Chapter 5

Winifred hurried over, but she didn't manage to stop Heather from opening the door in time.

A well-dressed Timothy stood outside, and behind him was his driver, Adam Hook, holding multiple bags.

Seeing this, Heather and Liam eagerly welcomed their son-in-law with bright smiles and non-stop compliments.

Winifred glanced outside, and that's when she heard Timothy say very courteously, "Heather, Liam, I'm here to take Winnie home."

The older couple was very pleased with how respectful Timothy was to them, especially since Timothy and Winifred weren't even married yet. And once they did get married, he would surely treat them even better, so they were very pleased.

This used to make Winifred happy, too, but not anymore.

She took the medication back to the bedroom and placed it in her bag. Then she stepped into the bathroom.

The moment she did so, she heard her mother ask, "Timothy, Winnie lost the baby and had a spontaneous abortion. You're not angry, are you?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She could feel her mother's submissiveness.

Timothy, however, was stunned. "Winnie's pregnant?"

"That's right. You didn't know?"

Winifred stopped listening. She closed the bathroom door, put the lid down on the toilet, and sat on it. Suffocation and panic filled her.

What would Timothy think now that he knew she had been pregnant but lost the baby? What would he do? Would he blame her?

Soon, Timothy was knocking on the door, his voice anxious. "Winnie, can you please open the door?"

Winifred hesitated for a while before opening the door. The moment it opened, Timothy pulled her into his arms, pressing her face into his chest.

She could clearly feel Timothy's frantic heartbeat, as well as his nervous breaths against her neck.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Or that you lost it? Are you trying to bury me in guilt, Winnie?"

She hadn't expected Timothy to blame himself.

She gave him a push, but he didn't let go and just hugged her tightly. His voice was so hoarse that it trembled a little when he asked, "When did the baby…"

Winifred remained in his embrace, breathing in the familiar yet heart-wrenching smell.

"The night before last," she mumbled.

Timothy stiffened, then he tightened his hold on her. "How did it happen?"

"It happened because I got so distraught seeing you go to a hotel with Selena," she thought to herself.

Winifred closed her eyes as she answered, "Maybe the baby didn't want to come to this world. I only found out I was pregnant because my stomach hurt."

Timothy buried his head in the curve of her neck and said in a low voice. "I wondered why you called so many times that night. And your bleeding wasn't because you got your period either. As it turns out… I'm so sorry, babe."

He pressed a reverent kiss on her earlobe. "If I had known, I would've stayed with you even if the sky was falling. Can you forgive me? Your hubby knows he's made a mistake."

But she couldn't forgive him.

She just didn't want to have an ugly falling out with the man she loved dearly, and that was why she was choosing to leave quietly.

And it would be soon. Just 28 days more.

Then, no one in this house would ever see her again.

She said softly, "Let go of me."

Timothy finally released her, and he cupped her delicate face. Winifred saw concern and pain in his eyes.

But why? Hadn't he stopped loving her? Was he also faking his concern and pain?

Timothy said gently, "I thought you were behaving strangely these past two days. You should've told me that you had a miscarriage. I'm supposed to go through these hardships with you."

Every inch of Winifred's body felt like it was in pain. How could he appear to be so in love with her while also cheating on her at the same time?

"I didn't want to worry you."

"You're only worrying me more now." Timothy sighed.

"I won't take on any more overtime for the near future. I'll stay at home with you every day until you get better. We can still have children in the future, too.

"Don't cry, your eyes are all swollen. It pains me to see you like this."

"Does it really?"

Timothy kissed her cheek softly. "I love you, so of course I hurt when you're hurting."

Winifred's eyes brimmed with tears at his words.

She was finding it more and more difficult to determine whether his love for her was real or fake.

Timothy gently held her and cleaned her face while saying sweet nothings and offering her sufficient emotional support. After she got cleaned up, they then went to the dining room and found that lunch was ready.

Timothy personally ladled a bowl of chicken stew for Winifred, giving her the drumstick as well.

Liam was pleased to see this, and Heather beamed too. "Such a good son-in-law."

"It's because Winnie is amazing, and that's why I want to treat her well, too," Timothy chuckled.

He then added, "A miscarriage is something none of us wanted to happen, but we're still young, and we'll have children sooner or later. Liam, Heather, don't worry, and please don't blame Winnie either."

Heather answered, "Right. No one's blaming her."

But after a second, she continued hesitantly, "It's just that we have a superstition that says that women who are recovering from postpartum, regardless of whether it was a successful childbirth or not, are not allowed to return to their parents' house as it'll bring misfortune on their family.

"The way to prevent this bad luck is to hang a rosemary garland on the door. Of course, if you're willing, it'll be even better if you weave some money into the garland."

Timothy answered politely, "Sure, no problem. I'll have someone take care of it immediately. I'm sorry, we didn't know there was such a superstition. I'll transfer some money to you right away."

He immediately pulled out his phone, but Winifred quickly stopped him. "I can take care of the money. 200 dollars is usually enough."

She knew that Timothy always transferred large amounts, and she didn't want her parents to spend any more of his money.

Heather looked a little upset, but with Timothy there, she couldn't quite do anything.

Timothy noticed this, and he said with a smile, "I'll transfer the money to Winnie, and she can make the final decision."

He then transferred 100 thousand dollars directly into Winifred's debit card.

Timothy and Winifred left right after lunch. When they got into the elevator, Timothy took off his coat and draped it over her. As he adjusted her hair, he squeezed her earlobe flirtily.

"Trying to stash some money for yourself, huh?"

"It's not that. Don't give them money anymore."

"I'm happy to. I'm happy to give money to my wifey's parents. They raised such a beautiful daughter who ended up marrying me, so I'll be forever in their debt. Of course, I have to treat them well."

This side of Timothy always delighted his elders, but it was no longer something she wanted.

Winifred raised her head to look at him. It felt as if a hundred needles were poked into her heart as she asked, "What if I don't want to go on with the wedding?"

Timothy's expression changed immediately. "Absolutely not. I can't live without you. The wedding must go on!"

He then held onto her possessively and said, "If my working overtime two nights ago cost us the baby, then you can punish me however you want, but you can't ask to break up. You can't not want me, okay?"

"Then… Would you ever cheat on me?"

"No. Never. I love only you."

Winifred closed her eyes in despair.

When she got in the car, she saw that her mother had sent her a message telling her to transfer the 100 thousand dollars to either her or Wayne, so as to ward off the bad luck.

Winifred didn't reply. She was disappointed in her parents, too. She wondered if they would cry out of devastation when they found out she had disappeared.

Once they got home, Timothy hired two nutritionists to cater to her meals. He also stayed home and kept her company, just like he had said.

She didn't have much of an appetite, and Timothy had to coax her to eat more at each meal.

She couldn't help but wonder if he was as attentive and observant with Selena, too.

And just like that, a week passed.

She had secretly checked Timothy's phone during that time. She had found messages from Selena trying to lure him over, but he had surprisingly not replied.

That night, Timothy didn't arrive home at 7:00 pm like usual. Instead, he messaged Winifred a photo showing that he was in a meeting.

Aside from him, there were also other executives and a sharply dressed man in the photo. This man, with his defined eyebrows and striking eyes, happened to be staring at his phone. Even from the photo, his gaze appeared dark and piercing.

Winifred recognized this man. He was Cyrus Littrell, Timothy's childhood best friend, and they could always be seen together.

With how close they were, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that Cyrus would cover for Timothy. So, how could she trust the photo?

Winifred wanted to know the truth, so she took a cab and went straight to Timothy's office building.