Semua Bab My Ex’s Pregnant Sister: Bab 101 - Bab 108

The clock on the wall read 9:47 p.m.Too late for courtesy.Too late for casual visits.Too late for anything good.Johnny stood at the doorway with one hand still on the knob, staring at Richard as if deciding whether the law covered pushing a man back down the front steps.Richard, meanwhile, looked calm.Fresh shave.Pressed shirt.Gift bag in one hand.The expression of a man who wanted to appear reasonable while doing something unreasonable.“Thought I’d come early,” Richard said again.“Tomorrow is my first visitation.”Johnny did not move.“And tonight is not.”Richard smiled faintly.“I’m not here to argue.”“That would make tonight your first surprise.”Behind Johnny, Grace appeared at the foot of the stairs.She had been folding baby clothes in the living room when the doorbell rang.Now she stood barefoot in loose home clothes, one hand resting on the railing, eyes instantly alert.“Richard?”He looked past Johnny to her.“Good evening.”Grace descended the last few steps s

The drive across town felt endless.Every red light felt like a big delay.Every slow driver an enemy.Every second another moment Grace’s daughter was somewhere else.Johnny gripped the steering wheel so tightly the veins in his hands stood out.Grace sat beside him calling again and again.Richard.Voicemail.Again.Voicemail.Again.Nothing.Her breathing had changed twenty minutes ago.Too fast.Too shallow.Johnny noticed but said nothing yet.From the back seat, Grace’s father barked directions like gprs. “Take the next turn.”“I know.”“Use the left lane.”“I know.”“You should have never let him leave with her.”Silence filled the car.Then regret.He cleared his throat.Grace stared out the window and whispered:“I know.”That was worse than accusation.The GateRichard’s mother’s compound stood behind high cream walls topped with cameras and trimmed hedges pretending wealth meant warmth.The black gate was shut.Johnny braked hard.Grace was out of the car before it fully s

Morning arrived slowly after a night full of tension.Grace barely slept.Every small sound from the crib made her sit up and check the baby. Even when their daughter breathed too softly, Grace reached out to touch her chest just to be sure she was there.Johnny noticed.He said nothing.Sometimes comfort spoken too early only reminded pain it still existed.He dressed for work in silence while Grace stood by the mirror brushing her hair.“Are you going in today?” she asked.“Yes.”“You don’t have to.”“I do.”He buttoned his shirt and glanced toward the crib.“If I stay home, I’ll think about yesterday all day.”Grace turned.“And if you go?”“I’ll think about yesterday while moving.”That made her smile faintly.He walked over, kissed her forehead, then the baby’s cheek.“No surprises today,” he said.Grace looked at him.“With this family?”Johnny almost smiled.“Fair point.”Anita Needs AdviceAcross town, Anita sat on the edge of Jackson’s guest bed with hospital papers in her la

One year later.The house that once held too many arguments now held too many toys.Plastic cars lined the hallway like traffic. Tiny shoes gathered near the door in mismatched pairs. Someone’s doll lay face down under the sofa. A stuffed elephant sat proudly on the dining chair as though it paid rent.Grace stood in the kitchen laughing to herself as she watched the chaos.This kind of mess she loved.She moved slower now, one hand resting instinctively on the curve of her stomach. Seven months pregnant, she had learned to accept help without pretending she did not need it.The baby inside her kicked often.Johnny said that meant stubbornness.Grace said it meant strength.Their daughter, now older and faster than seemed fair, ran through the sitting room carrying crayons like weapons.“Daddy said I can draw!”Johnny’s voice came from upstairs.“I said on paper!”Grace sighed.“Too late.”She followed the child and found a blue line already decorating the wall.Johnny stood nearby ho