"Miss Ning, everyone likes to be free. But you have been taken away from the hospital before, right? Don't you remember that incident?"
What happened that day was still fresh in her memory, because it led to the most terrifying days of her life. But Nancy thought this was a different case, so she argued, "You said it yourself. I was in the hospital when it happened. Now, I am at home. I don't need bodyguards here!"
"No, if a bad guy targeted you, he would find an opportunity to kill you no matter where you are. Miss Ning, you'd better listen to Mr. Fu." Trying to convince her, Hiram smiled a little.
"So, do I have to have the bodyguards around me wherever I go?" asked Nancy.
When Hiram nodded, she almost groaned in frustration.
"Are you watching my every action?" At last, Nancy understood why Charles seemed to know everything she was doing.
Her intuition had been telling her that maybe he had appointed someone to follow her anywhere.
It turned out that she was right all along!
From Hiram's eyes, Nancy had confirmed her guess.
After thinking for a while, Hiram said slowly, "Miss Ning, please understand that Mr. Fu is just worried about your safety."
"No! I don't believe he's protecting me at all. He's just using this as an excuse to imprison me. Hiram, don't keep an eye on me too much. It's suffocating!" Hoping that he would agree, Nancy pleaded.
However, he only gave him an awkward look and replied, "I work for Mr. Fu."
Nancy was so angry that she shouted, "What about me?"
"You are Mr. Fu’s woman." Hiram's reply made Nancy angrier.
"Hiram, why are you so stubborn? Forget it. I don't want to talk you anymore. You can leave now." Just now, Nancy said Hiram was a part of her family. But it turned out she was the one who didn't belong to this family. This was Charles', not hers.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ning, but I have to protect you at all costs. Goodbye." There was no way for Hiram to compromise, so he could only give her an apologetic look.
"Goodbye, Uncle Hiram." The two kids waved at Hiram when he got into his car.
"Bye, you two." Then Hiram drove away, leaving Nancy hopeless.
As soon as the car left, the two children walked into the house, followed by Nancy.
There were two figures on the garden path, and Nancy knew that they were the bodyguards Hiram had assigned for her.
Did she need protection?
But instead of feeling secured, she felt suffocated.
Where was Charles now? Was he still drinking and chatting with Brandy? Were they reminiscing the past and imagining their future together?
What about Nancy?
'Am I a bird imprisoned here by Charles?'
All of a sudden, Nancy felt melancholic. It was okay if Charles didn't love her anymore and wanted to leave her, but he should at least set her free.
At this point, Nancy could only hope that Charles wouldn't change his mind about letting her go back to work tomorrow.
With a heavy heart, Nancy went inside the house. She helped the children change their clothes before she went to the kitchen to cook for them.
Not long after she left them, Nadia followed her into the kitchen. "Mommy, have you really recovered from your cold?"
"Yes, I am fine now." Seeing the concern in her big dough eyes, Nancy couldn’t help but smile.
"Oh, it's so fast. Mommy, I was afraid that you will be seriously ill. I know how uncomfortable it feels to be sick. Mommy, are you hurt?"
Remembering the day Nadia got sick, Nancy felt guilty. It was all he fault that Nadia suffered that day.
"Nadia, I'm fine. It's just a slight cold. You hurt your stomach last time, so you have to take good care of yourself from now on. Be careful of what you eat, okay?" As she spoke, Nancy washed the vegetables.
"I will remember, Mommy. Don't catch a cold again, okay?" Worry was evident in Nadia’s eyes.
For a second, Nancy stopped what she was doing and turned to Nadia and smiled. "Okay."
It was said that daughters were always caring. It was true.
After a while, Nancy was done preparing dinner for the children. The three of them ate together, and then Nancy asked them to take a shower after. As usual, she told them stories to make them sleep.
It was already half past nine in the evening when Nancy was done with everything she had to do.
The house was completely silent when the children had fallen asleep.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweet Twins