finally realized that she was not pretending.
"To save her," Sam answered coldly, while fixing Kevin with a touch of disgust in his expression.
As he strode toward the sofa with Anne in his arms, the people around made way for him.
In few long steps, he covered the distance rapidly and laid Anne down delicately.
Grabbing her wrist promptly, he felt her pulse thrumming quietly through her skin.
Everyone was quiet. Nervous faces were witnessing the scene in silence, as to instill the doctor with all the tranquility he needed.
Fifteen seconds later, a deep frown formed on Sam's expression.
"Look, I told you she pretended to be unconscious. Now the secret is out." Kevin took the liberty to interpret freely Sam's furrow, his eyes gleaming with mockery.
He was aware that there was something going on between Sam and Anne, and was quite sure that, at that point, he would cover for her.
At the thought, Kevin started feeling a little angry and reached out to pull Sam up from the ground.
"She is pregnant." The doctor's voice was grave while pronouncing those three words.
Kevin gawked at him in disbelief, his hand froze in place. "What did you say?"
"She has a fever. I need to lower her temperature right now." Ignoring Kevin's question, Sam decided to stick to the facts.
At this, Kevin's hands rushed to lift Sam up from the ground. "Repeat what you just said." His stare was intense and penetrating. "What's wrong with her?"
"If you are deaf and didn't hear it the first time, you can ask the people around you." Unable to hold back his anger any longer, Sam then roared, "Give me a sterile towel and hot water right now!" Kevin wasn't deaf, and the others heard it clearly, too. Anne was pregnant. However, they didn't know how to react to such news, so they just stayed quiet.
It was Selma who broke the silence, shouting enthusiastically, "Go fetch the towel and the hot water Mr. Feng required!"
Right after, the people around began scattering and exchanging ideas.
With her figure towering over Anne, Cherry observed her with a dazed expression on her face. She clenched her fists, but her eyes were full of joy. 'After the baby is born, you will no longer be part of the Fu Family,' she thought, smiling to herself.
According to their agreement, Anne and Kevin were indeed supposed to divorce as soon as Anne delivered a child for the Fu Family. While they were still formally together, Kevin was not allowed to have intimate relationships with other women.
Even if that happened, the only one who could give birth to his child was Anne. But she was so overbearing that she wouldn't even tolerate the idea of physical contact between her husband and other women. Sam's method was working. Soon, the temperature of Anne's body dropped back to normal.
The news that the Fu Family would have a heir was the perfect way to end the dinner party cheerfully.
Long after this was over, Kevin, Master Carl Fu and Selma were all patiently waiting at Anne's bedside.
Standing behind Kevin, Cherry was seething with jealousy. She was not happy with the Fu Family giving all that importance to Anne, but she felt satisfaction at the thought of the divorce happening in ten months.
Opening her eyes languidly, Anne was a bit astonished at the sight of those six faces shadowing hers from above. But after her eyes came into focus and landed on Kevin, her expression darkened at once. Shoving the blanket away, she was about to get out of bed when Sam gently touched her hand, stopping her from getting up. "You are pregnant. From now on, you have to be careful with everything."
Her hand stiffened.
With a voice that was both happy and displeased, Selma addressed her too, "You should be more careful. How did you get yourself sick? Luckily, Sam found it in time." The light in Anne's eyes slowly dimmed until sadness took over the joy of finding out about her pregnancy.
Interpreting her expression as exhaustion, Master Carl Fu pronounced, "Let us all go out so that she can have a good rest. Sam will stay here and take care of her." "Okay." Selma's reply was eager and content. Taking Master Carl Fu's hand in hers, she walked out the door with him.
As to remind him to leave, Cherry pulled Kevin's hand intently.
But he didn't move. As though paralyzed, he just stood there with his eyes fixed on Anne. In his gaze, joy, guilt and sadness were mixing up in a fervent dance.
Having to deal with three emotions at once made him feel a little awkward. He had always been a resolved and domineering man.
Upon the realization that Anne had not faked her faint, he didn't want to leave. But he also didn't know how to apologize.
"Kevin, there's something I need to tell you."
Anne's sharp voice cut through the silence, providing him with an excuse to stay.
Turning to Cherry, he spoke hurriedly, "You go out with Grandpa. I'll be downstairs in a moment."
Cherry didn't want to leave, but the pressure Kevin applied to her hand was an unmistakable signal that she didn't have much choice. In an attempt to display her role in Kevin's life, she kissed him on the cheek and turned around satisfied with herself.
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable and irritated at the sensation of Cherry's warm saliva on his skin, Kevin wiped his cheek. But after his gaze drifted back to Anne, the irritation subsided once more. As he was getting ready to apologize to her, he felt relief wash over him when Anne decided to speak first.
She turned her gaze to him. There was neither hatred nor joy in her eyes, only despair. "I didn't want to escape. It was Ruth Sun who bumped into me making me spill the water on Cherry."