There stood Marcus, impeccably dressed.
Noticing Melissa hiding her face, he offered a gentle smile and cheerfully announced, âMorning! Breakfast is ready!â
At the sound of his voice, Melissa sat up and playfully complained, âWhy didnât you wake me up earlier?â
âI thought you must be exhausted from last night,â Marcus replied slowly.
Melissa found herself at a loss for words.
âIâve informed your assistant.
You wonât need to head to the office until afternoon,â Marcus added in a soft voice.
Melissa paused to look at Marcus, and then lay back.
Her gaze fixed on the ceiling and she showed no interest in leaving the bed.
She was indeed feeling the aftereffects of their night together.
She felt so sore.
Marcus entered and took a seat next to her.
He gently pulled the blanket off Melissaâs face and said softly, âItâs important to have breakfast, even if youâre not working this morning.
Later, we will go to your apartment to bring your things here.
This place has plenty of room and is very comfortable, and you know how much Matthew enjoys being here.
â
In the past, Melissa would have flatly refused such an offer from him.
This time, however, she didnât argue or say anything in response.
Instead, she simply gazed at Marcus.
He softly stroked her cheek and urged, âGo get ready for the day.
Youâll find your clothes in the dressing room.
â
Attempting to get up, Melissa realized she was only wearing Marcusâ shirt.
The thought made her shy.
With a gentle smile, Marcus touched her cheek and teased, âWhat? Itâs not like I havenât gotten a chance to see you like this before.
â
âThatâs not the same thing!â Melissa protested.
Just then, Matthewâs voice from another room interrupted them.
Marcus reassured her with a gentle pat and excused himself, âAlright, Iâll check on Matthew.
â
Concerned about Matthew, Melissa quickly followed Marcus out of the bedroom.
In the guest room, they found Matthew sitting on the large bed with a small box resting beside him.
Inside the box was a sparkling diamond ring, next to which lay an old receipt.
Matthew, too young to understand the writing, simply stared at the receipt with curious eyes.
.
He was even about to fold it into a paper airplane.
Marcus approached the little boy.
That was a slip that showed where Melissa purchased birth control, a piece of paper heâd held onto for quite some time.
With his little legs apart, Matthew was busy trying to craft a paper airplane from the slip.
Upon noticing Marcus, he lifted his gaze and inquired with curiosity, âDaddy, what is this?â
The moment Melissa caught sight of the slip, her eyes met Marcusâ, and suddenly, the air around them felt tense.
Marcus let out a sigh.
He couldnât possibly explain to Matthew what the slip meant!
However, stumbling upon it wasnât entirely bad.
It was time to let it go!
Glancing towards Melissa, Marcus said in a gentle tone, âGo freshen up.
Iâll take care of him.
â
Before she walked away, Melissa couldnât help but give the receipt one last look.
She was rather speechless.
Marcus Fowler, what a weirdo!
As they sat down for breakfast, Julieâs call came through.
Melissa chose not to share the events of the previous night and instead fabricated a different story.
Then she ended the call.
Marcus fixed his gaze on her and inquired, âSo? You prefer Julie stays in the dark about us?â
âItâs not that! I just donât want her fretting over me,â Melissa explained.
Without another word, Marcus poured her a glass of milk.
As Melissa sipped it slowly, she mentioned, âI have something crucial to attend to this morning.
Could we sort out the movement of my stuff later in the evening?â
Marcus felt a surge of happiness knowing Melissa was willing to move in with him.
With a soft smile, he responded, âOkay, itâs your call.
â
Following those words, Melissa went back to finishing her breakfast.
Afterwards, she assisted Matthew in setting his plate on the table and patiently showed him how to use a fork.
Matthew was clever and well-behaved.
Melissa found herself captivated by the young boy for a long while.
The thought of separating from Matthew was something she still couldnât bearâ¦