Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 515

Chapter 515 Messing With You 

When his large hand released her, Victoria stood still for a moment, and she took a while to react. Did he really follow through with his words? Is this how it ends? 

The warm touch of his lips still lingered on her earlobe. It was a sensation that made both her earlobe and heart itch. Instinctively, she wanted to reach out and touch her earlobe, but halfway through extending her hand, she restrained herself and pulled it back. 

No, I can’t touch it. If I do, this mean guy will surely tease me again. 

As such, Victoria could only suppress the urge to touch her earlobe and sat there calmly. 

“Why do you look so disappointed?” Alaric unexpectedly approached her and breathed near her ear. “Are you disappointed because I didn’t continue?” 

“No!” She hesitantly shrieked before immediately standing up while biting her lip. 

“You can sit here by yourself.” 

She then started to leave. 

Alaric quickly held her by her wrist. “Alright, alright. Don’t be mad, hmm? I was just messing with you.” 

“Let go.” Victoria still wanted to pull her hand back. 

Feeling helpless, Alaric relented. “Fine. I only came here because I noticed that you couldn’t eat that piece of pastry.” 

At this, Victoria, who had been trying to break free from Alaric’s hold, paused and turned to look at 

him. 

“What did you say?” 

“You don’t have an appetite, no? So, I ate it for you.” 

Victoria suddenly felt a bit flustered when she heard those words. Did Alaric notice something? Instinctively, she retorted, “Who said I couldn’t eat it?” 

“Oh?” Alaric raised an eyebrow. “And yet you were taking such small bites and eating so slowly, eh?” 

“I like to take my time enjoying my food. You got a problem with that?” Victoria argued. 

“Okay, let’s say I didn’t want to eat it. I only wanted to eat the piece you were holding. Is that better?” 

Alaric didn’t argue further. If there were things she wanted to hide and didn’t want others to know, he didn’t have to keep probing. 

As expected, Victoria fell silent after he admitted it. It was unclear if she was thinking about something else, as she didn’t speak for a long time. 

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally looked up at Alaric. “To be honest, my appetite hasn’t been great lately. I’ve been trying to get better.” 

14:18 Mon, 

“He didn’t expect her to voluntarily share this with him. Hence, he glanced at her with surprise in his eyes and uttered, “I know.” 

He could tell she was going through an adjustment period, and since the test results didn’t show any major issues, he didn’t press further into the matter. 

With these thoughts in mind, Alaric couldn’t help but caress the back of Victoria’s head. “It’s not a big problem, so just take good care of yourself. You don’t have to hide things about yourself from me. I can help you anytime if you let me know, alright?” 

“Remember how you didn’t feel like letting me know when you were injured too? You should understand how I feel.” 

“Then, what about 1 tell you everything no matter what happens from now on? And you can tell me about anything you encounter in return?” 

Victoria pondered for a moment and agreed to this. “Okay.” 

“Then, it’s settled.” 

“Speaking of which, was it really obvious that I couldn’t bring myself to eat just now? Would Grandma think I didn’t like the pastries she made?” 

“Don’t worry. Grandma will only think you are trying to lose weight. She won’t think about anything else, especially since I ate the leftovers.” 

It was because they had eaten that pastry that the fragrance of lavender lingered on their breath when they kissed just moments ago. 

Victoria finally relaxed upon hearing his words. 

The corners of Alaric’s lips curled up. “If you don’t want to eat something next time, just stuff it all. in my mouth, okay?” 

“Okay… I got it.” 

Victoria couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but even though Alaric was helping her, she always sensed a flirtatious undertone in his words. 

She lingered in the room for a while, allowing that awkward feeling to subside before finally getting up to search for the other people here. 

When she left the main hall, she stepped into a large courtyard. 

The courtyard was filled with tall trees and an orchard and vegetable garden. The kitchen was also built beside the orchard. The two elderly people lived here, and sometimes when the weather was bad and they didn’t want to go out, they would pick fresh vegetables from the garden and cook them. They lived a green and environmentally friendly life. 

Just as Victoria went out, she coincidentally came across Casey squatting in the vegetable garden with the two little ones. 

Nicole was also bent over with her small behind in the air as she plucked a leafy vegetable while Nathan squatted beside her and helped the ladies out. The two children had their hands full. 

$14:18 Mon, 17 Jul 

Witnessing this scene, Victoria felt so surreal. It was as if she were walking on clouds. 

“Mommy!” The children called her over when they spotted her. 

After Victoria walked over, she also got down to their level before asking, “What are you. all up to? Let me help.” 

Casey glanced at her and smiled warmly. “It’s alright. Just look at how thin your arms and legs arc. You better go inside and rest. Have something to eat. Let me and your mother take care of this. Your grandfather will cook when he comes back. We’ll just wait for him to do that before we start eating.” 

Without waiting for Victoria’s response, Casey pushed her out of the vegetable garden. They happened to see Mary coming over just as Victoria stepped out. 

Mary, too, put on a smile. “Go inside and take a rest. We’ll handle the rest here.” 

Victoria felt a bit awkward, and she was about to reply when Mary continued, “Actually, your Grandma wants more time alone with the children. She really likes these babies. After all, she knows that the children won’t be staying here for long. She can only spend this limited time with them.” 

Victoria finally understood after hearing those words. 

“I see.” She gave it a thought before smilingly suggesting, “How about we let Nicole and Nathan stay here every summer and winter break from now on?”