As they walked out of the amusement park’s main gate, Isabella subconsciously turned her head, looking at the dazzling lights of the Ferris wheel, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
“Don’t want to leave?” Andrew asked tentatively.
She didn’t answer, just smiled.
Before the car, Andrew handed Asher over to Amelia and gave the driver a few instructions.
The car drove away with Amelia and Asher, leaving Andrew and Isabella behind.
“Andrew, we must be the most irresponsible parents,” she said, sticking out her tongue.
“Asher will sleep as soon as he gets back, so whether we stay or not doesn’t matter. I should spend more time with you. You worked hard to give birth to him, and that’s commendable,” he said with a half-smile.
He took her hand and walked back into the amusement park.
Without Asher, the little rascal, the two of them could play without any reservations.
Andrew realized that Isabella was quite adventurous. After several rounds on the roller coaster, he felt dizzy, but she was extremely excited.
He even doubted whether his old body could handle all this excitement.
After getting off the roller coaster, she wanted to drag him to ride the whitewater rafting, which he firmly refused.
“It’s too cold, getting splashed with water could easily lead to catching a cold,” Andrew said, now wanting to take a break on the Ferris wheel.
She obediently nodded, giving up on the whitewater rafting and dragged him onto the pirate ship.
Andrew: “…”
The pirate ship swung higher and higher. Isabella enjoyed the view of the amusement park, her hands raised high, screaming with excitement.
Andrew could only smile bitterly. Now he just wanted to light up a cigarette and calm down. He had made up for the lack of amusement park experiences from his first thirty years in one evening.
After getting off the pirate ship, she finally got tired. The two of them sat on the grass in the center of the amusement park to rest.
Because the amusement park lights were too bright, the stars in the sky seemed dimmer.
He picked up his phone and instructed the control room to turn off the lights inside the amusement park.
Surrounded by darkness, Isabella and Andrew lay side by side on the grass, she rested her head on his arm, looking up at the stars.
The dark sky was adorned with bright stars, which would never extinguish.
Lying on the grass and looking at the stars in such silence seemed nice.
Isabella squinted her eyes, turning her head to see Andrew’s handsome profile.
He was looking at her too, his blue eyes even deeper than the night.
The two slowly approached and their lips met.
Under the starry sky, they kissed on the grass. Andrew hugged her, and they rolled on the grass for a couple of rounds, their breaths mixed with the faint scent of grass.
After the kiss, Isabella pushed against his chest with her hands, somewhat flustered, “Andrew, I don’t want to have a wild adventure with you out here.”
He paused for a moment before realizing what she meant by ‘wild adventure’.
“What are you thinking?” He said with some helplessness, sitting up from the grass and brushing off the grass stuck to his clothes.
She sat up too, her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against his chest.
They sat on the grass, leaning against each other.
“It’s been so long since I sat under the sky and looked at the stars. I remember the last time was when I was pregnant with Asher,” she sighed.
In Isabella’s memory, life had always been busy.
When Eleanor was alive, she had been strict with her demands. Isabella was busy attending various talent classes. Later, in university, she was busy with her studies and dating James.
The quietest and most leisurely time in her memory was when she was pregnant with Asher.
She hid away, living in an old residential complex, only needing to worry about three meals a day, with plenty of time to spare.
During the day, she would move a chair to the small garden downstairs to sunbathe. At night, she would sit under the grapevine and gaze at the stars.
The residents of this old complex were mostly elderly couples, kind and warm-hearted. She lied to them, saying her husband was working in the UK and rarely came home. They felt sorry for her being young and pregnant, often coming over to help.
“Must have been tough back then,” Andrew asked.
Isabella thought for a moment before answering, “Not really. Just never thought I’d have a child under such circumstances.”
“Neither did I,” he replied softly.
She understood. Given his status, he wouldn’t want to cause trouble by having an illegitimate child. Even if accidents happened, they would usually opt for an abortion and compensate the woman.
“If you had known about Asher before he was born, would you have wanted him?” she suddenly asked, although such a question seemed pointless now.
Andrew’s deep eyes met hers, without any concealment.
“After that night, I looked for you. If you were pregnant, I thought we could resolve this issue. When I found you, Asher was already six months along, so I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
He remembered it vividly. That day, he entered the old residential building and knocked on her door. Initially, he planned to negotiate terms with her: she’d get an abortion, and he’d compensate her.
He stood at her door knocking for a while with no response. The neighbor next door came out, warmly asking, “You must be Isabella’s husband. You’re back just in time; your wife will give birth soon.”
Without explaining, Andrew asked, “Is she not home?”
“Oh, at this time, she’s probably at the market across the street. You should go find her,” the neighbor said.
So, Andrew went to the market across the street. He saw Isabella bargaining with a fishmonger. She seemed to be a regular customer, and though the fishmonger didn’t give her a discount, he added an extra fish. She smiled warmly, reaching for the fish when suddenly, she exclaimed and clutched her stomach.
From a distance, Andrew instinctively wanted to go help her, but she waved him off, telling the onlookers, “It’s okay, it’s okay. The baby just kicked me.”
Then, holding the fish and supporting her belly, she walked out of the bustling market with a bright smile.
From that moment on, he truly realized that what was inside Isabella’s belly was a living being, not just a mere embryo to be measured in monetary terms.
…
“Oh, I remember now!” Isabella suddenly said. “No wonder the neighbor mysteriously told me my husband had returned. I thought they got the wrong door, but it was you.”
“Yes,” Andrew nodded.
“Did you come to find me just to deal with Asher?” she asked.
“Yes,” he nodded again.
“With money?” she pressed on.
“Yes,” he said with a bitter smile, feeling like he was shooting himself in the foot.
Resting her chin on her hand, she asked curiously, “I really want to know, how much was Asher worth in your eyes?”
“It was my first time encountering such a situation. The check was for five million from Charles, who said it was already an astronomical sum,” he said helplessly, pulling her close, fearing she might get upset.
“Stay away from Charles in the future,” she said with a stern face.
“Okay,” Andrew admitted his mistake. At a crucial moment, even brothers could be betrayed to please one’s wife.
She lifted her chin and asked, “So, what made you change your mind?”
He cupped her face, gazing deeply into her clear eyes, and whispered in a hoarse voice, “Because it’s you.”