Exposing the Charade of Deep Affection - Season 1 Episode 20

Maybe Walter and I were reacting a little too strangely, Ashley looked over as well. Seeing the words on the paper, she was obviously panicking and frightened. She lost it and suddenly screamed, “Pregnant? How can you be pregnant?”

“Ms. Conner, watch your words,” Dale frowned and said, interrupting

her.

Realizing that her reaction was a bit too much, Ashley collected herself and forced a smile, saying to Walter, “Tabatha is pregnant. That’s… great.”

She wanted to express how happy she was, but it was against her will, so the smile on her face became twisted and very fierce.

Walter didn’t respond. He looked at me and said, “I’ll take you to see Grandma.” Then he asked Dale to stay with Ashley for her check-up and pulled me out of the hospital.

“Walter!” As we walked out of the hospital building, Ashley’s voice was heard behind us. Only Walter didn’t seem to hear anything and pulled me into the car.

On the way to the old house, Walter said nothing, and I was still in shock at the results. How could I be two months pregnant? I couldn’t believe it. I got pregnant so close to Ashley’s pregnancy.

We went to the pavilion in the old house.

Carley looked at Walter calmly and said, “OK. I see. I want to talk to Tabatha alone Go and visit your uncles.”

Walter hesitated for a moment, then looked at me, nodded to Carley,

and left.

Carley and I were alone in the pavilion. She looked at me calmly with the B-ultrasound sheet in her hand and said, as kindly as ever, “Are you surprised by the sudden appearance of the baby?”

“I’m not pregnant.” I didn’t answer her question. Instead, I said firmly. I knew my body better than anyone. I had been wandering in the car, and when I saw Carley’s calm look and recalled what she had asked me to do yesterday, I realized everything. I was not pregnant. There was no way I could get pregnant.

Carley looked at me, fiddling with the bracelet, raised her wrinkled eyebrows slightly, and smiled, “You are not pregnant? Then what’s with the results?”

Looking at her, I pursed my lips and said, “Grandma, you should know better than I do. Isn’t that why you asked Dale to take me for a check- up?”

She suddenly grinned and said, “Are you saying that I sent someone to come up with a fake test report to prove that you are pregnant? You and Walter are getting a divorce, and I’m not confused. Doing this will do me no good.”

After saying that, she cast a handful of bait into the pond next to the pavilion. In a flash, all the goldfish in the pool came around for food.

I nodded and said, “You’re right. For you, it’s not something good. However, you have to do this, because Ashley is pregnant. She is a divorced woman, so there’s no way you’ll allow her to become a part of the Ilinton family. Yet she’s pregnant with Walter’s baby, so you need the baby to be the offspring of the Ilinton family fair and square. In such a case, I become the only candidate.”

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She sat back down in the chair, looked at me with her cloudy but still shrewd eyes, and said languidly, “Go on.”

“You asked Dale to take me to the hospital for a check-up and let the doctor get me a pregnancy report, because you want others to know that I am pregnant, though that’s not the truth. After Ashley gives birth, you will find a way to tell her that her baby is dead or has an accident. Then you’ll come up with something to make it look like the baby is mine. In such a way, the baby gets to be the offspring of the Hinton. family fair and square. As for me, I’ve done my part by then, and then I can leave the Hinton family and no longer be the granddaughter-in-law of the Hinton family.”

After hearing my words, Carley clapped, looked at me, and said, “Tabatha, you’re indeed smart. What a pity. You would have been the perfect granddaughter-in-law of the Hinton family if only you had a clean history.”

I pursed my lips and said nothing.

After a pause, she asked, “So, will you do this for the Hinton family?”

Though it was a question, the answer was pretty clear. I didn’t have a choice. After all, I lied to the Hinton family first. If I said no, the Conner Group would be in a bad place.

I nodded and looked at her. “OK. Yet I can’t guarantee that Walter won’t find out. After all, Ashley is just over two months pregnant, and she is not due for another eight months. Pregnancy is a complicated process, and Walter is not a fool. I’m sure he’ll sense something.”

A lie was a lie after all.

Carley nodded and smiled, “Relax. Ashley is as smart as you. If she is determined to cling to Walter, he is mostly unlikely to find out. After all, he only has limited energy. Besides, I’ve got other plans.”

By the time Walter got back, Carley and I were almost done talking. Carley said that she was tired and wanted to rest, and she asked me and Walter to eat before going back.

Walter agreed. Watching Carley leave, I sat in the pavilion, lost in thought.

Walter stood next to me, looking again at the sheet results. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, “What did Grandma say to you?”