Usually, newborns would suffer from colic or other uncomfortable conditions in the first three months. Aristotle was almost three months old, just a few days shy from it too. However, there were no signs of colic. He ate, drank and excreted normally. This really made her feel helpless.Mark sat next to her with a lifeless look in his eyes, clearly having a headache from all of this noise. This pushed Arianne, who was a new mother, even further into her wits’ end. “What should we do? Smore won’t let Mary hold him, but he still cries even when I’m holding him. Just what does he want?”Mark rubbed the space between his brows in an attempt to massage his headache away. “Give him to me. I’ll take him for a walk around the garden…”She really was at her wits’ end and was willing to try anything at this point. Mark wasn’t the nurturing type, but she was exhausted. Having some peace and quiet sounded like a good idea.During the past month, she had voluntarily set aside all intentions to s
Surprisingly, Aristotle slept all the way through until 6AM. He didn’t even wake up for his night time feed. Instead, he sucked on his fists and fingers when he woke up. His small movements woke Arianne. She stared at the tiny thing next to her. At first, she was shocked. Then, she realized that her son was hungry, so she picked him up to feed him. This was Aristotle’s first time sharing a bed with them, so she was dazed at first. She hadn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep lately, but she managed to fall fast asleep last night. The little guy did not seem to have cried at all… He had just woken up, and he didn’t cry at all. What was going on? Was this her torturous little baby?Mark suddenly turned in his sleep, probably because he was feeling cold from the air-conditioning. He tugged on the duvet. Only then did Arianne realize that he only had a small corner of the duvet the entire night… And the poor man had to sleep at the edge of the bed too. She used to think that the bed
Tiffany paused then said, “Ari, I think I might need you to come with me somewhere. That large refrigerator from Jackson’s mother is still in the condo. The condo has a small fridge too, and it should be enough for Tanya alone. What if she decides to move out one day? Would the fridge be given to the landlord or would she sell it off? I can’t waste someone else’s gift. I have to send someone over to move it to my mom’s place for me. As it happens, my mom was complaining about our small fridge.”Arianne agreed. She hailed a cab on her way out instead of asking Henry to drop her off.Tiffany had already contacted the moving company when the pair met up. She drove her car and led the way, while the moving company’s small truck trailed behind them. Arianne sat in the front seat, fanning herself with her hand. “It’s so hot. More air-conditioning, please.”Tiffany laughed sheepishly. “It’s already at full blast. It’ll cool down soon. We’ve just started our journey anyway. I’ve sent a mess
She pulled out her phone and took a few pictures then walked out the door as if nothing had happened. The fridge had already been moved towards the door. She had no chance to have a private conversation with Tanya, so she could only leave with Tiffany.On the road, her heart sank every time she remembered the pregnancy test kits. Tanya was pregnant. Was Jackson the father? There were so many test kits, which probably meant that she had been waiting for the results, hoping that she was pregnant, right? Things would be complicated if it actually hit the jackpot after that one time. Jackson would be in trouble…Once the fridge had arrived downstairs at Tiffany’s place, Arianne insisted on staying in the car and did not follow her upstairs. She waited for Tiffany to leave, then sent Tanya a message: ‘You’re pregnant? Who’s the father?’Her reply arrived very quickly: ‘You saw the pregnancy tests in the trash? You’re smart enough. You should know whose it is. I’ve only ever done it with
Tiffany shrugged. “Nothing special between us. Our relationship remains in this tepid state. Basically, I see him as no more than a friend who I sometimes have a drink or meal with, but I don’t care what he thinks of me. Ya know, I don’t even go out with him that often, and I suspect that I’ll have even less time to do that in the future… C’mon, Ari, I have zero opinion about him, so stop shooting me that look. It’s seriously rubbing me the wrong way, hon.”The pair reached the Chinese restaurant of their choice and found Alejandro and Jett already waiting for them. After the women took their seats, Jett passed the menu to Arianne, saying, “We’ve ordered some of the dishes, but you may add anything else you fancy, Mrs. Tremont.”Arianne scanned Jett carefully, ignoring the menu. “I’m fine if you’ve made your orders. Tiffie’s favorite dishes are my favorite, too.”Jett nodded in understanding and passed the menu to a waitress standing nearby.It was then that Arianne finally took th
The pair arrived outside Mark’s office and found a very idle Davy seemingly bored out of his wits. When he noticed them, his eyes shone. “Hello! You’re finally here, Madam!”Arianne flashed him a coy smile. “Whoa. That’s not the kinda expression people make when everything’s going well, is it? Don’t worry, I’m here to save the day.”The situation inside the office, however, shocked her. Smore was neither bawling nor throwing tantrums. Instead, he was perched in his father’s arm as the latter focused on his work. The little boy had somehow seized a pen and was having a lot of fun playing with it with his dewy eyes twinkling with alacrity as he babbled unintelligibly to himself.The reality flew in the face of the baby-screaming chaos Arianne had in mind. While she stared in surprise, Mary supplied from the side. “Oh, hello, Madam. I just changed Master Aristotle’s diaper, and all is well. Go ahead and do whatever you like. There is nothing to worry about here. Turns out, Mr. Tremont
Tanya nodded self-consciously. “Y-yes, Aunt Summer.”Tanya wondered if Summer believed she should only appear when Tiffany was also with her. That was the tragedy of her life, Tanya reckoned—she was always a tack-on to someone else. But not today. Today, she came as her own person. Disappointment poured into Summer’s eyes. “Oh, I see. Uh, then… How can I help you?”Tanya took a brave step forward and fished out the pregnancy test result from her bag. “I’ve just received this medical report. Please, have a look.”Summer was baffled. Why a medical report all of a sudden? Why should she be bothered with it? Still, out of courtesy, she took the document from Tanya’s hands and read that it was pertaining to her pregnancy.“Ah. Congratulations, my dear!” Summer noted with a slight smile. “You got yourself a good man, haven’t you? When is the wedding?”Tanya paused for a beat before dropping the news. “The father… is Jackson West.”Summer’s smile froze into an uncanny curve. “W-what?
Atticus, unlike his wife, felt a lot more sympathetic to the poor woman and thought that Summer had been acting a little too callously to her.“Um, Tanya? I think it’d be best to go home for the time being and think long and hard about this. You must excuse my wife; she has a habit of not mincing her words, you see,” he said kindly. “Be that as it may, she meant exactly what she spoke, and my sentiments are aligned with hers. If Jackson doesn’t want this child, it is most unfortunate but beneficial to abort it, don’t you think? You don’t have to worry about your compensation, as we will not leave you wanting. For now, you should head back. The weather’s quite arid these days, so I’ll have my driver send you home, alright?”Tanya nodded and murmured, “T-thank you…”Amidst all of the antipathy and contempt she had suffered, Atticus’s minute display of sympathy quickly became Tanya’s only comfort over these days.From the French window in her bedroom, Summer watched a car belonging to