Pearl initially suspected the child might be Richard''s but quickly dismissed the idea as absurd. There was no way Richard could have fathered a child with someone else.


    Besides, the child looked about three years old, and Pearl had known Richard for four years. Richard was deeply engrossed in his work in their first year of acquaintance. He wouldn''t have had tfor another rtionship.


    However, the child''s striking resemnce to Richard made Pearl ponder further.


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    In the end, Pearl mustered the courage to approach the child and spoke softly, "Excuse me..." The child''s mother seemed to recognize Pearl. Fear shed in her eyes when she saw Pearl.


    "I don''t know you. Please stay away from us," she said. Then, the woman grabbed the child''s arm, ready to pull him away.


    "I mean no harm, I just wanted to ask a question," Pearl said, feeling helpless.


    However, the woman quickly interrupted, "I told you I don''t know you. Please don''t harass us, stranger." The woman''s words were firm, but Pearl couldn''t shake off the fear she saw in her eyes.


    The child looked up, slightly surprised, and asked, "Mommy, who is thisdy?" "She''s nobody, just a stranger." Finally, under Pearl''s stunned gaze, the woman grabbed the child''s hand and hurriedly left.


    This encounter almost confirmed to Pearl that the child was somehow rted to Richard. The woman''s look indicated that she knew Pearl, but she seemed terrified of being recognized by her.  Besides, she protected the child as if she feared that Pearl might snatch him away.


    Pearl was baffled. She usly bumped into the door returning to the wo with the ice pack.  SW "I can''t believe you hit the door freven when you''re walking. How clumsy." Pearl didn''t have the energy to banter with ude then, as the incident reyed in her mind. Seeing Pearl lost in thought, ude couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong? You look distracted." "I ran into someone out there." ude was curious. "Who was it?" Pearl hesitated, aplex expression flickering in her eyes. "A little boy who looks a lot like Richard." ude''s eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Did Richard cheat on you and have a kid?" "And that boy looks about three years old. He can even talk." ude clicked his tongue. "I''m sure that''s his kid. After all, when you first met, he didn''t care much about you.


    so it''s normal for him to fool around outside."  Pearl knew ude was just teasing her, but those words only made her more ufortable.