To the Love of My Life

Steve felt as if his head had been struck by a bolt of lightning, and his footsteps came to an abrupt halt at the entrance.

Pregnant… Ruby Gregory was pregnant. Whose child was it inside her belly?

The fingers of Steve’s hand holding the box of red wine curled up, gripping the wooden box tightly.

Rusell Henris noticed Steve’s sudden stop and quickly halted his own footsteps as well. Raising his head, he wanted to ask Steve what was wrong, but instead heard the voices of Lady Gregory and Maxwell Gregory, one after another, coming from inside the house.

“What? Ruby, you’re pregnant?”

“Ruby, when did you get pregnant? Whose is it?”

“Is it Steve’s?”

“Since you already knew you were pregnant, why did you cancel the wedding with Steve? What about the child?”

A look of surprise appeared in Henris’s eyes. He unconsciously turned his head to glance at Steve, whose expression seemed somewhat complex, like expectation mixed with fear. Perhaps it was contagious, but Rusell also began to feel an inexplicable tension.

The room inside was quiet, and so was the entrance. The entire atmosphere seemed frozen in place.

After about ten seconds, Ruby’s soft, slow voice finally emerged: “The child isn’t Steve’s…”

Rusell clearly felt that when Ruby spoke those words, the box of red wine he and Steve were holding together shook violently. The surrounding air became somewhat heavy, as if a powerful oppressive force was enveloping him, making it difficult even to breathe.

This time, there was no sound from Maxwell Gregory. Instead, Lady Gregory seemed particularly emotional, her voice becoming sharper: “If the child isn’t Steve’s, then whose is it? Ruby, you need to tell us clearly what happened!”

“I’m sorry; I’ve kept this from you for so long. I…” Ruby seemed unsure of how to continue. She paused for about three seconds before saying, “I plan to get married.”

“Marriage? With whom? Ruby, marriage is not child’s play. How could you suddenly decide to get married? Why didn’t you tell us beforehand?” Lady Gregory’s emotions became even more agitated.

Rusell distinctly felt that his breathing was becoming difficult, and he dared not even let out a sigh. He maintained a stiff posture, not daring to look at Steve standing in front of him.

Compared to Lady Gregory’s agitation, Ruby’s voice sounded calm, as if she was laying her cards on the table: “I’m sorry. I was afraid you wouldn’t agree, but now there’s a child in my belly…”

“His name is Edric Reat, a college classmate of mine, studied abroad in Costa Luna. He returned to Ciawell six months ago and is currently working as a manager for a foreign company. And most importantly, he treats me very well…” Ruby briefly introduced Edric, and eventually said, “We never planned on having children, but since it happened unexpectedly, we can’t bring ourselves to give it up.”

Upon saying this, Ruby paused for a moment and then told a lie: “The child has been with us for fifty days.”