Early morning.
Grace woke up from her sleep and faintly heard Mrs. Waters talking to the servants outside the door.
“Emily, when you go out to buy groceries, remember to buy more, the more nutritious, the better. The more abundant the ingredients, the better.”
“Also, if the young master wakes up, remind him not to go out. Today, I’m taking them to take wedding photos.”
…
Upon learning about Mrs. Waters’ arrangements, Grace’s mood was a mix of joy and worry.
While it was a good thing that Mrs. Waters was pressuring Carl to get married, the child in her belly remained a big problem.
Currently, Grace was eager to deceive Mrs. Waters and avoid going to the hospital for a prenatal check-up. Only then could she continue hiding the truth about her fake pregnancy.
“Mrs. Waters…”
She called out softly, and Mrs. Waters quickly came in upon hearing the voice.
“Grace, you’re awake. How do you feel today?”
Mrs. Waters walked into the bedroom with a smiling face and carefully examined Grace as soon as she entered.
Grace smiled back and said, “Much better, thanks for your concern, Mrs. Waters.”
The room was filled with sunlight, and under the morning glow, Grace’s cheeks appeared rosy and radiant.
“Well, not bad. Resting for a night has improved your complexion.”
Mrs. Waters showed a relieved expression, and her unsettled heart finally settled.
Last night, she scolded Carl and worried all night, fearing that Grace might miscarry before three months of pregnancy.
“Yes, my stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. Mrs. Waters, please don’t worry.”
Grace agreed with Mrs. Waters and made a request on purpose. “The weather outside seems nice. After breakfast, I’d like to go for a walk.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Waters revealed her own plan. “I’ll accompany you, and let’s call Carl as well. We can take wedding photos while we’re at it.”
“Wedding photos?” Grace pretended to be surprised and hesitantly asked, “Carl probably won’t agree, right? Maybe we shouldn’t force him.”
This move was to lure the enemy away. Grace noticed that every time she retreated, Mrs. Waters would come up with more ways to bring the two of them together.
Sure enough, as she expected, Mrs. Waters abandoned her role as the hostess and spoke with a firm tone. “Carl doesn’t have a say in this matter. I already discussed it with him last night, and he must make a choice between me and Nana!”
“Well, if Carl is willing, I naturally have no objections.”
Grace blushed and lowered her gaze, showing an attitude of obedience to Mrs. Waters’ command.
Mrs. Waters felt inexplicably satisfied with this obedient and sensible daughter-in-law.
After chatting with Grace for a while, she couldn’t wait to wake up Carl.
Meanwhile, Grace got up to freshen up and, while waiting for breakfast, picked up her phone and opened a messaging app.
In the past, she knew all sorts of friends, with a wide range of social connections.
Grace transferred money to two friends, asking them to find out Nana’s whereabouts.
At the same time, she planned in her mind that once she received news about Nana, she would seize the opportunity to contact her.
She intended to use the fake miscarriage caused by Nana as a means of self-protection and shifting blame.
In doing so, Mrs. Waters would hate Nana even more, and perhaps Carl would change his indifference towards her.
With her plan in place, Grace went to find Mrs. Waters. As she walked out of the bedroom, she heard an argument in front of her.
At this moment, Carl, dressed in casual attire ready to go out, was infuriated by Mrs. Waters’ obstruction.
“Mom, stop it. I’ve already said I won’t marry Grace. What’s the point of forcing us to take wedding photos?”
In order to bring about their marriage, Mrs. Waters tried every means possible and aggressively questioned, “If you refuse to marry Grace, what about the child in her belly? Are you going to let the child be born as a bastard?”
Carl had considered this question, but he had his own principles. Even if Grace gave birth to the child, they couldn’t become husband and wife.
“A bastard will be a bastard, regardless, it’s still your grandchild!”
Defiantly, Carl replied and pushed past Mrs. Waters, rushing downstairs.
The two argued again without reaching an agreement, and Mrs. Waters was so angry that she was about to chase after him, but Grace stopped her.
“Never mind, Mrs. Waters. Since Carl doesn’t agree, there’s no need to force him.”
Grace once again used compromise to resolve the conflict between mother and son.
Now, she was waiting for Nana’s whereabouts and was in no hurry to marry Carl.
That day, Mrs. Waters accompanied Grace for a walk and kept babbling along the way.
While Grace was listening attentively as usual, she suddenly received a message from a friend.
“Found her. Currently, Nana is with her ex-boyfriend. I’ll send you the location I found!”
Knowing Nana’s location, Grace was overwhelmed with excitement.
However, she had to control her emotions in front of Mrs. Waters.
At this point, it was not the time to reveal Nana’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend publicly. Grace needed to make a meticulous plan to ensure everything went smoothly.
“Mrs. Waters, I’ll go to the restroom. Please wait for me outside.”
Grace smiled innocently, appearing harmless, which made Mrs. Waters let down her guard.
“Okay, be careful.”
Mrs. Waters was always concerned about Grace, fearing any mishaps.
Once inside the public restroom, Grace immediately replied to her friend’s message.
“Well done! I’ll transfer you more money, and then you help me take pictures of Nana and her ex-boyfriend.”
After giving instructions, Grace lingered in the restroom for a few minutes before slowly returning to Mrs. Waters.
Seeing that Grace looked somewhat tired, Mrs. Waters hurriedly asked, “Grace, are you okay? Why does your face suddenly look so unpleasant?”
Grace wiped her mouth and playfully responded, “I just vomited again. Lately, I’ve been feeling nauseous and craving sour things.”
Upon hearing that she had strong pregnancy symptoms, Mrs. Waters was overjoyed.
Mrs. Waters, seeing Grace’s discomfort, immediately instructed the servants to prepare nourishing food as they returned home.
On the other hand, Nana had been living in William’s rented house. For the past three days, she rarely went out and only took walks around the residence in the evening.
In order to take care of Nana conveniently, William had quit his job and planned to accompany her until she finished her postpartum recovery.
As for the unborn child, William never blamed Nana nor felt any disgust towards them.
He believed that most of Nana’s misfortune was caused by himself. If he hadn’t abandoned her in the first place, she wouldn’t have been deceived by Carl’s affection.
In the simple bedroom, Nana sat by the window, gazing at the azure sky in a daze. At that moment, William walked in, holding a bowl of freshly stewed soup.
“It’s time for your extra meal.”
William placed the bowl on the table and sat down, supporting her arm.
“Thank you, but you don’t have to prepare an extra meal for me. Three meals a day are already enough.”
Nana had little appetite, but she didn’t want to disappoint William’s kind gesture, so she took a few sips with a spoon.
If the man in front of her was Carl, how wonderful would it be…
Thinking about their current situation, Nana felt even more distressed.