Grace got up and gently embraced Lina. âIâm sorry for upsetting you!â
W âWhat are you talking about? I just want you to be okay and not be affected by the pain of the past.
After all, you need to keep moving forward, donât you?â said Lina as she sniffled and forced a smile at Grace.
However, Graceâs nose turned sore when she saw her best friendâs smile.
Lina was still suffering from her heartbreak but chose to bury the pain and face others with an optimistic smile.
âIâll be okay. You donât have to worry about me. Youâre the one who needs to be okay. Hurry and get well. Youâll have to play with my kids when theyâre born,â said Grace.
âWeâre all going to be okay.â Lina hugged her best friend back and once again said to herself, âIâll get over Hadwin Stephenson. I definitely will.
âIâll just treat my relationship with Hadwin Stephenson as another one of my memories.
âFrom now on, theyâre just memories!â
The weather was getting colder and colder. It was getting closer and closer to Chinese New Year.
Grace stroked her belly. She had not seen Jay for several days. These days, she kept thinking about what Lina had said to her.
âKeep⦠moving forward.â
She asked herself whether she loved him, and the answer was⦠yes.
If she did not love him, she would not have been in so much pain when the cruel truth was laid out in front of her.
If she did not love him, she would not have hesitated so much.
She loved him. She loved the man who had indifferently watched her get imprisoned.
She once swore that she would be good to him and not leave him like his mother had left his father, but nowâ¦
Grace looked through the photos on her phone. One of them showed Jason with his hand pressed against her belly, his face full of gentleness and love.
It was the picture she took of him when she made him feel the babiesâ movements in his office.
They were so happy back thenâ¦
Grace picked up her phone and dialed Jasonâs number. It was the number he got after she bought him the cheap phone.
On that phone, there was only her number.
On the other end of the line, the phone only rang twice before someone picked it up and the familiar voice sounded. âGraceâ¦â However, there was a note of caution in his voice, as if he was in disbelief.
Grace replied, âItâs me. I⦠Itâs Chinese New Year in two days. I want to have dinner with you on New Yearâs Eve, may I?â
âSure⦠Sure! Of course, you can!â His voice sounded somewhat hurried yet also joyful. âWeâll have New Yearâs Eve dinner together. I⦠Iâll prepare for it. You can tell me anything you want to eat.â
âOkay,â Grace said quietly.
When the call was over, she looked down at her bulging belly again. âBabies, can you help me forget all those unpleasant memories? I donât want to⦠live with regret for the rest of my life. Is that alright?â
On the other end of the phone, Jason was visibly happy when he ended the call.