Chapter 29

After the baby fell asleep, I finally dozed off for a while. In that short moment, I had a dream.
In the dream, when I opened my eyes, I found that the child was not on the bed, his little blanket was wrapped on the windowsill.
I crawled over and saw him lying in the flower bed downstairs. I ran downstairs at the speed of light, picked him up, his hands and feet were cold, and he was not breathing. At the moment I stood on the rooftop, I was suddenly awakened by someone shaking me –
"Grace, he's here." I opened my eyes and saw my mother.
"Who?"
"Xiao Xie."
Kenneth?! I was stunned.
I grabbed my mother and asked, "What is he here for?" I admit I was nervous. And I just had a nightmare, with tears still on my face. It has been five days since I left the hospital, no shower, no hair washed, wearing pajamas, looking messy. I definitely don't want him to see me like this.
"Tell me the truth, is this child his?" My mother asked me in a low voice.
"Yes." I finally admitted, "So you better make him leave quickly, what if he tries to fight for custody?"
"Are you stupid? Do you think one person can take care of a child by herself? "The nanny said that you barely slept last night, mom is also worried. Raising a child, it still takes two people. He has come all the way here, it seems that he can't let go of you, and you can't refuse to admit defeat forever.
No matter what happens in the future, you have already given birth to this child, why shouldn't he be responsible for giving birth and raising him as well?"
My mother advised me earnestly. But I didn't think it was reliable. Kenneth, a master's degree holder who has never even entered the kitchen, to let him take care of a child? I dare not even think about it.
The next second, there was a knocking sound at the door.
"It's me. Can I come in?"
It's Kenneth. My mother gave me a signal with her eyes, urging me to talk to him properly.
"I don't want to listen."
When Kenneth entered, he had a shocked look on his face. He stood there, looking like he had been drinking.
"See, I told you I'm busy."
Since what was done was done, I stopped struggling and gave up.
"Whose child is this?" He approached, reaching out to tug at the corner of the child's blanket, staring for a long time.
"It's not yours anyway."
I turned my face away, not wanting to acknowledge him. All the suffering I went through today was thanks to him. And he had the audacity to ask.
"Not mine?" he suppressed some sort of emotion and carefully covered the child with the blanket.
"If I recall correctly, when you were pregnant, you weren't insisting on getting a divorce."
“So what? Can’t I go out and find someone else? You can, but I can’t?”
I looked up at him. A hint of emotion flashed in his eyes.
After a few moments, he suddenly sat beside me, and I could still clearly smell the alcohol on him, just how much did he drink?
"Due date is June 6th, the week you got pregnant, you were in the hotel where I was on a business trip. That night you were in a rush, and I didn't... how much longer did you plan to deceive me?"
My heart skipped a beat. Wasn't he drunk? How is his mind so clear?
"The child is mine, Kenneth, don't even think about contesting it with me." I was direct with my words.
He smiled at me, a hint of teary glimmer in his eyes. "Who said I want to contest it with you?"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm not leaving, I'll have the driver bring my things later."
This is my home, and he's trying to cling onto it?
"How bold of you!" I couldn't believe he had the nerve to do this.
He reached out and touched my head. "I'll freshen up first, I smell like alcohol. I'll borrow the bathroom for a moment." He said as he unbuttoned his tie and went to take a shower.
I was left stunned. A little over ten minutes later, he emerged wearing my bathrobe.
"With your hair all messy and your face unwashed, this really doesn't look like you." He said as he grabbed a towel and came over to wipe my face.
"Whether it looks like me or not, don't touch me!" I dodged him.
But he forcefully pulled me over and glared at me with irritation.
"What do you take me for? You just gave birth, no matter how much of a jerk I am, I wouldn't do it now."
"You!"
I was speechless. When he came to comb my hair again, I refused immediately, but he insisted!
I sighed,
"It's really dirty, I haven't washed my hair in a week."
Greasy and tangled, to be honest, I even find myself disgusting.
"Not dirty." He said seriously, and I almost believed him.
In the end, he helped me comb my hair and went to the bathroom.
"If it's not dirty, why wash your hands?"
See, he still finds me repulsive. I felt depressed.
"It's not because I think you're dirty, it's because I want to hold the baby." He pointed helplessly at the little demon who had just opened his eyes beside him. The little demon seemed particularly curious about this drunkard, he didn't cry or make a fuss, he just stared at him with wide eyes.
"Baby, I am your daddy." He bent down, gently picking up the child.
"Who acknowledged that?" I really couldn't understand him.
"He acknowledged it." He smiled, pointing at the child in his arms. "He's smiling."
I looked at the little demon who had been crying and had a red face just a few minutes ago, now calmly staring at Kenneth.
In his arms, his eyes were curved with a smile, feeling the warmth and frustration of this scene. It turns out that men are unreliable after all. So young, yet already inclined towards dog-like men. Truly a case of collusion. Although I was angry in my heart, seeing the baby smile, I couldn't help but cry. Kenneth was still playing with the child, but when he saw me crying, he suddenly became flustered.
"What's wrong?" He held the baby and approached me, whispering.
"Nothing." I didn't even know why I was crying. Maybe it's because being pregnant is so uncomfortable. Giving birth is so painful. Taking care of a child is so difficult. But when he came, the child suddenly became obedient. It was as if a beam of sunlight had suddenly entered our despairing lives, and it was too dazzling, so I cried.
"What's the reason for the tears?" he continued to ask.
“Can’t I get emotional”"
I pulled up the blanket and hid inside, sobbing. There was silence in the room for a while. Then the nanny came in and took the child away. I thought he had left, so I pulled back the blanket and saw him. He sat quietly by the bedside, staring at me intently.
"So why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Tell you what? Wait for you to tell me to get an abortion?" I retorted.
His face suddenly turned dark. "Is that what you think of me? Do you think Kenneth would make his woman not have a child?"
"You have so many women, if you want a child, there are plenty of people to give birth for you."
His face grew even uglier. After a few seconds of hesitation, he whispered,
"Other than you, I haven't been with anyone else."
He hadn't been with anyone else? I was genuinely surprised. I recalled that night, he seemed so experienced, I actually thought he had been through countless women.
"Who are you trying to fool?"
He lowered his head, looking at me and said in a low voice,
"You have no idea how much pain I went through that night."
My heart skipped a beat. I almost believed him, that he couldn't sleep so he simply held onto me?
"Kenneth, have you no shame?"
"Sometimes, it's okay to have none." He cupped my face and kissed me deeply. I was caught off guard by this sudden kiss. His arms tightened around me, and he kissed me gently. "I was in the wrong, I came too late." He held me, soothing and comforting me over and over again. I found myself indulging in his tenderness, forgetting our agreement to ignore each other. It felt like everything was falling apart, spiraling out of control... I didn't know what I was doing.