“Mom, I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me…”
Dolores’ words struck Matthew, and he glanced down at her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. Her face was filled with anguish, on the verge of hysteria.
Matthew furrowed his brow. “Dolores?”
Dolores seemed oblivious to his presence, lost in a daze. She appeared deeply troubled, but just as quickly, she snapped back to reality, released her hold on Matthew, and slipped into a profound slumber. Matthew straightened up slowly, gazing at her for a few moments before turning and exiting the room.
Helen sat on the sofa, gripping a glass so tightly that her hand trembled. Every second Matthew spent in Dolores’ room was torture for her. Shouldn’t that woman be taking care of her mother at the hospital? How did she find time to return?
Helen was aware of Abbott’s investigation into Dolores, which prompted her to send someone to A Country before Abbott’s own operative arrived. She succeeded in eliminating the woman who had given Dolores trouble, making it appear as if she had taken her own life. This was also the reason why Abbott couldn’t uncover the truth of that fateful night.
Helen expended all her energy and resources to keep Matthew and Dolores apart. She paid off people in Dolores’ mother’s apartment complex to spread gossip and defame Jessica and Dolores, resulting in Jessica’s hospitalization. With Jessica in the hospital, Dolores would have less time to spend with Matthew. However, she hadn’t anticipated Dolores’ swift return home.
Matthew even carried her into the house. The thought weighed heavily on Helen, causing her to lose her composure. When Matthew emerged from the room, he could clearly discern the anger etched on Helen’s face and silently approached her.
Noticing Matthew, Helen stood up and blurted out a question. “Is Ms. Flores unwell?”
Matthew didn’t respond immediately, instead settling on the sofa, crossing his slender legs, and slowly raising his gaze, his expression betraying no hint of his thoughts.
Anxiety gripped Helen as she struggled to decipher Matthew’s demeanor.
She cautiously tried again. “Matthew…”
“What?” He smirked. “What’s up?”
It appears nothing was amiss. Helen regained her composure and seated herself beside him, her anxiety somewhat alleviated by his apparent indifference to her presence.
“Here’s the contract for the Repulse Bay land,” Abbott said, handing the file to Matthew.
Helen had accompanied Abbott to the villa upon hearing that Matthew was interested in the land contract.
The Repulse Bay land was prime real estate, with waterfront access and a scenic hillside. It held immense potential for tourism and resort development, which explained the high demand.
Helen grew concerned when Matthew suddenly expressed an interest in the contract. Randolph Flores had once visited the KY Group office with the intention of acquiring that piece of land, but Matthew had simply disregarded him, denying him a meeting.
Considering Dolores’ connection to Randolph, Helen worried that Matthew might favor the Flores Group due to their relationship, despite her lack of personal interest in the land. Her primary concern was how Matthew was treating Dolores.
“Didn’t you decide to auction off this land?” Helen asked her question directly, but laden with an underlying motive.
Matthew easily discerned the motive behind her seemingly innocent query, yet instead of exposing her, he draped his arm around her shoulders. “Helen, you’ve changed.”
Helen was taken aback. What did he mean?
“I… What changed?” Helen inquired, puzzled.
Matthew gently cupped her chin, locking his gaze with hers. “You would have never asked such a question before.”
Helen hesitated, peering into his eyes. She had never witnessed such coldness in his gaze, and her anxiety grew.
“I… I’m afraid because… because…”
She wrestled free from Matthew’s embrace, covering her face with both hands as she spoke in a broken voice. “I’m afraid you’ll give that piece of land to Ms. Flores. I’m scared you’ll love her because she’s your wife. I’m terrified that you don’t want me anymore…” Helen wept bitterly.
Matthew had never witnessed her behave in such a manner. He closed his eyes, furrowing his brow with a profound expression that even he couldn’t fully comprehend. After a while, Helen’s cries turned into sobs. She knew she needed to regain composure, but there were times when she relied on tears and pity to secure a man’s affection.
Taking a deep breath, Matthew opened his eyes and reached out to pull her back into his embrace. “Do you truly feel so insecure?”
Helen leaned into him, sobbing. “I’m just afraid of losing you.”
Matthew sighed. “You won’t.”
He was aware that she harbored motives and manipulations, and her purity was not as it seemed. Yet, she had been by his side for many years, and he wasn’t prepared to delve into it deeply.
The sound of her phone ringing roused Dolores from her slumber. It was a message from Sampson. The message contained a photo of one of the neighbors from Jessica’s apartment complex engaged in conversation with a woman. The woman had her back to the camera, but Dolores had a nagging feeling of familiarity, although she couldn’t immediately place it. Suddenly, a jolt erupted from her stomach.
“Urgh…”
She rushed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, bending over the washbasin, dry heaving.
In the living room, Abbott was taken aback by Dolores’ abrupt appearance. She hurried into the bathroom without closing the door, wracked with painful retching.
“Ms. Flores is pregnant,” Helen remarked, listening to Dolores’ relentless heaves.
Assuming Matthew was unaware, she continued intentionally, “It must be the man she hugged that day.”
Helen deliberately assigned a “father” to the child within Dolores, hoping it would fuel Matthew’s animosity towards her.
Abbott was stunned by Helen’s words. Had Matthew married a woman who was carrying someone else’s child? Didn’t that mean she deceived him into marriage? Slowly, Abbott raised his gaze to look at Matthew, expecting fury, but instead, he appeared oddly calm.
Even Helen couldn’t believe it. Shouldn’t he be angry and loathe her?
“Matthew…”
Matthew reclined on the sofa, clearly not interested in hearing her speak, causing Helen to fall silent. Though Dolores wanted to vomit, each attempt yielded nothing but dry heaves.
After the wave of nausea subsided, Dolores rinsed her mouth and stepped out of the bathroom. It was then she noticed people seated in the living room, with Helen in Matthew’s embrace. She didn’t want to interrupt and turned to retreat to her room.
However, Helen’s image triggered a memory in her mind. She glanced at Helen, then at the photo on her phone. Chestnut-colored curls, similar height. Her gaze suddenly turned fierce. Had Helen paid her neighbors to harm her? Dolores contemplated how she was framed, and Jessica was hurt, and it all became clear to her. Helen must have resented Dolores for marrying Matthew and taking what she believed was rightfully hers. That had to be the reason behind paying her neighbors to inflict intentional harm, ultimately causing her mother’s mental instability.
The more Dolores pondered, the more the pain inside her churned…