After tossing around in her bed a couple of times, John fell asleep, and it seemed to her that he hadn’t heard a single word she said earlier.
Forget it, maybe he really drank too much, Sophia thought and went into the bathroom for a towel.
She wiped his face and hands before proceeding to take off his jacket. Although he was drunk, he was rather cooperative and removed his clothes as she wanted.
Finally, she placed the blankets over him and then went to his room. Even though she wasn’t used to his bed, she was tired and fell asleep soon after she lay down.
When it was almost daybreak, she was awakened by the sound of the door. Opening her eyes, she saw John coming into the room.
Without the need to ask, she already knew what he was up to, and she turned her back toward him. “You’re annoying.”
John grinned and hugged her from behind. “I can’t sleep when you’re not next to me.”
Couldn’t be bothered with him, she closed her eyes and continued to sleep until late morning without even knowing when he had left the room.
So she returned to her room and washed up before coming out again. That was when she heard Matilda’s voice from downstairs, saying, “That’s right, lay it out here where it’s slippery. That side as well, and also over there, that left side…”
Rushing to the top of the staircase, she glanced down and saw Matilda with a group of people who were placing carpets in the living room. Even the kitchen seemed to be covered in non-slip mats.
Watching from the top at Matilda, who had her hands on her hips, she did look like she had the stance as the mistress of the Constance Family from before. As she leaned against the handrail and observed, she had no intention of joining the commotion at all.
The workers carried huge pieces of carpets into the house and placed them carefully on the floor. The yoga mats which were there before had all been removed, and the hanging chair in the living room was moved aside, revealing a wide, open space.
Sophia knew that Matilda was worried she might trip if there were too many things in the way. That’s really thoughtful of her.
While it seemed that Matilda didn’t feel awkward about meddling so much into her own affairs, she was the one feeling rather uneasy about it.
When Matilda was done giving out the instructions, she lifted her head and saw her. Waving a hand at her, she called out, “Come here and don’t lean over there. You look scary like that. Come down and take a seat here.”
And so, Sophia went downstairs and was surprised to see that there was also a servant besides the workers placing the carpets.
“Over here, Ms. Cannon,” she heard Matilda saying. “This is Sophia.”
In her fifties, Ms. Cannon looked like an honest and dependable worker, and she hurried over to greet Sophia, “Hello, Ms. Gwendolyn.”
Sophia merely blinked and didn’t say a thing, but Matilda continued, “I transferred Ms. Cannon from the Flintstones, and she’s a really great cook. Let me tell you, when I was pregnant with John, I wouldn’t eat anyone else’s cooking but hers, and I’m sending her here to take care of you now. You’re picky about food during this period, so you should pay more attention to it.”
Glancing at her, Sophia pointed out, “The way you are now is as good as telling John the truth.”
Thinking over with pursed lips, Matilda finally said, “Sophia, I don’t think you can hide your pregnancy, really. It’s not about me telling John about it, but rather about your reaction now. Even before your belly becomes big, it won’t take him more than a couple of days to become suspicious. How much longer do you think you can fool him with gastric as an excuse?”
Deep inside, Sophia knew that John was already growing suspicious.
Holding her hand, Matilda led her to the couch and sat down while Ms. Cannon went ahead with her chores. In an incredibly rare occasion, Matilda didn’t seem awkward at all as she took her hand and spoke earnestly, “In your current state, you said you want to leave alone and have the child somewhere, but listen to me. You haven’t left yet, and you’re speaking about it so lightly when your body is having such a huge reaction. If you really leave by yourself and have no one to speak to when you’re upset, you’ll definitely regret it.”
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