Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Timothy’s hands clenched suddenly as they hung on either side of his body and even his breathing became heavier.

Samantha picked up the glass and raised it to her mouth, but she froze just as she was about to drink from it. Her hand squeezed the cup unconsciously and her conflicted feelings became more intense within her eyes.

She closed her eyes for about five minutes.

After taking a deep breath, she reopened her eyes with a look of determination. She placed the water glass, spat out the pill from her mouth into the palm of her hand, then threw it into the trash can beside her.

Old Madam Barker always wanted to hug great-grandchildren and Timothy wanted a child too. Since she decided to start over with Timothy and live happily for the rest of their lives, that was the first step that she had to take.

All other factors aside, she asked herself the question ‘Do I really want to have a child with Timothy?’

Her answer was a yes!

She liked Timothy, and since she had always thought about marrying him, it was only natural for her to think about having his baby after getting married to him.

They missed out on each other two years ago and had to go through a lot to finally end up together. What else could she worry about?

Samantha finally convinced herself and took a paper towel to wipe her hands. She then took the entire bottle of morning-after pills and threw them directly into the trash can.

The instant she released her grip on that bottle, it seemed as though all her worries and indecision had vanished too.

She finally got that weight off her mind.

The sound of footsteps came from behind, and the next second, her entire body was hugged in a familiar embrace. Samantha was taken aback for a moment and soon realized that it was Timothy. She turned her face slightly and looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

Timothy continued hugging her from behind without giving an answer. He unconsciously tightened his arms, as if to knead her into his body.

“Timothy?” Samantha became more confused.

His hug was a little too tight and she felt difficultly breathing. “You’re going to hurt me!”

Timothy loosened slightly but he still continued embracing her as he rested his chin on her shoulders. He spoke in an extremely smoky voice, “Nothing. I just wanted to hug you.”

She had no idea how happy he was when she spat out the morning-after pill.

Her willingness to have his child was the most solid proof that she would no longer think about divorcing him and would live with him happily for a long time to come.

“Oopsie.”

Aunt Julia had shown up at the door at some point and covered her face with her hands, although her fingers were open rather than closed. She had a smile that extended almost from ear to ear and she said, “Mr. Barker, Mrs. Barker, sorry to bother you, but…it’s time for breakfast. The food’s going to get cold and Old Madam is waiting too.”

Samantha blushed as soon as Aunt Julia spoke. She freed herself from Timothy’s arms and rushed out of the room without looking back.

Timothy smirked. “I’ll go down after changing my clothes.”

“Okay.”

Aunt Julia turned around happily and could not resist humming a sweet tune as she followed Samantha down.

…

When Timothy walked into the dining hall, Samantha was breaking the good news to the old lady regarding her successful interview. Old Madam Barker was so happy and looked just like an old child.

She took Samantha’s hand and said, “Sammy, you’re without a doubt the most beautiful contestant among them! I’m sure you’ll make it to the final and win the competition to become Lychee TV’s new anchor!”

Samantha smiled and her eyebrows turned into little arcs.

Everyone saw the best in their own family members, and in Old Madam Barker’s eyes, Samantha was always number one.

Unfortunately, reality could sometimes be different from one’s expectations.

Samantha felt that it would not be good to let Old Madam Barker place too high a hope on her. She was afraid that greater hope would only set the old lady up for greater disappointment, so she said, “Grandma, the other contestants who made it this time are a force to be reckoned with too. From what I saw the other day, some of them have already made a small name for themselves and boast a lot of experience under their belt. They all have an advantage over me.”

“Bah, that’s no big deal. I know how good your grades were when you were in school, and if it weren’t for—” Old Madam Barker stopped herself just in time before changing her remark. “If you hadn’t been held up due to certain issues last time, you’d already be a shining star by now!

“The point is, you’re a very capable person, Sammy. I’m hopeful for you, and I want to be your number one fan!”

Aunt Julia acknowledged and said, “I’m your number two fan!”

Timothy strode in, pulled the chair beside Samantha, and sat down. He picked up a piece of bread, slathered some blueberry jam, then placed it on Samantha’s plate. “Aunt Julia, I’m afraid you can only be her number three fan.”

Aunt Julia was puzzled. “How so?”

She turned to the old lady and wondered why she was number three if the old lady was number one.

Timothy turned to his grandmother and said, “Grandma, I’m sorry to say this, but you’re number two.”

Old Madam Barker patted the table. “Why is that!”

“Because I’m her number one fan,” Timothy said in a confident and unquestionable manner.

Old Madam Barker and Aunt Julia were both speechless.

Samantha ate her bread and had an amused look in her eye as she watched them bicker.

Perhaps God was showing mercy to her, and all the hardships she went through were finally exchanged for happiness.

Despite losing her parents, she was still loved by the old lady and Aunt Julia. She also finally got back her beloved Timothy, and she was already on the road to achieving her dream.

Everything was perfect, but that inexplicably made her feel surreal.

Would that perfect life be hers forever?

…

After having breakfast, Samantha’s cell phone rang and she got up to answer it.

Timothy went upstairs and headed back to the bedroom. He shed his home clothes and chose a nice suit to wear. As he was putting on his jacket, he suddenly noticed Samantha’s clothes hanging in the closet.

The dressing room might be huge, but her clothes were paltry in number and she had no jewelry at all. Even her bag was limited to only one, which was the same one she used day in day out.

Samantha used to love beautiful clothes, fancy jewelry, and all kinds of bags, but that had all changed.

Timothy frowned when he recalled how miserably she dressed.

Once he was fully dressed, Timothy picked up the phone to make a call. He then reached for his wallet and car keys, walked out of the bedroom, and went downstairs.

Timothy came down just as Samantha had just finished her call, so she asked, “Are you going to the company? I’d like to visit Corey at the hospital. Can I take a ride?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, gimme a moment! I’ll be ready soon!”

Samantha went upstairs, changed her clothes quickly, then picked up her bag and went back down.

After getting in the car, Timothy started the engine and drove out of the villa.

The morning air was exceptionally fresh and Samantha lowered the car window to breathe it all in. The pink flowers blooming on both sides of the road were an extremely pleasant sight to look at.

As the journey went on, she started to sense that something was wrong.

She turned her head to look at Timothy and said confusedly, “Timothy, this… This isn’t the way to the hospital. Where are you going?”

Timothy glanced at Samantha from beside and smiled. All he said was, “You’ll know soon..”