Summer remembered that she had bought some contraceptive pills. After she got changed, she squatted in front of the drawer and found the pills. Just then, she heard the door open.
Looking back with the little bottle in her hand, she saw Leonardo coming in. She reacted quickly but quietly by hiding it behind her back.
“You’re home?” she asked. She thought Leonardo had gone out. It never crossed her mind that he was still home.
“What are you looking for?” He approached her unhurriedly.
With the little bottle still behind her, she slowly got to her feet. “My throat feels funny. I’m just looking for some medication.”
“The med kit’s not here.” There was a knowing look in his eyes, but his voice still sounded as apathetic as ever.
Summer became flustered when she met his gaze. She acknowledged with an “Mm”.
Leonardo then went past her to the other side. “I’ll get it for you.”
She faintly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little surprised.
Just then, Leonardo spun around abruptly and snatched the little bottle from behind Summer. His moves were so quick that it gave her no time to react.
“You…” She started to get nervous. Her mouth was open but she could not say a word when she saw Leonardo’s face darkening.
With the bottle of contraceptive pills in hand, Leonardo looked down at her and asked, “What is this?” He looked her in the eye, not blinking. He was like a crossbow with its string pulled back in tension, ready to fire at any moment.
Summer swallowed hard, looking away from him as she answered in a near whisper, “Contraceptive pills.”
“Louder.” Leonardo’s voice was slightly hoarse.
“I said, they are contraceptive pills. Didn’t you hear?”
Leonardo’s grip on the bottle tightened, and his knuckles protruded as though he was about to crush the bottle in his hand.
“Give it back to me.” She held out her hand.
He pursed his lips tightly as he threw the bottle to the ground, his breathing heavy from the emotional upheaval. “Summer, don’t you want to have my baby?” he barked with a suppressed voice.
“It’s not like that, just not now.” Summer bit her lip, retreating half a step.
“You don’t want wedding dress fittings, you don’t want to have a wedding, and you don’t want to have a baby. What’s next? You don’t want to be with me anymore?” Leonardo’s voice was bitter cold like it was coated in a layer of frost.
“It’s not like that!” she retorted.
“Then, why are you taking these pills?” His face turned green as he looked at her, blue veins popping up on his forehead as if his patience had hit its limit.
“It’s not that I don’t want a baby. It’s just, now is not the time.”
“Why not? We’re going to have a baby eventually. What’s the difference between having it now and later?”
“If I get pregnant now, I won’t be able to commit to my work for the next two years.”
“You’re only twenty-two, you can have a baby now and work later.”
She realized that she could not make him see reason judging by the way the conversation was going.
She grabbed her hand in frustration. “Can’t you respect my opinion? Why does it have to be you making all the decisions? I have my own say! I have my own ideas about living my life. All of this is—”All of it was negotiable.
However, Leonardo cut her off. “Your idea of living doesn’t include having our baby.”
“I have just told you—”
“Now I know.” Leonardo scoffed and turned around to leave. Before he left, he did not forget to pick up the bottle of contraceptive pills from the floor.
Was he afraid that she would take the pills? She was just at a loss for words. Leonardo was apparently on the verge of blowing his gasket, yet he still had to take the pills away.
…
After Leonardo took the pills away, she went downstairs to have her breakfast, after which she would go out and buy more pills. She finished her breakfast and was ready to go out, but the bodyguards stopped her at the door.
“Where are you going, Mrs. Emerson?”
“I’m just going out to buy some things. You don’t have to follow me, I’ll go by myself.” She did not give it much thought. When she finished speaking, the bodyguards still did not give way.
“What is this?” Summer frowned, her face starting to turn sullen.
“The young master says that if you want to go out, he’ll go with you when he comes back, Mrs. Emerson,” one bodyguard said matter-of-factly.
“This is Leonardo’s idea?” She thought she had heard wrong.
“Aye.” The bodyguard gave her a respectful nod.
Leonardo was limiting her freedom, not allowing her to go out? She pursed her lips and took out her mobile phone to call him. “Leonardo, are you crazy or something?! Why are you not allowing me to go out?!”
“If you need to go out, I’ll go with you when I come home.” His voice was so much calmer than Summer’s shrieking.
“I don’t need you to go with me. It’s not that I can’t walk!”
“Please.”
“Please my foot!” She could not help but swear. Their relationship had been tense lately, with Leonardo being stony-faced all day and Summer feeling anything but good. By limiting her personal freedom, was Leonardo treating her as his pet or something?
“I’ll be back soon.” He sounded extremely calm. Not a hint of anger was in his voice.
Summer hung up angrily. Realizing who she had called and hearing what she said over the phone, the bodyguards were quiet like church mice as they bowed their heads, pretending as though they had heard nothing. Only Mrs. Emerson dared to talk to the young master like that.
Leonardo arrived home in no time. It was a chilly day, and as he walked into the house, his body still carried the cold air on his clothes.
Ava, the maid saw him and came up to greet him. He acknowledged by waving at her and signaling for her to leave him alone at the same time. Ava knew that the couple had been in some disagreement recently. She was worried, and as she went off, she could not help but glance back at them.
After Ava was out of sight, Leonardo sat down beside Summer and held her hand. “I’ll go with you wherever you want.”
She pulled her hand back and spoke with a scornful voice, “When will you let me go out?”
Leonardo’s face looked stern, but he quickly eased up. “It’d be better if you can stay home for the time being.”
“Are you afraid that I’ll buy contraceptive pills again?” Summer was not a fool. After Leonardo took away the pills in the morning, she was stopped by the bodyguards on her way out. She had to admit that Leonardo was very firm and ruthless sometimes.
“Since you know, please comply.”
“What if I don’t?” She squinted at him, throwing down the gauntlet.
“Then I’ll have to use my way to make sure you comply,” Leonardo said nonchalantly.
His words turned her into a bundle of nerves. He was apparently determined to get her pregnant.