That day, Nana was taken home by her parents, and she locked herself in the bedroom as usual.
The days leading up to childbirth were boring. Besides reading parenting books, she spent her time buying various baby products online.
Most of the time, Nana tried her best not to think about Carl. All her attention was focused on the baby soon to be born.
By noon, Tracy prepared a nutritious lunch for her daughter.
She hadn’t even taken off her apron when she hurriedly called Nana out to eat.
“Nana, lunch is ready!”
Tracy reminded from outside the bedroom door and advised her not to hurry.
As Nana was about to get out of bed, she suddenly heard the phone on the bedside table ringing.
“Mom, I’ll take the call. You and Dad can start eating.”
Nana replied cheerfully, hiding all her negative emotions.
However, when she picked up the phone, she saw an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen.
Nana hesitated whether to answer or not, until the phone rang for the second time, she made up her mind.
“Hello…?”
Nana spoke softly, suspecting if Carl had intentionally changed his number.
But on the other end of the line was a woman’s voice.
The voice was unfamiliar, yet polite.
“Hello, Miss Lawson. I’m a friend of William’s. I was wondering when you’re available. I’d like to meet up with you.”
The other person got straight to the point, surprising Nana.
Could it be that she was sent by William?
Recalling the last encounter with the robbers in the alley, where William had brought her to the hospital, Nana agreed without hesitation.
“Sure, I’m available now. Where should we meet?”
Nana didn’t hide her curiosity. She also wanted to inquire about some news about William from the other person.
Soon, they agreed on a meeting place, and Nana quickly changed into suitable attire for going out.
As she walked out of the bedroom, she saw her mother preparing the meal. She quickly explained, “Mom, I have something urgent to attend to. I won’t be eating lunch at home.”
The sudden statement left Tracy puzzled.
“Why are you in such a hurry? At least have something to eat first.”
Jerry also wore a puzzled look, observing Nana, who seemed burdened with something, and asked, “Where are you going? Should I drive you there?”
“No need, I’ll be back by the afternoon.”
Nana didn’t have time to explain much, and besides, she couldn’t tell her parents about this matter.
After giving the instructions, she quickly opened the door and left home.
After about half an hour, Nana arrived at the coffee shop they had agreed upon earlier.
Pushing open the glass door, she was looking for the person when she saw a young girl waving at her from a window seat.
Nana looked directly at her, confirming that this girl was William’s friend.
Approaching the round table, she politely greeted the girl, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, they took their seats.
“Miss Lawson, I apologize for the inconvenience caused by your current situation. It was impulsive of you to rush over here. I’m sorry for that!”
The girl spoke politely and sounded friendly.
“It’s alright. By the way, how should I address you?” Nana smiled lightly and responded.
Observing the girl’s delicate cheeks and modest attire, she exuded a brightness and confidence that she herself didn’t possess.
Nana felt a sense of envy. If she hadn’t been pregnant, even if she had broken up with Carl, she could have been as carefree as this.
“I’m Scarlet Hudson.”
The girl on the opposite side of the round table calmly replied, her smile carrying a hint of audacity. “Actually, I used to work with William. We were volunteer teachers together in Ylery.”
Upon hearing Scarlet’s introduction, Nana suddenly realized that they had become friends after their volunteer teaching experience.
“I see…”
Nana spoke with a shy tone, probing, “So, you invited me out today. Is it William’s idea?”
Scarlet listened without confirming or denying.
She took a sip of her coffee and calmly responded, “I wanted to meet you to talk about his current situation.”
Indeed, this was the question Nana had wanted to know for a long time.
With a hint of anticipation in her eyes, Nana’s speech quickened as she asked, “How is he doing now? He must have a girlfriend, right?”
Observing Nana’s complex expression, Scarlet smiled faintly, her tone carrying some deeper meaning. “Do you want him to have a girlfriend?”
Detecting that Scarlet seemed to be probing her thoughts, Nana quickly restrained her gaze.
“I don’t know…”
She spoke shyly, her voice light and airy. “Actually, I was just asking casually. We’ve already broken up, and even if he has a new girlfriend, I would sincerely wish him the best.”
That was Nana’s true feelings. Her emotions for William had long faded, leaving only some unresolved knots.
Scarlet nodded lightly, still using a gentle tone as she informed, “Maybe you don’t know, but William has always loved you, including now.”
“How is that possible?”
Nana’s face showed surprise, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
“Leaving me without a word, is that how he shows love?”
Nana chuckled mockingly, realizing that she didn’t understand William more and more.
But Scarlet gave an affirmative answer, “Yes, he left you because he loves you.”
Hearing this, Nana was puzzled, unable to grasp Scarlet’s response.
After a brief pause, she observed Scarlet’s expression and couldn’t help but ask with a more serious tone, “What happened exactly? Do you know why he left me?”
Scarlet was frank and concise, stating, “Simply put, William left you because your backgrounds didn’t match.”
Next, she revealed the whole process of the matter to Nana.
It turned out that before William disappeared, Jerry had privately met with him.
Due to the vast difference in their backgrounds and Jerry and Tracy’s fear of their daughter being mistreated after marriage, they decided to discreetly break them up.
After meeting with Jerry, William was directly told that he wasn’t suitable for their daughter and was asked to break up as soon as possible.
Seeing Jerry’s firm attitude, William realized that he was a poor boy who would only burden Nana, so he took the initiative to suggest a breakup and then disappeared without a trace.
After listening to Scarlet’s account, tears welled up in Nana’s eyes, and her heart surged with emotions.
“I knew he wouldn’t be so heartless to me…”
Nana sighed, wiping her tears with a tissue.
But Scarlet remained unaffected by Nana’s sadness, even showing an undisguised jealousy.
“William has always been a person of deep emotions and loyalty, especially towards you. His heart has always belonged to you.”
Scarlet’s voice turned colder, with a bitter smile. “To the point that I loved him for so long, yet he never had any feelings for me.”
Nana froze, looking up in astonishment, “So, the person you liked is…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Scarlet openly admitted, “Yes, because I love him, that’s why I came to find you!”
Then Scarlet revealed more about William’s recent situation, letting Nana know that he had seen the news online and was very worried about her.
In addition, William had been drowning his sorrows in alcohol every day recently but didn’t have the courage to appear in front of Nana.