Chapter 52: Disappointment


    Very soon, Sampson’s voice was heard, “L, it’s me.”


    Dolores’ tone became very anxious, “Yes.”


    Sampson paused for a moment before saying, “The woman you mentioned is dead…”


    “What?” Sampson had not finished and was interrupted by Dolores. How did she die? She was clearly


    healthy and not that old. How could she die just like that?


    “L.” Sampson called out to her tenderly tofort her, “Don’t be worked up. This issue doesn’t need


    to be investigated through this woman…”


    Dolores gripped the phone tightly and was anxious. She couldn’t calm down and she wasn’t sure why


    she was so anxious. Was it because her hopes were dashed or something else? She didn’t know. She


    only knew that she was unsettled.


    Her eyes drooped, “Is there anymore leads?” Did she over expect this?


    Sampson was silent. The two remained silent but didn’t end the call. It was so quiet that they could


    hear each other’s breathing.


    After a long while, Sampson said, “L…” he said then paused, “Do you really want to know who the


    father of the child is?”


    Dolores lowered her head to look at her feet. The sun rays fell around her feet and the shadows were


    swaying. She asked herself, did she really want to know who is the father of her child?


    Dolores asked herself. When did she have such thoughts? She only started to have this desire after


    sensing the clue on Matthew.


    “If the answer disappoints you and it isn’t the one you expected, will you still want to know?” Sampson


    continued to ask.


    Dolores didn’t know how to answer the following questions. Perhaps she was conflicted inside her.


    “Why aren’t you replying?” Sampson forced an answer.


    There were many types of feelings in existence. One type was known as love through familiarity. She


    had lived with Matthew under the same roof. Would that result in love? This was why Sampson


    questioned her.


    “L…”


    “I’m listening.” Dolores interrupted him, worried that he will ask something that she couldn’t answer.


    It was at night in A country. Sampson was standing by the roadside of a different country. The street


    lights cast a long shadow of him along the ground…


    He lowered his head to look at his own shadow. Actually, he also wanted to know if the man that night


    was Matthew as Dolores suspected. The woman was dead and the hotel’s security video recordings


    had been erased.


    But he had found out the truth. He took Dolores’ photograph and asked within the hotel. A hotel staff


    recognized Dolores and saw what happened that night and told him confidently that the man was


    Matthew. But he didn’t want to acknowledge that and perhaps he didn’t want Dolores to know.


    If they had a child together, then even if Matthew didn’t like her, would he for the sake of the child… He


    didn’t dare to think further and he didn’t want Dolores to know. He liked her and wanted to take care of


    her. He was after all the first one who saw her. He had seen her since she was a kid.


    “L, I found out that the man that night…” Sampson gripped his cellphone tightly.


    Dolores’s heart jumped and felt as if it was stuck to her throat.


    Suddenly she was covered by a shadow. She turned around and a person approached from the bright


    light. The deep features were hidden by the bright sunlight. Through the light scattered by the floating


    dust, she saw clearly who he was and her expression became nervous and defensive.


    She was anticipating for Sampson to say the person whom she guessed.


    “He was a local,” Sampson said.


    Boom.


    This answer was like setting off a bomb in Dolores’ heart. Local? That meant that what she saw on


    Matthew was just a coincidence. Was her guess wrong?


    “L, did you hear me?”


    “I’m busy, bye.” Dolores ended the call in a hurry. In her anxiety, she dropped the phone with a thud.


    She was about to bend over to pick it up but Matthew picked it up before her. He looked at the number


    on the phone and narrowed his eyes, “Who was that to cause you to be so nervous when you saw


    me?”


    Dolores pretended to be calm, “I wasn’t nervous. Your sudden appearance scared me.”


    Matthewughed and bent over to look at the woman, “Really?”


    Dolores felt a chill running down her spine when he stared at her and couldn’t reply. At this moment,


    Coral served the apples and broke the tensed moment.


    “These apples are crunchy and sweet. Have a taste.” Coral ced the apples on the table.


    Dolores quickly looked away from Matthew’s gaze to pick up the apples. They were very sweet and


    juicy. She took one for Matthew, “Have one.”


    Matthew looked down and didn’t move and stared at her hand with the apple.


    Dolores waved the apple at his lips. It was cool and sweet. Dolores blinked and said, “It’s really sweet.”


    Matthew took a bite and looked at her, “I’ll forgive you since you’re so understanding.”


    Of course, he knew that she was trying to change the topic. Coralughed and understood that it was


    time for her to leave and supervised the workers outside.


    Dolores pursed her lips and didn’t dare to retort. He chewed the apple while removing his jacket and


    threw it on the sofa and sat on the sofa. He looked at the piano and asked, “Can you y the piano?”


    Dolores turned around, looked at that piano, and nodded, “I knew a long time ago but I haven’t touched


    it for a while. My fingers are all stiff now.” She said as she looked down at her fingers.


    Matthew looked over at her slim and fair fingers but her palms were calloused. He frowned and was


    about to reach out for her hands when she stood up and walked towards the piano. She sat at the


    piano with the lights behind her and her fingers gently rest on the piano keys. Ding, a crisp sound rang


    from the piano.


    The sound was clean and crisp.


    She wrung her hands to get back the feel and although it had been years since shest yed the


    piano because she had learned for many years, she was still confident enough to y.


    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and ced her fingers gently on the keys.


    She began to y the melodious music of ‘Sadness and Happiness’. This was the first music score


    that she learned and one which she loved. As she yed, the images of happiness and sadness


    appeared in her mind… Her existence was short but she had experienced so much.


    Matthew looked at her back view and was deep in thoughts. Were the callouses in her hands caused in


    A Country? Was she terribly hurt when she was abandoned by her father?


    As he pondered, he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. He was visibly upset by the untimely


    ringing. He frowned angrily as Dolores stopped ying when she heard the phone ring.


    The room immediately fell silent and the ringing of the cell phone became more pronounced. Dolores


    stood up and walked over curiously as to why he didn’t answer the call. As she walked over, she saw


    the phone indicating the caller’s name, Helen.


    Dolores sat opposite him, “It’s Ms. White, why don’t you answer?”


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    Matthew blinked and looked away as if to indicate that she was intruding. Of course, he didn’t feel like


    answering and that was why he didn’t answer.


    But the caller was very persistent. The phone continued to ring relentlessly.


    Dolores smiled, “Are you worried that I listen in to your conversation? Then I won’t bother you…”


    She stood up and was about to walk away when Matthew grabbed her wrist and with a pull, she fell


    and sat onto his thigh. She wanted to move but was tightly gripped by Matthew around her waist.


    Matthew answered the call with his other hand …