Wendy did not notice the strange look on Stellaâs face.
âWhy donât you come over and play with him?â she asked.
But that was Guinevereâs baby. The baby she had with Weston.
Stellaâs eyes almost trembled with all that suppressed emotion, but she still had to pretend that she was fine.
âNever mind,â she refused. âI have no experience with children. I donât even know how to hold themâ¦â
âItâs really not that hard!â
With Zach in her arms, Wendy walked towards Stella and handed him to her.
âEvery woman has to learn how to do it someday anyway,â she told Stella. âCome on; Iâll teach you how to hold him!â
Wendy was so kind to her that she found it hard to refuse her, but at the same time, she just froze when Wendy pushed Zachâs little body towards her. The boy leaned against her chest; his face flushed red from all the crying. Soon, he closed his eyes and cried his lungs out again â¦
âWaaah! Waaah!â
Stellaâs whole body stiffened. She looked down lumberingly at the boy, not knowing what to do or say.
Wendy laughed when she saw how clueless and awkward Stella was with Zach.
âYou have to coax and soothe him!â
ââ¦but how do I do that?â
âJust shake his arm a bit. Pat his back a little. Be gentle.â
Stella did as she was told and imitated what Wendy did earlier with Zach.
âDonât cryâ¦â she cooed, gently patting Zachâs tiny back. âItâs alrightâ¦â
Perhaps there was a special connection between Zach and Stella, or perhaps Zach was just tired from all the crying, but in any case, he suddenly stopped crying.
The boy let out a long sigh, and his reddened face gradually recovered as he stretched and yawned as though he was so cozy that he was ready to sleep.
âAhhâ¦â
âDid he stop crying just like that?â Stella marveled. âHis mood changed so quickly!â
âChildren are like that,â Wendy nodded. âOne minute theyâre crying their lungs out, the next minute they start laughing their hearts out! You can never guess what theyâre thinking!â Mixed feelings stirred Stellaâs heart. She gazed fixedly at Zachâs little face, feeling as if she could see her child in this boyâ¦
Chris Ford stomped across the living room, hell-bent on leaving the house, until he bumped into Weston, who had just returned from sending off the guests.
Weston paused his steps and greeted his father with a simple nod and a terse. âDad.â He had always been this chilled and reserved. Chris used to admire this side of his sonâs character, believing it made him independent and reliable and the sort of person who would achieve great success.
But now, it just came off as cold and heartless.
âHow can you still be here after all thatâs happened?!â he barked.
âWhere did you expect me to be, Dad?â
âYou should be with Gwen, comforting her! Donât you know how heartbroken she must be right now?â
Westonâs lips twitched.
âI think youâre in a much more suitable position to comfort her,â he reminded his father. âSo why donât you do it instead, Dad?â
Chris gasped hard as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. He took a few steps back and slapped his forehead, defeated âI shouldâve expected this,â he said with a tone of regret. âOf course, you wouldnât be willing to settle down and marry Gwen, now that youâve fallen for that woman⦠So all those promises you gave me meant nothing at all to you, huh?â
Chris was no longer challenging his son. He merely stated the facts with a sense of powerlessness.
Weston remained silent, his countenance impenetrable, and his eyes were like a stormy night at sea â
dark and turbulent.
âI just had a huge fight with your mother,â Chris muttered. He leaned back against the wall beside him as if utterly drained of energy.
âIf you didnât care so much about Gwen, you and Mom would never have fought,â Weston replied. âIf you could just be with Gwen, then I wouldnât be worried about her so much,â Chris sighed. âIf you would take care of her, then I can finally relax.â
Even now, his father still insisted on forcing Guinevere on him.
âAre you saying that itâs my fault that you and Mom are fighting?â he interrupted Chris plainly, looking straight at him.
âThatâs⦠thatâs not what I meantâ¦â