SWNOVELS Departure with a Belly Chapter 344
Chapter 344
“G–Giving birth to his child?” Claudia yelped in surprise. Scarlette’s words truly shocked
her. “What do you mean, Mom? How am I supposed to do that? He doesn’t even want to
see me. You have no idea how he glared at me as if I’m his enemy just now.”
To her surprise, Scarlette returned her discouraging words with a frown. “No need to
fret. You’re the daughter of the Johnson Family. You shouldn’t be afraid of such a small
thing.”
“But I-”
“Nothing would change the fact that you saved his life. Even though he found out what
you did in the past, he can’t do anything. But I honestly did not expect him to have such
a strong moral compass. If only I…”
At that, Scarlette trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Instead, she changed the topic
by shifting the attention back to Claudia.
“Having his children is the only advantage Victoria has, which is also the reason Alaric
chooses her over you without hesitation. But it changes things if you’re also pregnant
with his child. Moreover, you saved him. There’s no doubt he would choose you this
time.”
Claudia didn’t answer.
“No offense, even though both of you aren’t engaged, you should’ve understood the
importance of carrying a man’s child. Men are all the same. He’ll marry you once you’re
pregnant. Even if he refuses, his family will force him to. How could you not know this?”
Claudia bit her lips. She was shameful to tell her mother the truth.
Scarlette waited for a long time, but there was no answer from Claudia. Therefore, she
urged her daughter with a frown, “Speak up. I’m listening.”
“I…” After moments of hesitation, Claudia cast her eyes to the ground. “I–I tried to
seduce him, but I never had the chance.”
Scarlette’s brows shot up in surprise when she processed the meaning in Claudia’s
words. “What? Are you trying to tell me that you never slept with him over the past five
years?”
It embarrassed her, but Claudia could only nod.
“You couldn’t even find a chance after spending time around him over all these years?”
“I can’t…”
“And never for once did he make a move on you?”
“No! He didn’t!” The harder Scarlette pressed the matter, the stronger Claudia felt like an
unattractive woman. She cut Scarlette off out of spite.
For a moment, the statement made Scarlette speechless.
She wasn’t expecting to learn that Alaric was different from the other men.
He’s indeed an excellent man.
However, even an excellent man has needs in that aspect. Furthermore, Claudia is
young and beautiful and is always around him. How could he not have any feelings for
her at all?
Does he have no sexual desire?
“Have you tried?”
Claudia’s cheeks were flaring. “I did.”
“Then? What’s his reaction?”
“Mom, he forbids any person to pull that trick on him since then.”
Chapter 344 Fragments of Memories
The whole story was very clear to Scarlette after hearing Claudia’s answer. “He’s
surprisingly determined. I must admit. He’s a lot tougher than I thought. If you get to
marry him and capture his heart, you won’t have to worry about making a living for the
rest of your life.”
4/8
“Now he only has his eyes on Victoria. I don’t understand this woman. Shouldn’t she
find a man to take over the responsibility of her children’s father right after the divorce?
She should’ve married someone instead of staying single!”
Scarlette explained, “Even if she thinks like a normal person, her children’s father is
Alaric. How could she possibly give up on a man with such a high status?”
Claudia was confused. “Then why did she agree on going abroad for five years if she
didn’t want to give up on him?”
“You have a point. Who would’ve thought she’d kept her promise? Whatever. It doesn’t
matter. We can’t change the fact she gave birth to his children and still managed to turn
his head even after five years. Fixing your relationship with Alaric is what matters. It’s
best to get pregnant with his child as soon as possible.”
“But he doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore.”
“I’ll create opportunities for you. Just follow my order.”
Chapter 344 Fragments of Memories
Watching her mother on the screen, Claudia eventually nodded.
It was late at night, but the lights in Alaric’s study room were still on.
He leaned over the table with a pen in his hand. Ideas were written all over the papers
before him. He even added the basic outline of the house in his notes.
His usually tidy and clean table was a mess, but he paid no mind to it as he was
focusing on the designs.
He didn’t realize that the time flew when his mind was occupied by something else.
5/8
The first ray of sunlight already appeared in the sky when Alaric finally decided to call it
a day. His eyes were bloodshot after an all–nighter.
He didn’t sleep at all. Even so, he was motivated, not feeling tired at all.
He glanced at his watch. Victoria and the kids must be sleeping at this hour.
Therefore, Alaric put away the designs he did overnight in a safe place. He thought the
designs have room for improvement. After that, he got up to shut the window, so the
wind wouldn’t blow the designs off.
Chapter 344 Fragments of Memories
After that, he double–checked the designs to ensure they were in a safe place before
going into the bathroom to get washed.
6/8
He threw himself into designing the house right after he came home last night without
taking time to complete the other tasks. He didn’t even have time to bathe.
I need to make myself presentable before meeting up with her.
Victoria didn’t sleep well last night. She woke up with dark circles under her eyes.
The recent events drained her energy, and she looked like she lost a lot of weight over
the last few days. It was shown in her sharper jawline.
She woke up to the tingling pain around the wound on her forehead.
Even though the results showed that she was fine, she was still in pain, especially since
she woke up this morning. The pain from her wound was stronger than before.
Victoria tried to recall when she sat up in her bed. Did I get my wound wet in the
shower yesterday? Did I get reinfection?
Chapter 344 Fragments of Memories
7/8
Her walk to her wardrobe was interrupted by severe pain in her head. It vanished before
she could tell what happened.
At the same moment, a memory from her childhood flashed in her eyes.
It happened in a split second. She barely made out the blurry image. I’m crying for help
in a river. The water is almost drowning me.
The memory was new to Victoria.
She searched in her mind for it, but she had no idea such a thing happened to her in the
past. But I was a child at that time. Could it be that I was…
A thought suddenly struck her.
Once, she got sick after falling into the water when she was a child. After that, she even
forgot about something. Could it be my lost memory?
Putting her hand on her temple, Victoria lightly shook her head.
After she recovered, she tried to recall how she fell into the water but to no avail. She
didn’t even know how she was rescued. People only found her passing out at the
riverside. Fortunately, her classmates arrived in time, or else she would’ve fallen into
Chapter 344 Fragments of Memories
the river again.
After she got home, she was bedridden with a serious fever for a long time. When she
finally recovered, she couldn’t remember anything.
It seems like my memories are coming back.
What’s wrong with me? Did I regain my memory just because I hit my head? But why
isn’t it more detailed?
8/8
11:36 Wed, 5 Jul