Chapter 19
Jessica and Zachary sat face to face, quietly eating their meal without exchanging a single word.
It was already late at night. After an exhausting day, she finally lay down on the bed.
The next morning, Jessica slept in until 10:00 am.
Dragging her sore body out of bed, she noticed that the swelling on her face had gone down quite a bit. Still, the pain in her hands was quite irritating, so much so that even brushing her
teeth hurt.
She then changed into casual clothes and walked out.
Zachary was on the living room couch, with a pillow on his lap and a laptop on top of it. He
his glasses as he dealt with business matters.
was a neatly folded blanket. Jessica wondered if he had slept there the night before.
“Morning,” Jessica greeted.
“Morning.” Zachary lifted his head and looked at her before quickly lowering it again.
“Go downstairs for breakfast. After you eat, we’ll do the checkup. Then we can register our marriage,” Zachary said while focusing on his work.
“Alright.” Jessica tugged at the hem of her shirt and went downstairs. She thought that he was moving way too fast. Her head was buzzing with thoughts.
“Good mornin
a household staff member greeted.
namon and spice oatmeal, which perfectly suited her tastes. After finishing
e wandered around the first floor and finally took in the layout of his place.
ront yard was a quaint courtyard filled with flowers and plants. The backyard resembled a Countryside homestead, with a pebble-paved path, a square pavilion, and a manmade fish pond that curved along the wall. It was truly unique.
She looked at it quietly as she allowed her thoughts to drift.
“I had to climb 16 flights of stairs. My legs are about to break.” Joshua had sent her that text earlier in the morning.
Jessica: “Did you offend the elevator? Was it refusing to let you in?”
She recalled how breathless he had been the night before.
Joshua: “I wanted to use it, but just as I got to the elevator, he got your call. There were too many people at that hour, and the elevator had just gone up. Mr. Jones was worried that something might happen to you, so he ran up. I couldn’t exactly wait for the elevator either.”
She was surprised to learn that they had taken the stairs. After all, it was a whole 16 floors to her place.
At some point, Zachary had appeared beside her. “Let’s go.”
Jessica was stunned for a moment. “Okay.”
That day, Blake Manson, the butler who had planned to take leave to visit his hometown, was the one driving. Jessica had seen him a few times after work.
Joshua sat in the front passenger seat, handling paperwork.
This time, they switched to a car with a divider. As soon as they got in, the partition went up, which made Jessica feel a little uneasy. Jessica and Zachary sat in the back, and the divider was
like a wall that separated them.
“If I’m not pregnant…” Jessica started.
“If not this time, then there’s always next time. Don’t stress too much,” Zachary replied.
Jessica’s face heated up again at the mention of a “next time”.
“Did you bring your ID?” Zachary asked.
“Yes.” Jessica nodded.
“Do you have any conditions for me?” Zachary turned his head toward her.
Jessica looked at him, then quickly looked away. “I haven’t given it much thought…”
Zachary replied, “That’s fine. Take your time.”
…
At the hospital, Jessica and Zachary picked up the paperwork that had already been prepared at the nurses’ station and proceeded directly to the ultrasound room. They didn’t have to queue
at all.
Jessica trailed behind him the whole time, like a puppet with no will of her own. Even when she lay down on the examination bed, Zachary stood beside her.
“Maybe you should wait outside,” she shyly suggested.
“No need. It’ll be quick, so you can just pull your pants down,” the doctor smiled and said.
Clearly, she had been briefed in advance.
Clutching her clothes, Jessica’s face turned crimson. “Zachary, can you please wait outside…”
“Alright,” he agreed.
She found it embarrassing since her privates would be exposed.
In less than two minutes, Jessica emerged.
Zachary immediately led her to his aunt, Lucy Lloyd’s office.
