When Leanne''s estrangement from the Richardson family became public knowledge, Devin was more
devastated than if he''d gone through a breakup himself.
"It''s nothing," Curtis said, clicking the pen shut with an air of indifference that made it seem as if they
were discussing the unremarkable weather of a typical summer day. "Same as always."
Devin couldn''t grasp the situation. "She didn''t even show up for Mary''s 80th birthday bash. How is that
the same as always?"
Curtis couldn''t be bothered to exin. He stood up from his chair and yfully pped Devin on the
head as if he were a mischievous pup. "Go entertain yourself."
Joy had been staying at Leanne''s Castle for nearly a month by then, arriving just a few days after
Curtis had moved out.
Concerned about Leanne''s well-being, Joy took all the leave she could from work. She avoided the
office unless absolutely necessary, choosing instead to spend her days in the garden with Leanne.
Their time together felt more like a vacation than anything else.
The summer in Stonebridge was on another extreme, with the heat crawling everyone''s skin and the
sun scorching the earth. Only the gardens in this bustling city offered some respite from the relentless
heat. What surprised Joy, however, was Leanne''s stable mood. She wasn''t sad or depressed but spent
her days gardening, ying with the cats, feeding the fish, and preparing her application for Medical
School in Embend.
Selina would visit now and then, sometimes bringing beer and crawfish, other times ice cream, cake,
and bubble tea.
This time, she brought nutritious chicken soup. After eating their fill, Joy lounged on the rocking chair,
sipping on freshly squeezed watermelon juice, and patted her belly contentedly. "Life''s pretty sweet
when you''re eating and resting well.."
Leanne was buried in her textbooks at the table. Despite the heat, the air conditioning was on low for
Joy''sfort. Leanne had draped a shawl over her shoulders while a cat napped in herp. Hearing
Joy, Leanne didn''t respond.
"You haven''t gained a pound, but here you are, packing on the pounds," Selina teased. "You sure
you''re not pregnant?"
Leanne paused her note-taking and looked up at them.
Joy quickly kicked Selina under the table, causing her to bite her tongue. Wincing in pain, Selina
retaliated with a lisp, "She''s the one who told me!"
Leanne turned to Joy, "How did you know?"
Leanne''s period had been over a weekte that month, initially attributing it to stress. On the tenth day,
she took a pregnancy test, and the two clear red lines couldn''t be denied.
It was onlyst week''s news. She hadn''t even sorted out her feelings yet. Somehow, they guessed it as
if they could read her like a book.
No wonder Selina brought nutritious soup today.
"I saw the pregnancy test in the
vel
bathroom after you showered.. Imagine if Laura had found it instead," Joy said, gaining confidence.
"Imagine the drama if
she identally told Curtis S
"Exactly," Selina chimed in. "We can''t let the Richardson family find out."
"Their kind wouldn''t want their
bloodline outside the family. If the
This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.
child grows up outside and then
el
inheritance, it''d be chaos. But considering Hanley''s example, they might not want you to have the
baby."
Leanne hadn''t kept her breakup with Curtis a secret, not that she could have.
They were resolutely on her side, no questions asked.
Leanne stroked the cat''s sleek fur. "I haven''t decided to keep it."
"You''ll definitely keep it," Joy said confidently.
"Why?" asked Leanne.
"Because I''ve got a sixth sense about these things. I''ve foreseen that she''s my destined
goddaughter," Joy imed. "Besides, it''s not like we can''t afford it. If you need help, I''ll quit my job and
be your full-time nanny. You just need to keep us fed and housed."