When Credence’s hand moved closer to the most sensitive part of her body, Dorothy began to tremble. Her vision blurred. She couldn’t see anything clearly, not even his tired face.
She managed to free her right hand and stopped his approaching caress. Her heart was pounding wildly as she spoke. “Credence, get your hands off me, there is something I need to tell you.”
There was a short awkward moment where he was still and silent. The only thing he did was let out a painful groan.
“Are your injuries hurting again?” Dorothy looked up at him to see what was wrong.
Her eyes slowly regained their focus, until she could finally see his pale face clearly.
Under the bright lights, his face looked sickly and his lips were pale.
Only his deep eyes had some life in them, a gentle flowing light emitted from them as he looked back at her. He looked at her without blinking, with a faint smile on his lips.
“My dear wife, with you by my side, I don’t feel any pain despite it being unbearable! Don’t mind my hand and please don’t move away. If there is something you want to tell me, I’ll listen to you.”
Right after saying that he wasn’t going to move his hands, his slender fingers continued to grope her smooth skin. Dorothy’s heart was still beating fast, and she was short of breath. Her chest kept rising and falling as she trembled in his arms.
She quickly pulled his lustful hands away and chided him. “If you continue to do this, I will leave you.”
Credence saw Dorothy’s face turn bright red from embarrassment and anger. He knew that she had a limit to her patience. If he continued teasing her, she would get upset and leave him immediately. He nodded, withdrew his hands from under her maternity dress, and rested them on her belly. He gently stroked it.
Suddenly, he felt a weak kick coming from her stomach. It kicked him several times in a row.
It seemed that the baby was helping his mother!
Credence’s eyes instantly lit up, and his heart sang. He took his palm away and saw that Dorothy’s belly was bulging. He couldn’t tell if it was the baby’s hands or legs that were hitting him.
This was the most amazing thing to ever happen in Credence’s entire life. It was his first time feeling the tiny kicks of his unborn child. The feeling was indescribable!
Credence raised his hands and looked at Dorothy. He could feel his own heartbeat all the way up to his head, and his dark eyes lit up with excitement. “Honey, our child just kicked me.”
Dorothy’s cheeks blushed red from Credence’s expression. She found his excited hand movements to be strange but also funny. She bit on her lip and laugh out loud, “The little baby is constantly moving about inside me. What’s so strange about that?”
Credence licked his lips and stretched out his hands to touch Dorothy’s chin. He lifted her face gazed into her eyes. He said in a hushed manner, “Dorothy, does it hurt when the baby rolls around like that?”
“Of course it hurts, how could it not?” she thought.
Six years ago, when she was pregnant with Belle, she had a healthier body and was very well taken care of by Juelz and Germaine. She felt no discomfort during her first pregnancy.
Now six years later, she was pregnant again in her thirties. Most of her organs weren’t as healthy anymore. Besides, just a month ago, she stumbled on a suitcase and almost had a miscarriage. Then, Melanie showed up and was being so seductive towards Credence.
All these incidents continued to stack one on top of the other, this caused her to feel immensely depressed, and she had constant nightmares.
She was always in a bad mood and had very poor sleep. Besides that, she often had stomach pains and leg cramps during her pregnancy. When the pain became unbearable, her only way of relieving it was by using the ridiculous method of rolling on the hospital bed.
Everything hurts, it was so painful. He didn’t know this, he didn’t know anything.
Dorothy went misty-eyed as those thoughts ran through her head. Her mouth trembled, all of her grievances and bitter experiences were stuck in her throat. It made it hard for her to speak for a long, long time.
No matter how hard men would try, they would never be able to fully understand the pain women suffered.
After all, men couldn’t get pregnant or give birth to a baby. So how could Credence understand her pain?
She felt like a huge boulder was weighing down on her chest. It was so heavy she couldn’t breathe.
She was caught off guard by her own tears as her eyes began to water. Tears slid down her face and fell onto Credence’s palm. She murmured. “Credence, the baby that was supposed to be born along with Belle six years ago, you made me abort it.”
“All just to appease Rosalie. You were so heartless and violent towards me for those four years. During our divorce, you only watched as I was framed and sent to prison.”
“Now, the baby in my belly almost died from your hands again, and my only hope of saving Belle was almost taken away by you… And you dare to ask me if I feel any pain?”
She turned to avoid Credence’s grasp and quickly stood at the edge of the bed. She looked pale and tired, and her eyes, though wet with tears, were surprisingly bright.
As Dorothy’s feet landed on the ground, she stepped on Credence’s black leather shoes. She lost her balance and her body swayed forwards. She was about to fall face-down towards the floor.
When Dorothy lost her sense of balance, she immediately covered her abdomen with both her hands. She screamed, panicked, “Ah… Credence, save me!”
“Honey!”
Credence’s eyebrows twitched wildly. He jumped off the bed as fast as a hurricane. His long arms wrapped around her soft waist as he held her firmly in his embrace. “Don’t be afraid, it’s fine, I’m here!”
At the very last second, he held her in his arms. She thought she had fallen hard on the floor and broke out in a cold sweat.
Her body trembled as she held on to the collar of Credence’s loose gown. She was still in a state of shock. When she heard Credence’s strong and forceful voice, all of her persistence and bitterness broke loose, like a river dam, having come apart.
Tears poured down her clothes like beads from a broken string. As they fell, she clenched her fists and pounded on his chest. “Credence, you are a b*stard, you are an absolute b*stard, a horrible b*stard!”
Credence let her vent her anger out on him. He spoke softly and coaxed her with a slightly hoarse voice. “Honey, I’m sorry. I’ve made you suffer so much pain in the past. I am a b*stard! Please give me another chance, let me love you and take care of you, alright?”
He deliberately whispered his last sentence gently. The tenderness within him was as gentle as a blooming flower in Spring.
Dorothy had never heard him speak to her in such a tender way, her heart swelled.
She was unsure about giving him another chance, but deep down, she knew that she could not selfishly deny Belle and her unborn child their father’s love.
He held a very special place in their hearts. No one, no other man, or even herself could replace it.
“Credence, don’t push me. Let me think about it. I need some time.”
“Of course honey. I won’t pressure you about it. I’ll patiently wait for your decision!” Credence was smiling brightly.
After saying this, Credence gently wiped away the remnants of her tears. As looked down at her slightly round belly, he couldn’t help but move his other hand towards it…
“Hiss!”
Perhaps it was due to the psychological traumas he caused her in the past, Dorothy heaved a sigh of relief as she took two steps back. She grabbed the soft thin quilt and held it tightly.
She was worried that he would hurt her child. It was fear she constantly kept at the back of her mind.
Credence could tell what she was thinking from her reaction and stopped. Instead, he covered up his chest with his hospital gown. He had a pained expression on his face. He walked back to his bed, took off his expensive leather shoes, and went to sleep.
He knew that he couldn’t push Dorothy around anymore.
He had to give her time. It would be beneficial to both of them.
But he had always been a proud man. If he was set on a woman, he wouldn’t hold back, he would never give up.
Dorothy stood where she was. After she had calmed down, she slowly realized what she wanted to ask him.
She moved her heavy body to one side, turned her head around, and asked him. “Credence, when you were on the operating table, Jeremy came by. He told me that I was his cousin. Did you know about this?”