"Stop, Krystal. You're startling Nikkie. It's not good for the baby," Richard soothed Krystal.
Krystal gave Richard a fierce glance, then turned to me. "We can't be soft on her forever, Richard. We've been waiting for this baby for so long, and I'm not willing to let our baby down because of her carelessness!"I bowed my head sincerely. Secretly feeling guilty that this baby was not Krystal's as she thought. But on the other hand, I was also tired of not doing anything like this."I'm sorry, Krystal. I promise I won't do anything to harm this baby in the future," I said quietly without daring to raise my head.I heard a long sigh from Krystal. She still nagged me for a while before deciding to go to her room on the second floor.I felt discouraged after being nagged twice by Krystal. It lasted until the next day and was realized by Richard."Krystal doesn't mean anything bad. She loves the baby too much," Richard said as we ate breakfast. I hadn't seen Krystal's shadow since this morning, like she was avoiding me."Are you bored?" asked Richard. I glanced at Richard timidly, then nodded.This morning, he was not wearing formal clothes, just a black hoodie and black pants. Realizing the direction of my gaze, Richard glanced at his clothes and then smiled faintly."I'm taking today off. Let's go for a walk," he invited, excited me.Richard drove his car and took me to the shopping center. We passed a specialty maternity clothing store, and Richard invited me to go in and have a look."Try this on. It looks like it will suit you," Richard handed me a bone-white dress with a calf-length skirt. Followed by other outfits of different styles and colors, one for each model.One thing I had forgotten was that there is no window shopping in the dictionary of the rich. Richard bought all the clothes I tried on.Continuing to the shoe store, Richard specifically selected only shoes and sandals with heels no higher than 3 cm. In no time, the number of shopping bags had filled both of Richard's hands.I offered to carry some of the shopping bags, but Richard flatly refused."Pregnant women can't lift things. Now, let's go there," Richard directed his gaze to the lingerie shop. My face heated up instantly. What was he thinking? Doesn't he feel embarrassed entering that store?"Come on, you'll need a lot of new underwear when your pregnancy gets bigger," Richard explained, realizing my reluctance.I shook my head vigorously, and with a blush, I reasoned that it was better to buy them when my body was more extensive so as not to get the wrong size. Richard considered that and agreed."Richard, you seem to have considered everything," I said as we headed towards the food court."I've been imagining this for a long time, finding out all about pregnancy. Because Krystal wanted to get pregnant and have her child," Richard said with a faint smile.If they've been trying for five years, it's no surprise that Richard seems like a seasoned veteran. I can't imagine how often he's researched and supposed to do all sorts of things to get through pregnancy together."I realize that you get bored doing nothing at home. It can trigger stress, and stress is not good for the baby. I hope today's walk relaxes you," Richard explained.I was touched. Although he seemed to be primarily silent, Richard was attentive to everything. He let me order whatever food I liked without thinking about Krystal's maternity diet.But I went back to choosing salmon, which I didn't like. I should at least appreciate Richard's kindness in providing good nutrition for the baby.Richard occasionally helped me get drinks that were a little out of my reach. He also helped me clean the corners of my mouth from the cream as I enjoyed the ice cream. He casually did all this.Richard even mentioned how my mom's condition was getting better. He showed me some photos of Mom's medical check-ups at the hospital. That was a great relief to my heart."It's not that you can't contact your mom at all. You need to keep your current situation and condition a secret," Richard explained after I saw Mom's photo.How did Richard know that? I avoided contact with Mom because I feared that if Krystal found out, she would get mad at me again."Krystal is not evil. She went through difficult days to get a successor. Please understand her," Richard pleaded. I nodded slowly. I just needed to be patient for another eight months."Krystal said she has scheduled a special trainer for pregnant women to start gymnastics and exercises that are good for pregnant women. How about starting tomorrow?" asked Richard after we finished lunch.I nodded eagerly. I finally had something to do after all those dull days over the past week.I felt a bit sleepy on the way home. We spent the whole day outside. Richard took me to the salon for my haircut and gave me the necessary treatments. We also stopped by a famous cake shop and bought a few pieces to take home.Richard didn't turn the car into the garage right away. Instead, he took it to the lakeside. There was a small gazebo overlooking the lake, and Richard took me there."Can I practice baking in my spare time?" I asked after we sat in the gazebo. Richard raised his eyebrows as he was busy taking out the cake he bought earlier."Why, are you interested in that?" asked Richard, still with his hands busy serving cake and a glass of hot drink at the table.I nodded slowly, tasting a piece of sweet and sour lemon-flavored cake. I told him I never had the chance to learn baking because I was always busy making money."Blake is an all-round chef. For now, learn from him. But it would help if you didn't spend the whole afternoon on it, pay attention so you don't get tired. I'll persuade Krystal to let you."I looked at Richard with a look of disbelief. Richard, who was drinking his coffee, realized my surprise and nodded in confirmation."Thank you so much, Richard. I promise I'll take good care of my pregnancy," I beamed.We spent half an hour there enjoying the quiet and peaceful afternoon before finally returning home.Richard asked Sophie to help him carry our shopping bags inside and told me to go in first. I felt delighted today.Unfortunately, it didn't last long. When I entered the living room, Krystal had already gone home. She sat sullenly on the long sofa with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, not a smile on her face."Where have you been, Miss Nikkie? What time do you think it is? Are you trying to rebel after I gave you a warning yesterday?"Richard’s POV "We went together today to buy some supplies for Nikkie," I quickly rescued the situation. Since yesterday afternoon, Krystal still harbored a bit of resentment towards Nikkie. I understood why, but I couldn't bear to see Nikkie shutting up and cringing at Krystal's scolding. I sent Nikkie to her room and invited Krystal to talk to me alone. I asked Krystal not to get angry at Nikkie because it would affect her stress levels. "She's just bored, not trying to harm our baby. Why don't we invite that special gymnastics trainer for pregnant women tomorrow? I think it's time for Nikkie to start some light exercise to make the birthing process go smoothly," I coaxed as I hugged Krystal. Krystal let out a long sigh, lowered her arms, and hugged me back. "That's fine if you say so. I don't want everything to end in vain," Krystal said. I understood her anxiety. Krystal had had a difficult few work days that affected her emotions. After calming her down, I stayed with her
Richard's POV"Who are you? What do you want?" I shouted, trying to calm the panic. "Hands above your head!" repeated the voice. This time, I felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar. I quickly put my hands up. My mind couldn't escape Nikkie. I hoped nothing wrong would happen to her.The faint light continued to approach me slowly. I tried to focus my vision on the figure behind the dim candlelight."Make a wish!" the familiar voice commanded me again. When my brain started to recognize the owner of this voice, I lowered my hand. It was Nikkie's voice."What the hell, Nikkie? You've got me worried, you know?" I couldn't stop myself from nagging her."Quick, make a wish. My hands are tired of holding this cake," Nikkie said with a mischievous grin. She paid no heed to my nagging. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to make a wish like she told me to. I wished for the baby in Nikkie's womb to grow up healthy. It was an unnecessary request, as I would do everything to make tha
Richard's POV"Did you get slapped?" I asked. I put away the book I was reading and noticed a minor wound on the corner of Krystal's lip. It wouldn't have been noticeable if blood hadn't oozed from it."I caught that idiot Trevor kissing in the science lab. With Claudia, that slutty girl!"I kept staring at the corner of Krystal's injured mouth as she spoke. Something inside my chest was churning with heat. I wanted to find Trevor and pay him back for what he did to Krystal. Three times over. "I grabbed Claudia's hair, but that made Trevor mad and yell at me. I hate being yelled at, so I slapped him and told him we were breaking up. Trevor was outraged and slapped me back. Ah, shit! I'm still annoyed at Claudia's smug expression when Trevor slapped me!"I let out a long sigh. Thankfully, at least Krystal had payback at Trevor first. I'll get him back twice as much.I was still thinking of a plan to get back at Trevor when Aaron suddenly appeared beside me with a stack of books in his
Nikkie's POV"Nikkie, why don't you ever come see me? What kind of work are you doing in that place?" I could hear my mother's words even though she was far from where I stood. All around me was my bedroom at Krystal's house, and all the windows and exits were locked.I banged on the window, shouting apologies to my mother. But she was sinking further into the lake, her hands reaching me for help.I screamed and cried as much as I could, pounding on the dead-locked windows. I wanted to go there and save Mom. The sight was so frightening. I didn't want her to leave me."Nikkie, wake up!" I heard a faint voice that became clearer and clearer. My body also felt shaken, and my cheeks hurt slightly from being patted."Nikkie!"I opened my eyes; my heart was beating fast, and my eyes were blurry. I rubbed my eyes and felt my eyes get wet. I felt a firm hand slip under my back, holding my arm. A moment later, I felt that arm pulling me to sit against the headboard. I was still trying to re
Nikkie's POV"I know, but can this meeting be postponed?" Richard looks frustrated. He rubbed his head in frustration. The other person's voice on the other side was no longer loud. Richard then hung up, saying he would call back in a while."Go on, I'm fine. I have Sharon to keep me company," I said while rubbing my uncomfortable stomach. Richard looked at me with a complicated expression as if to imply that he didn't want to leave.Sharon picked up the soup bowl and left us alone. The air around us felt heavy because of Richard's moodiness. He didn't say anything. His large hand then moved to stroke my stomach. The warmth spread through the fibers of my clothes, sending a sense of comfort. Unconsciously, I let out a comfortable sigh. I closed my eyes to enjoy the stroking."I'll leave after you sleep. Get some rest," I faintly heard Richard speak. I don't know when I fell asleep.All I knew was that when I woke up, I no longer had Richard by my side. I didn't feel nauseous anymore,
Nikkie's POV"Why? Don't you think we should make the most of the time we have left?" asked Richard with a mischievous smile. My face felt hot as a result of him saying that. Making the most of the remaining time? What does he want to do? Don't tell me that..."Hahaha, why is your face so red? Don't worry. I won't do anything out of line. We're already under contract. Or... are you imagining something else?" Richard whispered in my ear. His deep voice successfully sent goosebumps all over my body. I quickly pulled the blanket over myself and turned my back to Richard. Trying to save myself from embarrassment. The sound of low laughter could be heard from behind, along with a warm embrace from Richard, who was snuggled under the same blanket."Why are you so cute, Nikkie? Made me want to bite you," Richard whispered in a muffled voice from behind. I could only stand still, my body stiffening even more as I felt Richard rubbing his face against my back. I didn't know how to react. Th
Richard's POV"Sharon, get some warm water and a towel to compress! Bring some drinking water, too!" I opened the first aid kit in a hurry and took out a thermometer to take Nikkie's temperature. The reading on the thermometer showed 37.4 degrees Celsius. "What happened? She was fine this morning," I demanded an explanation from Krystal while I waited for Sharon to get the requested items.I was preparing to leave when I received a call from Krystal. She was confused because Nikkie kept spitting food and wasn't getting out of bed. I had called Aaron on the way home. Aaron said that if Nikkie's fever didn't reach 39 degrees Celsius overnight, then there was no need to take her to the hospital. The fever is her body's response to a lack of nutrients and fluids. It can also be caused by stress."I just invited her to have lunch together. Everything was fine until moments later when I suddenly heard a sound like someone throwing up. And sure enough, when I looked into the room, Nikkie
Richard's POV"I understand. I'll try to keep my emotions stable," Nikkie said. She didn't sound as excited as before. I felt something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was. Nikkie finally fell asleep a while later. I took this time to eat, then went back to check on her. Nikkie was sleeping restlessly. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her breathing was rapid, and her forehead was sweaty. I touched her forehead, which was still as hot as before. It was almost 11 pm, and Nikkie still had a fever.I continued to compress Nikkie for an hour. Nikkie occasionally moaned in her sleep, making me unable to bear it. I suddenly remembered an unusual way to reduce fever. I had practiced this on Krystal when she had a fever a few years ago, and it had successfully lowered her fever.I hesitated for a while before deciding to do it. It seemed okay; Nikkie wouldn't know. I slowly brought my face closer to Nikkie's by suppressing my guilty conscience. From 5 centimeters away, I could feel the hea