SWNOVELS Chapter 52: Disappointment
Very soon, Sampson’s voice was heard, “Lola, it’s me.”
Dolores’ tone became very anxious, “Yes.”
Sampson paused for a moment before saying, “The woman you mentioned is dead...”
“What?” Sampson had not finished and was interrupted by Dolores. How did she die? She was clearly healthy and not that old.
How could she die just like that?
“Lola.” Sampson called out to her tenderly to comfort her, “Don’t be worked up. This issue doesn’t need to be investigated
through this woman...”
Dolores gripped the phone tightly and was anxious. She couldn’t calm down and she wasn’t sure why she was so anxious. Was
it because her hopes were dashed or something else? She didn’t know. She only knew that she was unsettled.
Her eyes drooped, “Is there anymore leads?” Did she over expect this?
Sampson was silent. The two remained silent but didn’t end the call. It was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing.
After a long while, Sampson said, “Lola...” he said then paused, “Do you really want to know who the father of the child is?”
Dolores lowered her head to look at her feet. The sun rays fell around her feet and the shadows were swaying. She asked
herself, did she really want to know who is the father of her child?
Dolores asked herself. When did she have such thoughts? She only started to have this desire after sensing the clue on
Matthew.
“If the answer disappoints you and it isn’t the one you expected, will you still want to know?” Sampson continued to ask.
Dolores didn’t know how to answer the following questions. Perhaps she was conflicted inside her.
“Why aren’t you replying?” Sampson forced an answer.
There were many types of feelings in existence. One type was known as love through familiarity. She had lived with Matthew
under the same roof. Would that result in love? This was why Sampson questioned her.
“Lola...”
“I’m listening.” Dolores interrupted him, worried that he will ask something that she couldn’t answer.
It was at night in A country. Sampson was standing by the roadside of a different country. The street lights cast a long shadow of
him along the ground...
He lowered his head to look at his own shadow. Actually, he also wanted to know if the man that night was Matthew as Dolores
suspected. The woman was dead and the hotel’s security video recordings had been erased.
But he had found out the truth. He took Dolores’ photograph and asked within the hotel. A hotel staff recognized Dolores and
saw what happened that night and told him confidently that the man was Matthew. But he didn’t want to acknowledge that and
perhaps he didn’t want Dolores to know.
If they had a child together, then even if Matthew didn’t like her, would he for the sake of the child... He didn’t dare to think further
and he didn’t want Dolores to know. He liked her and wanted to take care of her. He was after all the first one who saw her. He
had seen her since she was a kid.
“Lola, I found out that the man that night...” Sampson gripped his cellphone tightly.
Dolores’s heart jumped and felt as if it was stuck to her throat.
Suddenly she was covered by a shadow. She turned around and a person approached from the bright light. The deep features
were hidden by the bright sunlight. Through the light scattered by the floating dust, she saw clearly who he was and her
expression became nervous and defensive.
She was anticipating for Sampson to say the person whom she guessed.
“He was a local,” Sampson said.
Boom.
This answer was like setting off a bomb in Dolores’ heart. Local? That meant that what she saw on Matthew was just a
coincidence. Was her guess wrong?
“Lola, did you hear me?”
“I’m busy, bye.” Dolores ended the call in a hurry. In her anxiety, she dropped the phone with a thud.
She was about to bend over to pick it up but Matthew picked it up before her. He looked at the number on the phone and
narrowed his eyes, “Who was that to cause you to be so nervous when you saw me?”
Dolores pretended to be calm, “I wasn’t nervous. Your sudden appearance scared me.”
Matthew laughed and bent over to look at the woman, “Really?”
Dolores felt a chill running down her spine when he stared at her and couldn’t reply. At this moment, Coral served the apples and
broke the tensed moment.
“These apples are crunchy and sweet. Have a taste.” Coral placed the apples on the table.
Dolores quickly looked away from Matthew’s gaze to pick up the apples. They were very sweet and juicy. She took one for
Matthew, “Have one.”
Matthew looked down and didn’t move and stared at her hand with the apple.
Dolores waved the apple at his lips. It was cool and sweet. Dolores blinked and said, “It’s really sweet.”
Matthew took a bite and looked at her, “I’ll forgive you since you’re so understanding.”
Of course, he knew that she was trying to change the topic. Coral laughed and understood that it was time for her to leave and
supervised the workers outside.
Dolores pursed her lips and didn’t dare to retort. He chewed the apple while removing his jacket and threw it on the sofa and sat
on the sofa. He looked at the piano and asked, “Can you play the piano?”
Dolores turned around, looked at that piano, and nodded, “I knew a long time ago but I haven’t touched it for a while. My fingers
are all stiff now.” She said as she looked down at her fingers.
Matthew looked over at her slim and fair fingers but her palms were calloused. He frowned and was about to reach out for her
hands when she stood up and walked towards the piano. She sat at the piano with the lights behind her and her fingers gently
rest on the piano keys. Ding, a crisp sound rang from the piano.
The sound was clean and crisp.
She wrung her hands to get back the feel and although it had been years since she last played the piano because she had
learned for many years, she was still confident enough to play.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and placed her fingers gently on the keys.
She began to play the melodious music of ‘Sadness and Happiness’. This was the first music score that she learned and one
which she loved. As she played, the images of happiness and sadness appeared in her mind... Her existence was short but she
had experienced so much.
Matthew looked at her back view and was deep in thoughts. Were the callouses in her hands caused in A Country? Was she
terribly hurt when she was abandoned by her father?
As he pondered, he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. He was visibly upset by the untimely ringing. He frowned angrily
as Dolores stopped playing when she heard the phone ring.
The room immediately fell silent and the ringing of the cell phone became more pronounced. Dolores stood up and walked over
curiously as to why he didn’t answer the call. As she walked over, she saw the phone indicating the caller’s name, Helen.
Dolores sat opposite him, “It’s Ms. White, why don’t you answer?”
Matthew blinked and looked away as if to indicate that she was intruding. Of course, he didn’t feel like answering and that was
why he didn’t answer.
But the caller was very persistent. The phone continued to ring relentlessly.
Dolores smiled, “Are you worried that I listen in to your conversation? Then I won’t bother you...”
She stood up and was about to walk away when Matthew grabbed her wrist and with a pull, she fell and sat onto his thigh. She
wanted to move but was tightly gripped by Matthew around her waist.
Matthew answered the call with his other hand ...