Yes, that was Ulric’s phone number!
Rosalind would never forget those digits for the rest of her life.
Why was he calling her? More importantly, how did he know her number?
“Rosalind, why aren’t you answering the phone?” Tilda, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned to look at her and noticed something was wrong. “Why do you look so pale? Whose call is it?”
“Ulric’s…”
Malcolm, who was driving, slammed on the brakes.
“What?! Whose?”
“Ulric.” As she spoke, the phone stopped ringing, and the screen showed a missed call.
Malcolm looked at Rosalind through the rearview mirror, and tension filled the air.
“Did he find out something?”
Tilda reached out her hand. “Give me the phone. I’ll answer it! Let’s see what he wants. I’ll pretend not to know it’s him. After all, I don’t know his number, and your phone is registered under my ID. It makes sense for me to answer.”
But Rosalind just stared at the screen without responding.
Even Floyd and Jake noticed something was wrong with their mom and tugged at her clothes.
Floyd blinked. “Mommy… what’s wrong?”
Jake, being smarter, took out his own phone. “Mommy, is that person bullying you again? I’ll get revenge for you right now!”
“No.”
Rosalind finally spoke. “No, let me calm down for a moment.”
She needed to understand why Ulric was calling her and figure out how much he suspected or had investigated.
“Malcolm, you take the kids and go first.”
“No way! I can’t leave you alone!” Malcolm couldn’t bear to leave Rosalind alone in Northville City after what those people had done to her mother.
If they had acted once, they could act again!
“I’ll be fine. I’ll join you soon!”
With that, Rosalind patted her son and daughter’s shoulders and got out of the car.
Malcolm was about to follow when Tilda stopped him.
“Brother! Jake suddenly appearing in public might make Ulric suspicious. He could just be asking routine questions to see which woman he once slept with gave birth to his son! If Rosalind avoids this now by not answering the phone, it will only raise more suspicion.”
Malcolm frowned deeply, his handsome face tense. “He has the nerve to ask Rosalind! If it weren’t for him, Rosalind’s mother wouldn’t have died!”
“What’s the point of saying that now?” Tilda moved to the back seat and hugged the two children on either side of her. “Brother, protecting these two little ones is the best help we can offer Rosalind! Let her handle everything else herself. If she needs us, she’ll ask.”
“Tilda, I-”
“I know what you’re thinking, but Rosalind has made it clear she doesn’t want your help. You need to respect boundaries.”
Malcolm remained silent for a long time before starting the car again.
“Yes, I should respect boundaries.”
…
Summer evenings should be cool and pleasant, but tonight’s wind was a bit strong.
Rosalind wrapped her clothes tighter around herself and found a bench at a bus stop to sit on.
Staring at the missed call on her phone screen, she took several deep breaths before finally dialing back with trembling fingers.