Chapter 44: Undermining Meredith’s Confidence
During this meal, the three of them found themselves slipping back into their old dynamic. Specifically, it seemed like Meredith and Justin were back to how they used to be. However, for Fiona, her mind was elsewhere, her gaze occasionally drifting to Meredith’s stomach.
The thought of Terrence Sterling’s child being inside Meredith’s belly filled her with anxiety, fear, and various worries. Sensing Fiona’s improved mood that day, Justin took the chance to ask, “Fiona, is your boyfriend still busy? Are you really not planning to introduce him to us?”Property © NôvelDrama.Org.
Meredith chimed in, “What, are you still mad at me? Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. Seeing how well you’re doing now, I believe your boyfriend truly cares for you. We wish you all the best.”
Fiona smiled and replied, “No, he’s truly busy. It’s not that I don’t want to introduce him. He just left on a business trip a couple of days ago… to England. He might be gone for a few months. When he comes back, I’ll definitely introduce him to you both.”
Meredith, as she ate her shrimp, casually inquired, “What’s your boyfriend’s name? Can you at least share that? Or maybe show us a photo to meet him?”
“He doesn’t like taking photos,” Fiona evaded, teasingly adding, “Don’t worry, you’ll know when he comes back from his business trip, right?”
Meredith and Justin exchanged a knowing glance. It was clear that Fiona was either deliberately avoiding introducing her boyfriend or using the business trip as an excuse. Both of them didn’t want to ruin the rare opportunity of sitting down for a meal together, so they didn’t press the matter further.
After they had eaten their fill, Meredith settled on the couch to watch TV, Justin went to do the dishes, and Fiona sat next to Meredith, bombarding her with questions. One moment she asked about the size of the baby in Meredith’s belly, and the next she probed about her future plans.
Fiona refrained from asking about the father of the child since she already knew who it was. “Meredith, you’re still so young. Are you really set on being a single mom?” Fiona expressed her concerns, raising practical questions about work, potential displeasure from employers due to maternity leave, childcare arrangements, expenses, and future education costs at the high-priced Auroraville daycare.
Fiona laid out the most dire and practical problems that would arise after the child’s birth in an apparent attempt to dissuade Meredith from following through with the pregnancy.
But Meredith confidently replied, “I’ve thought it through. Over the next few months, I’ll save up some money, be thrifty, and it should be enough.” With her current salary, she should be able to save up around three hundred thousand dollars by the time the baby is born, which should suffice.
At that moment, Justin emerged from the kitchen with a sliced watermelon, declaring, “And I’ll lend a hand too. After the baby is born, he’s my godson, so I’ll take care of his diapers and formula.”
“Meredith, you’re truly amazing,” Meredith teared up with gratitude, but she couldn’t bring herself to confront the fact that Justin had feelings for her. It would make things awkward between them. And she certainly wouldn’t take advantage of Justin’s generosity to fund her decisions.
Fiona, unable to hide her bitterness, commented, “Justin, you’re always bending over backwards for Meredith. As a single mother, how will she ever remarry? It doesn’t sound good. Meredith, I’m just worried about you.”
With Fiona’s remark, Justin casually quipped, “Well, she still has me.” Realizing he misspoke, he tried to smooth things over, saying, “What I meant was, when Meredith faces difficulties, we’ll lend a helping hand. No one can bully you; I consider you both sisters. If anyone dares mistreat you, they’ll have to answer to me first.”
Meredith chuckled as she ate the watermelon, not responding directly. Fiona chimed in, “We can’t let anyone bully Meredith. And Meredith, go easy on the watermelon; pregnant women are supposed to stick to cooked food, right?”
Meredith felt warmth in her heart at Fiona’s concern. “I’ll just eat one slice,” she restrained herself and added, “By the way, I have two days off. Do you both have any plans for these days?”