SWNOVELS Chapter 48: The Way of Punishing
Matthew moved his face closer to Dolores’. “If you dare disrespect me like that in the future, I...” He glanced at her lips, leaned
down, and bit them.
She felt a sudden pain. The taste of blood spread in her mouth. She grimaced. It hurt, it burned. Matthew really bit her.
“In the future, every time you wrong me, I’ll do this as my way of punishing you. Does that sound fair?”
Dolores felt disoriented as she gazed at the man in front of her. She couldn’t understand the reasoning for behaviors.
“Do you understand what you’re doing right now?”
Speechless, Matthew didn’t know how to answer her question. Every moment that happened after he met Dolores was so
unexpected that he lost control of himself and became a different man from who he was in the past.
He realized Dolores wasn’t virtuous, as she was impure, and didn’t respect herself.
However, the fact that he was interested in such an immoral woman, and felt like a real man—a man who had the normal,
physical reaction a man should have when facing a woman—was confusing. He hid his emotions well as he stared down at
Dolores.
He smiled faintly and asked, “What about you? You rushed forward to protect me from the sword without worrying about your
own life. Does that mean...”
As Matthew spoke, his face moved even closer to hers. When Dolores took a step back, he would take a step himself and follow
her. They were very close to each other. The smile on his face was slight, soft, gentle, and could hardly be ignored.
“Have you fallen in love with me?”
Was that why she rushed forward without concern for her and her child’s safety when Matthew was in danger?
Matthew remembered how shocked he was when he turned around and saw her rushing over.
Dolores turned away and refused to look at him. “Mr. Nelson, you have quite the sense of humor. I’ve only known you for a few
days. How could I fall in love with you so quickly?”
If she didn’t suspect he was the father of her child, she certainly wouldn’t have put herself in such a dangerous situation. She
cherished her own life as she had to survive for the sake of her mother and her child.
Matthew didn’t anger. Instead, turning away and leaning back on the sofa, smiling. “Perhaps, you fell in love with me when we
first met? Love at first sight. That happens, right?”
He was apparently speaking to Dolores, but it sounded like he was asking a rhetorical question.
Dolores’ hand that had been resting on her leg squeezed tightly, but she responded with a calm demeanor. “I don’t believe in
love at the first sight.”
Not wanting to continue the conversation, she stood up to get some water for herself, deliberately ignoring the topic. They were
strangers, but they lived under the same roof due to fate. Now they were talking about the most indescribable word in the world,
‘love.’ She couldn’t help but laugh quietly to herself.
While drinking her water, Dolores looked through the glass and gazed at the piano placed in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
Depression clouded any happiness she had been feeling.
*****
The next day, Dolores went to the hospital to see Jessica. This time, Jessica was sober and recognized Dolores at first glance.
She grabbed Dolores’ hands, not letting them go.
“Lola, I’m so happy you’ve come to see me. I’ve missed you a lot during my stay here.” Jessica held Dolores’s hands tightly, as if
she was afraid Dolores would disappear as soon as she was no longer in her grasp.
Seeing Jessica more alert, Dolores was ecstatic. “I won’t leave. When you’re strong enough, we’ll leave this place together.”
After the agreement with Matthew ended, Dolores would buy a small house to live in with her mom and her child.
“How come Dr. Herbert hasn’t visited me for the past few days, Are you angry with him?” Jessica asked, more or less knowing
Sampson’s thoughts.
Jessica liked Sampson very much and was very pleased with his personality. Besides, he was also a doctor. If Dolores could
leave Matthew and marry Sampson, a majority of their problems would be solved. The problem was Dolores being pregnant with
a child whose father was unknown. Whenever Jessica thought of the child, she would fall into a deep depression.
“He has been called away on business and won’t be back for a while,” Dolores said looking down sadly.
Sampson promised he would help her to find out what happened that faithful night. So, he should be in A Country now.
“If you weren’t pregnant, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be with him? He’s a doctor so you know he’s kind—”
“Mom,” Dolores hurriedly interrupted Jessica and helped her clasp a bracelet around her wrist, “Mom, do you recognize this?”
Jessica looked down and gasped. “Of course! It’s been years though...” Jessica looked up at Dolores in shock, believing she’d
never see the bracelet again after Randolph sent them away. “How did you get this?”
“Randolph gave it to me...” Dolores trailed off, not sure how to broach the topic of the main reason for her visit, besides spending
time with her mom. “Randolph is in a financial situation and he came to me begging for help yesterday. I don’t know what I
should do.”
Dolores hated Randolph so much she hoped he would die. On the other hand, he was still her father, even if he was a bastard.
He helped give her life.
Jessica looked down at the bracelet. “I don’t want you to worry about this, Lola. Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t get involved with
people from the past. Don’t focus on revenge but don’t forgive them either.”
Dolores understood what her mother meant. No matter what Randolph was like now, regardless of good or bad, she shouldn’t
get involved with him.
“Okay.”
*****
The two of them talked for a while longer, and it was only when visitor hours ended that Dolores left the room.
After leaving the room, Dolores headed to the nursing station to ask about her mom’s condition.
“She’s so aware of everything around her now; doesn’t that mean she’s recovered?”
“No, she randomly forgets some matters and while she does remember things in the short term, but not everything in the long
term. We need to keep her under observation for a while still to see if we can figure out what may be wrong.”
Dolores struggled to hide her disappointment as she thought Jessica was recovering quickly. “Please take good care of her for
me then.”
“We will. Dr. Herbert specifically told us about this, so please don’t worry.”
Dolores thanked the nurse and left the hospital.
Since Jessica recommended she not do anything to Randolph, Dolores decided to let go of her former grudge against her father
as well. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Dolores called a cab back to her office.
In the cab, Dolores looked out the window, gazing at the city that was both so familiar and unfamiliar to her. She let herself get
lost in her thoughts until the car passed by the building of the Flores Group and many people were gathered outside the
entrance, holding banners with big letters saying ‘Return my hard-earned money.’
“Stop here, please,” Dolores called as she rolled down the car window and stared at the protesting workers.
The driver looked at Dolores in the mirror and spoke up. “You heard about all this, right? This unscrupulous business executive
uses inferior materials so the buildings he’s constructing collapse before they’re done. Those who already paid the company had
terrible luck, who would dare to live in such a house? However, even if they don’t want it, the company won’t refund their money.
People gather here every day to voice their anger, but nothing has come of it as of yet. Miss, have you also bought a house from
this company?”
Dolores shook her head. “No. Thankfully, I haven’t”
“That’s good. Most people can’t afford to buy a house, so many people here have used all their savings to hire this company and
their builders. Now that all these issues are coming to light, the customers are understandably frustrated. In short, the developer
is too deceitful and many people have been deceived by them.”
The more the driver spoke, the angrier he became. It sounded as if he was also a victim of the scam.
“Do you want to get off here?” The driver asked, not wanting to waste any more time sitting there when he could be getting more
customers.
“No, let’s go,” Dolores said, turning away, not wanting to see any more of the demonstration.
It was none of her business.
As soon as the car stopped in front of WY Tower, Dolores paid and got out of the car. She was about to walk into the building
when a man in a black suit ran over.
“Excuse me, are you Ms. Flores?”
Dolores turned her head and sized up the man. He was completely unfamiliar to her. She tried to recall him from her childhood,
or maybe the news, but she was certain she had never seen him before.
Having been victimized last time, she was extremely alert and cautious. Instead of admitting who she was, she asked him a
question. “Who are you? I don’t know you.”
The man was perfectly calm and answered with a smile and small bow. “I’m the driver of the woman I serve. She wants to speak
with you.”
“Who is the woman you serve?”
Dolores frowned. She looked around and saw a luxurious black car parked on the roadside.
The person inside the car must’ve noticed Dolores looking their way as the window slowly rolled down
The driver glanced over at the car, and his smile widened as he spoke. “This is Mrs. Herbert.”