Chapter 18
They sat face to face, eating in silence.
After a long day, Latrina finally lay down on the bed.
The next day, she slept until ten.
She dragged her almost falling–apart body up. Luckily, the swelling on her face had gone down a lot, but the pain in her hand was still really annoying. It even hurt when she brushed her teeth.
She changed into casual clothes and went out.
Gerhart was still on the couch in the living room, a pillow on his lap and a computer balanced on top. He wore rimless glasses and was focused on some work.
Next to him was a neatly folded quilt.
He must have slept here last night.
Morning,” Latrina said.
Morning,” he replied, glancing up briefly before returning to his work.
‘Go have breakfast downstairs, and then get your checkup done. After that, we’ll go get the marriage certificate,” he said without looking up.
‘Okay,” Latrina murmured, tugging at her clothes as she headed downstairs.
He was way too fast, so was he going to marry her?
Shouldn’t they date first?
Latrina’s head was still spinning, and she wondered if it was too late to change her mind.
Morning, Ms. Glover!” the maid greeted her.
‘Morning,” she replied.
Breakfast was oatmeal, which surprisingly tasted great.
After breakfast, she wandered around the first floor and took in the layout of the villa.
The front yard was a quaint, retro garden with flowers and plants. The backyard felt like a mini–farm, complete with a stone path, a square pavilion, and a man–made fish pond along half the wall. It had a
distinctive charm.
She stood there quietly, lost in thought.
“I climbed 16 floors of stairs. My legs are about to break.” That was what Kelvin messaged early in the morning. “Did you tick off the elevator or something?”
Latrina recalled how he’d burst in, panting, last night.
“I was about to get on the elevator when you called. It was packed, and it had just gone up. Mr. Crowley was worried something might happen to you, so he took the stairs. I couldn’t wait for the elevator anymore.”
< Chapter 18
Did they really run up 16 floors?
16 floors…
At some point, Gerhart stood next to her and said, “Let’s go.”
She froze for a second and then replied, “Okay.”
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Today, Luke Conrad was driving. He’d taken a few days off to visit his hometown, and Latrina had seen him around after work a couple of times.
Kelvin sat in the passenger seat, working on some files.
This time, they switched to a car with a partition, which went up as soon as Latrina got in.
Latrina looked a bit uneasy as they sat in the back. She kept a distance from Gerhart.
“If I don’t get pregnant…” Latrina started, but trailed off.
“If you don’t get pregnant, just try again. No need to stress,” he said.
Try again…
Oh gosh, her face turned red again.
“Did you bring your ID?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got it,” she replied.
“Any requests for me?” Gerhart tilted his head, looking at her.
Latrina glanced at him and then quickly looked away.“I… I’m still not used to this,” she admitted.
It’s okay. Take your time,” he said gently.
They arrived at the hospital, grabbed the pre–filled form from the nurse’s station, and headed straight to the ultrasound room. No waiting at all.
Latrina just trailed behind like a shadow, not lifting a finger.
Gerhart stayed by her side until she lay on the exam bed.
“Should you leave?” Latrina asked shyly.
“No need. It’ll be quick. Just take off your pants,” the female doctor said with a smile. Latrina could tell the female doctor was in on it.
Latrina clutched her clothes, blushing furiously.“Gerhart, you really should leave…”
“Alright,” he said.
It was so embarrassing. She had to get a transvaginal ultrasound.
In less than two minutes, Latrina was out.
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Gerhart took her straight to Carol’s office.
“Aunt Carol,” he greeted, guiding Latrina to sit beside him.
“Hi, Carol,” Latrina said meekly.
“Hey there!” Carol smiled, glancing at the computer.“Richard had a big birthday a few days ago. I heard were there, but I didn’t see you. What a shame. I didn’t expect to see you here!”
Latrina just gave an awkward smile.
Did the whole family know about their “fight“?
you
“You’re not pregnant, Trina. You’ve probably just been eating poorly lately,” Carol frowned. “Have you been skipping meals again?”
Latrina froze for a second, and the weight in her heart lifted. Thank goodness she wasn’t pregnant!
But lately, her eating had been irregular, especially with Eduardo’s situation. Sometimes she just had no appetite.
‘Gerhart, this is your fault! Last time she had a stomachache, and now you’ve made her hungry too!”
Carol mumbled, “If you don’t eat on time, your stomach will send signals. Everyone’s body is different. Dry heaving is normal, but remember to eat regularly and cut down on junk food.”
‘Aunt Carol, you are right. I’ll be more careful next time,” Gerhart said, patting Latrina’s shoulders.
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‘Since you’re here for a gynecological checkup, let me add something. Take some folic acid if you’re thinking about having a baby. You’re only twenty–two. No rush. Take it for a month or two, and then consider it.” Carol was pretty open–minded, but Latrina didn’t dare listen to another word.
They finally got out of Carol’s office, and Latrina felt a sense of relief.
Haven’t you been eating much lately?” Gerhart took her hand.
Latrina didn’t hide it.“I’ve been dealing with some personal stuff and just haven’t felt like eating.”
She wanted to pull away, but he held on tighter.
I see,” Gerhart said, not pressing further.
Latrína hesitated for a long time, but she felt she needed to tell him about her ex. She gathered her courage and stopped at the hospital entrance.
‘Gerhart, Eduardo was my ex. The person I ran into yesterday at the hospital…”
Gerhart looked at her like she was a kid who’d done something wrong and patted her head to cut her off. “It’s in the past. Don’t dwell on it. I never cared about your past. That wasn’t mine. But your future is mine, and that’s
what matters.”
Latrina looked up at him and, for a moment, thought he was really handsome.
“Stop overthinking. Let’s go grab some food,” he said with a light smile, taking her hand and leading her toward
the street.
He smiled! He actually smiled at her!
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< Chapter 18
Latrina suddenly felt a lot better and less nervous.
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He took her to Tastebud Delights.
They sat at the same window seat as last time, and Latrina couldn’t help asking, “Who was the person you dinner with last time?”
“Ex,” he replied.
“Huh?” Latrina looked surprised.
Gerhart finished ordering and looked at her seriously.
had
“She just got back from abroad. I took her out for a meal, but don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen between
us.”
Well, do you still remember how you got home that day?” she asked, feeling a bit guilty.
‘I wasn’t drunk,” he said in his usual cold tone.
Latrina awkwardly took a sip of water and didn’t dare look at him.
So, he did it on purpose. He knew she hit him and probably heard what she said.
This was so awkward.
‘Gerhart,” Latrina hesitated.
‘Go ahead.”
Well, can we not go public in the office? I am afraid it may affect your work.” With that, she suddenly felt like she’d gone too far.
She wasn’t worried about affecting his work. She was worried about her own.
If her colleagues found out she had married Gerhart, how would she
He was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded and agreed.
She could tell he wasn’t too thrilled about it.
get by?
“So, do you have any requests for me?” Latrina quickly changed the subject.
Just don’t break the law,” he replied, which actually surprised her.
The steak was served. Gerhart didn’t let her cut it. He sliced the steak and handed it to her, telling her to eat first. Then he started on his own.
Latrina ate while watching him closely.
Actually, getting married didn’t seem that bad.
During the meal, Latrina told him about her family situation. As expected, he didn’t seem to care. It seemed like as long as it was Latrina, nothing else mattered.
This made her like him a little more.
< Chapter 19
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Chapter 19
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
