Chapter 9 .

Since we sat down, we hadn't started eating yet. I kept answering everything Lea was asking. More about the things I did for the past five years I was gone in England.

Although we kept in touch while I was away, face-to-face conversations aren't similar to texts and phone calls; those only happened when there were special occasions. The time had always been limited, so I couldn't tell them all the details.

"Mama is such a killjoy," Lea murmured while pouting her lips when Auntie Eugene told her to let me eat first.

"You know, if you're the only one who will be hungry, I'll let you carry on with an empty stomach. My grandson wouldn't have milk to drink when he wakes up," Aunt preached to her daughter just to make her stop talking, and because of that, she stopped.

Lea just gave birth to her second baby. A healthy baby boy who's already six weeks old.

Thinking about that made me feel sad for myself. Lea was only a few years older than me, but she had already given birth twice. The eldest was already six and was in school when I visited.

She wouldn't be going home because she had packed her lunch and she was with her nanny.

I started eating as well before Auntie got mad at me too. I was secretly laughing because of how Lea's face had turned. She was eating, but her snout was quite pointed, and her forehead was wrinkled. She seemed like a small kid who got scolded by her mom.

I tried to turn my attention to the food and occasionally raised my head when someone spoke. Auntie Eugene had random questions, but it was not like Lea, that kept questioning me non-stop because she had given me enough time to eat.

Of all of us, Felix was the one who finished first. I noticed that he was restless and seemed to have his own world. He said he'll return to the office. He left me in their house, which was fine with me. I also wanted to spend time with them, and when asked what Felix's problem was now.

Yes, he used to be aloof but being snob, but the way he acted was far different from how I knew him. He was the only one quiet while we were eating lunch. He only said a word when he was about to leave.

In the living room, we continued talking. Making the most of every second because Lea's youngest might wake up anytime soon, and she would be leaving to take care of him.

Our conversation went on. The baby woke up around one o'clock in the afternoon, but that didn't stop Lea from asking about England, my life there, lovely places to visit, and so on.

We didn't realize the time. Lea's firstborn had arrived, but we weren't done with the many topics we wanted to discuss.

Her daughter was so adorable. Shy, but she seemed like a clever little munchkin. I was so stunned by her cuteness; if only I could take her home and hide her inside my pocket, I would. The newborn baby was also so cute. Lea was breastfeeding him. That was why he grew up so fast.

I was curious about how it feels to breastfeed a baby. How to conceive, and if it hurts to give birth. There were so many questions in my mind because, at my age, menopause was right around the corner.

Watching Lea with her two kids made me feel jealous. One of my greatest dreams was to become a mom. I grew up being the only child, so I wanted to have at least two or more.

I heard the toddler tell her mom she had an assignment. She asked her mom to help her, but Lea was holding her newborn.

"Later, sweetheart, I'll just put your brother to sleep first," Lea told her, which made her daughter sad.

"Give him to me." I volunteered.

"A-Are you sure? Your clothes might get dirty," she said as if babies were dirty. She made me raise my eyebrows.

"Yes, I'm sure," I assured her.

She handed me the baby boy carefully. I was pretty scared because his body was so small. The last baby I carried was two years old, and that was the first time I experienced carrying a baby only just six weeks old.

I felt a warmth inside my heart that was so hard to explain. Mixtures of emotions that made me teary-eyes. I only turned around to hide it from Lea, swaying my body like most mothers do when they try to put their baby to sleep.

I didn't know how long I was doing that. I didn't feel tired while I was doing it. There was some fulfillment when I saw the baby close his eyes, and later, he fell asleep on my warm.

"Sleeping?" After some time, I heard Lea ask me this. I turned my head to answer her with one nod.

"Just lay him here," she instructed me and immediately went to the baby's crib to fix his bed, but I refused.

"He still might wake up," I told her, even though there was a possibility he would not.

"HE-yyy,"

"Shhh!" Someone suddenly appeared in the doorway, and his voice was loud when he greeted us. His voice immediately dropped and forced him to shut his mouth.

"Sorry-" he apologetically told us when he saw the baby I was carrying fast asleep.

He just came from the office, and that was late from his off to work. We had dinner early and didn't wait for him anymore because he called to inform us he still had work to finish.

About Felicity, we didn't meet yet because he had some agenda out of town.

"What can you say? Do I fit to become a mother someday?" I asked him in a whisper, but enough for him to hear.

"Yes," he answered fatly. I noticed his facial expression suddenly change. He told us he would head to his room to bring his things and change clothes.

I concluded right away there was something wrong with him, a problem.

When the baby was asleep, I laid him down in the crib. I approached Lea and her daughter, who were both sitting on the fluffy carpet on the floor. I was intrigued.

"Does Felix have a problem?" She turned her head to me after telling her daughter how to do his next assignment.

"Honestly, he has, but don't mind him. We're waiting for him to man up and do something about it," she answered, which surprised me.

It seemed Felix's problem was not something she was bothered by so much.

"W-What do you mean? What is it?" I was curious to understand what was happening to him, but her answer shocked me.

"Because he impregnanted someone. The woman ran away from him and hid on an island." I almost fainted from shock.

I didn't expect his situation to be like that, but I noticed that Lea didn't seem dismayed by what Felix did. She even looked happy, and it seemed I was the one who felt disappointment, and there was something else.

My confusion made me ask more. My question about why it seemed Lea didn't look bothered got answered. She told me Felix was said to be in love with the woman, but Felix looked tired and unhappy.

I couldn't believe he had made someone pregnant, and with the bit of info I got, I didn't like her already. Maybe she seduced Felix. We all know some women would do everything to change their life. After all, Felix is handsome, and he has money. Some desperate people would do everything to get a rich man. It made me think, too; maybe she charmed him. She made him fall head over heels for her.

I heard a lot of compliments from Lea about that island girl, and it seemed every single thing was unbelievable. I found out her name was Pretzel.

"You're going to like her too once you meet her," Lea said. It sounded cringy to my ears.

"Like how? I don't think that will happen. What kind of woman is she? A stripper working on that island, and after she saw Felix, whom she thought would help her get out of the slum, she spread her tights right away?" I saw the shock on Lea's face when I uttered these words, but I didn't feel any regret afterward.

"You're wrong about that, Elyana." She even tried to convince me, but I didn't believe her.

We stopped when someone suddenly entered the nursery room. Lea and I were both surprised to see who it was. Especially me because of what I said earlier.

"H-Have you been there for a while?" I stammered and felt relieved when he said he had just arrived. He was smiling, and it looked like he hadn't heard anything that could ruin his mood.

"Why, it seemed you both saw a ghost? You were talking about me, weren't you?" he inquired, and it seemed he poured cold water on my head.

I looked away after I felt guilty.

"Y-You're not famous for us to talk about?" Lea asked. She laughed; too obvious she was only pretending. I knew she was also a bit nervous.

"It seemed you had forgotten I'm a famous Engineer, my sis," he said boastfully.

The awkwardness on my side slowly disappears as I watch them tease each other. Thanks to Lea, she saved me. If Felix heard what I said, he would definitely be mad. Knowing that man for so long, he didn't want anyone interfering with him, especially in his personal life.

"Gosh! It's not you! We were talking about motherhood-"

"They we-" Lea's eldest child spoke. She almost exposed us. Good thing Lea quickly covered her mouth. She gave me so much nervousness.

"You'd better take Elyana home. It's dangerous for such a beautiful young lady to go home alone at this time," Lea told her brother.

I refused, but Felix's answer preceded me, and he agreed to take me home, and I realized it might be the best time to ask him about certain things.