Unwanted Marriage: Honey, No More Divorce!

Chapter 533: A Passenger Named Clement

Upon Wendy’s confirmation, Mrs. Lucas beamed and could not stop smiling.

She held Wendy’s hands in hers and asked, looking concerned, "How far along are you? Why didn’t you tell me? Look at how pale you are. Your morning sickness must be quite severe."

Then, without giving Wendy a chance to respond, she reached out and slapped Michael on the arm, rebuking, "Why didn’t you tell me that Wendy is expecting? If Leah had not mentioned the baby, were you planning to still keep me in the dark?"

"Well, no," Michael had indeed planned to keep it a secret until Leah unwittingly spilled the beans.

Smiling, he explained, "And that is the reason why we visited today. To inform you."

"Really?" His grandmother asked him, looking dubious.

Watching them, Wendy took a deep breath and reached out to hold onto Mrs. Lucas.

Speaking up for Michael, she said, "Yes, we had only just confirmed it ourselves.

See? After confirming it, we planned this visit today to inform you. It’s not Michael’s fault. You have wronged him."

In fact, Michael had been the one who had wanted to inform his grandmother while Wendy had refused to do so. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Then again, it was a reality that she had to face up to anyway, no?

"Take it easy, Wendy. You’re the one who’s expecting. Don’t over-exert yourself by helping me," Mrs. Lucas pushed Wendy’s hand away gently.

Then, she quickly gestured to Michael, "You should help Wendy. How could you let an expectant mother walk around on her own?" freewebnσvel.cøm

"Grandmother, there’s no need to fuss," Wendy was feeling uncomfortable with the concern shown to her.

Mrs. Lucas had always been good to Wendy. Knowing that she was pregnant, she was obviously going to indulge in her every need.

She recalled the time when Wendy had first found out that she was pregnant with the twins. At that time, everyone suspected that the kids were not Michael’s.

During that time, everyone in the Lucas household had been mean to her.

Then, Michael had insisted that Wendy had her kids aborted. Shortly after that, Wendy disappeared.

Recalling the past, Mrs. Lucas felt deeply sorry for all that Wendy had suffered.

Everyone in the Lucas clan had done her wrong.

And now, thankfully, Wendy was once again expecting. Mrs. Lucas vowed to take this opportunity to make it up to her.

She wanted to make amends for all the wrongdoings that Wendy had endured in the past.

"Of course, I must fuss. This is my great-grandchild. This is an unexpected bundle of joy for the Lucas family."

Mrs. Lucas had been smiling and talking non-stop ever since she found out about Wendy’s pregnancy.

There was no hiding the fact that she was over the moon and bursting with joy.

"Great-grandmother, are you going to love this little sister or brother more than you love Jake and me?" Leah looked up at her, a tad jealous at being ignored.

"Of course not. I love all of you very much," Mrs. Lucas declared lovingly, caressing Leah’s head tenderly.

At that, Leah was placated and smiled happily.

"All right, everyone, come inside. Why are we all standing out here?" Mrs. Lucas urged them into the house.

While walking into the house, she instructed the maid standing on the side, "Get going now and prepare food suitable for expectant mothers. Wendy is too thin and needs proper nourishment.

"Since she’s in the first trimester, she should eat more and eat nutritious food. She can watch her diet in the later stage of her pregnancy in case the baby grows too fast and causes difficulties during birth."

Although Mrs. Lucas was naturally focused on her great-grandchild, she was also very concerned about Wendy’s well-being.

"Oh, before I forget, how severe is your morning sickness?" she turned around and asked Wendy.

"Do you have any food cravings?"

"Not for now, no," Wendy replied. Her mind had been occupied with the Clement incident, and she had no appetite.

"OK. Let me know whenever you have any food cravings. I will send someone to buy them for you," Mrs. Lucas said.

"Sure," Wendy smiled and nodded.

...

The news of Wendy’s pregnancy soon spread like wildfire across the Lucas household at the mansion.

Michael’s grandmother had also personally called the aunts and uncles who did not live at the mansion to inform them.

Wendy became increasingly apprehensive when she noticed how happy Michael’s grandmother was, calling all her relatives and telling them the good news.

Michael could feel the fear and tension in her hand as she gripped his tightly. He patted her gently on the shoulder, comforting her silently.

At that moment, his grandmother had called Isabel.

"Yes, yes, that’s right. Your sister-in-law is expecting. Come back and see her when you find the time."

"I don’t care how busy you are. If you’re not back within one week, I will disown you."

"That’s all. Bye."

Wendy was not close to Isabel, Michael’s sister. They had only met a few times over the years because Isabel was rarely home.

Wendy protested when she heard Isabel being pressured to come home, "Grandmother, there’s no need to make Isabel come home, really. She’s very busy at work. It’s best that she stays focused on her work."

"No, that won’t do. As your sister-in-law, she should at least make a trip back to congratulate you," Mrs. Lucas turned to respond to Wendy before picking up her phone again, thinking of who to call next.

Michael’s grandmother’s over-the-top excitement only increased Wendy’s sense of dread.

What if this kid turned out not to be Michael’s?

She hung her head low, biting her lips in trepidation.

Sensing her anxiety, Michael rubbed her shoulders tenderly and whispered, "No need to be anxious about this. We talked about this, did we not?"

Yes, indeed, they had.

However, in their grandmother’s presence, Wendy could not bring herself to hide the facts from her without feeling guilty.

During lunch, Michael’s grandmother fussed over her even more, continuously serving her food.

Wendy hung her head low all the time, not daring to even look at Mrs. Lucas in the eye.

"Wendy, is the food not done to your liking?" Naturally, Mrs. Lucas had noticed her listlessness.

"Oh no, everything’s delicious," Wendy forced herself to smile.

Being astute, Mrs. Lucas had noticed that Wendy had barely touched the food on her plate.

"Wendy’s suffering from severe morning sickness these past few days. She practically throws up everything she eats," Michael came to her rescue and explained.

"The doctor had advised that it’s OK for her to eat less over the next few days. So, don’t mind her. You just continue with your lunch."

Smiling, Michael served his grandmother some food.

The smile on his grandmother’s face faded somewhat as she looked worriedly at Wendy.

"Throwing up everything she ate. That won’t do," she said.

"Hang on. I know a very good gynecologist. Let me call her now and ask her to make a house call."

"Grandmother, that won’t be necessary... " Wendy stopped mid-sentence because Michael’s grandmother had already risen to her feet to call the specialist.

Wendy bit her lip in trepidation, feeling even more stressed now.

"Michael, why don’t you talk her out of it?" Wendy said.

"Grandmother, hang on a second. Don’t call for the doctor. We have a prior engagement after lunch and should head out soon," Michael said.

"Let’s do it next time we visit. Invite the doctor over for a consultation when we next visit."

"Prior engagement? What engagement?" His grandmother paused on her way to the phone and asked.

"What matter could be more pressing than Wendy’s pregnancy? I think you guys should just move back here where there are more people around to assist when needed. I will feel more reassured too."

"Erm... " Michael’s mind was working overtime trying to think up a viable explanation.

"The doctor had asked us to return to his clinic for a follow-up today. We planned to bring the kids back for a visit and to eat lunch with you. Then we would go to the clinic for a follow-up."

...

Upon hearing Michael’s explanation, his grandmother looked pensive before speaking in a serious tone, "Yes, go ahead. Don’t delay the follow-up with the doctor.

Leave the kids here, though. Let them stay with me for a bit longer. Come and pick them up later."

Wendy heaved a secret sigh of relief.

Todd’s call had really rattled her.

She feared that if she stayed any longer at the mansion, she would surely fess up and tell Mrs. Lucas the truth.

She was getting increasingly distressed by the old lady’s concern for her and her enthusiasm in fussing over her.

"Sure. We’ll leave the kids in your capable hands then," Michael agreed. "We will come back later to pick them up."

Feeling distressed, Wendy had no appetite and did not eat much during lunch.

Fortunately, Michael whisked her away after she had eaten some food.

She heaved a sigh of relief after they had left the mansion behind them.

Seated in the front passenger seat, she lamented, "Grandmother is so good to me. I feel torn having to hide the truth from her when she is being so nice to me."

"Don’t beat yourself up," Michael said. He knew that Todd’s call had rattled Wendy.

He continued brusquely, "On hindsight, we should have ignored Todd’s calls."

Before Todd’s call, Wendy had already psyched herself up to inform his grandmother about the baby.

But now, she had reverted to her previous state of fear and anxiety.

"Todd meant well," Wendy sighed.

Todd did not know that Wendy was expecting when he decided to call with the news about Clement.

Checking the time, she realized that it was almost two.

She knew very well that she had to face up to the reality of that incident with Clement.

But she needed more time.

"We have a little over an hour before Clement lands in Lake City," she said. "I hope that Todd’s information is reliable."

"I sure hope so," Michael gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly as he added, "If he dares to make an appearance in Lake City, I will make sure that there will be no return leg of the journey for him."

Wendy hung her head low, unable to find a suitable response to his outburst.

Michael continued, "I will send you home first before I go to the airport to welcome the guy."

"I... " Wendy was about to suggest going with him to the airport.

However, she stopped herself from saying it out loud.

Forget it. She’d be better off not going.

Because coming face to face with Clement would once again rip her wound wide open.

Besides, she did not think that Michael would want her there either.

After taking her home, Michael made her a bowl of soup.

He knew that Wendy had barely touched her food during lunch at the mansion.

Once he had settled her at home, Michael headed out to the airport.

On her part, Zess had noticed that Wendy looked drawn and weary. So, after Michael had departed for the airport, she asked, looking concerned, "Didn’t you guys go back to the mansion? Why have you come back so early? And where are the kids?"

"The kids are still at the mansion. Something came up. That’s why we came back first," Wendy explained.

Noting that Wendy did not look well, Zess did not ask further.

Instead, she went to the kitchen to cut some fruit for Wendy.

It was three o’clock when Michael arrived at the airport.

Todd had told them that Clement’s flight was scheduled to land at three-twenty.

Seeing Mr. York, Michael asked, "Well?"

"I looked into the passenger list for the flight that lands at three-twenty. There is indeed a passenger called Clement on the list," Mr. York reported immediately.

"Our men are all stationed around the airport with a line of sight to everything. Once he disembarks, there is no way Clement will be able to leave the airport without us knowing.

"I have also made arrangements with the airport authority to detain Clement once the plane lands."