Exposing the Charade of Deep Affection (PDF)

ackyard pavilion, I saw that the lights had been lit inside. Pastries and beverages were arranged on the stone table in the pavilion. On a seat by the pavilion, Ashley was leisurely observing the lively goldfish in the pond below the pavilion, one hand resting on her bulging belly and one arm lazily draped over the railing.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, she slowly shifted her gaze towards me, her expression calm as she said, "You're here, have a seat!"

I didn't move, just stood there indifferently, looking at her with a detached expression, coldly asking, "You're looking for me?" I really thought it was Walter who was looking for me, but I didn't expect it to be her, let alone that she would come to the Hinton family's old house tonight.

Seeing me standing still, she laughed, got up and sat down on the

stone bench, casually picked up a piece of sweet cake and took a bite. Probably it was too sweet and a bit greasy, she put it down after a few bites, propped her chin and looked at me, "Tabatha, do you really plan to just stand there and chat with me? I have to kindly remind you, standing for a long time is not good for the fetus!"

"Oh..." She drew out the word, her face exaggerated as she said, "I almost forgot, you're not pregnant, so you don't have to worry about whether the baby is okay, right?"

I furrowed my brows, looking at her, and lowered my voice, "What do you mean?"

"Was I not clear enough?" She laughed, looking at me with a sneer. "I mean, you, not pregnant, Tabatha. You can't possibly think that pretending to be pregnant in front of Walter for a few months would actually result in you giving birth to a child, can you?"

I didn't speak, just watched her warily. What did she know?

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Seeing me silent, she stopped pretending, clapped the crumbs off her hands and said, "Carley is really shrewd, actually thinking of using my womb to have you give birth to a child for the Hinton family. But it's a pity, the child in my belly is not from the Hinton family, otherwise, she would have really gotten her way."

I involuntarily clenched my hands at my sides. Did she know about the time Carley had me fake a pregnancy?

Looking at her, I kept a straight face, "Ashley, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Hahaha!" She looked at me and laughed, saying, "Tabatha, are you still pretending? I already know that you're not pregnant, and that Carley told you to fake it. Have you ever thought about the consequences when Walter finds out about your deception?"

Consequences?

I pursed my lips, squinted at her, and said coldly, "Ashley, did you call me here just to tell me this?"

I had figured out the consequences of this matter before her, and also thought about how to explain it to Walter. She thought she could use this to threaten me, she was dreaming.

Seeing no sign of nervousness on my face, her expression darkened a bit, "What? It seems like you're already prepared to come clean with Walter?"

"This is between me and Walter, what's it to you?" I didn't want to waste my time with her here, I said coldly, "Ashley, if you're planning to use this to threaten me, to make me cooperate with you or work for you then you're really overthinking it. You can go directly to Walter with this matter, see how he would punish me, the one who deceived him."

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