Chapter 84 Amnesia
Alice's POV:
I rushed home the moment I parted with Scarlett in Charles's company.
"Alice, slow down. Keep your elegant image." Christine advised while enjoying her tea time in the garden. She could not help but make fun of me when she saw me rushing over with a frantic expression. "Mom, I have something important to tell you." I sat down opposite Christine, not caring about my manners.
Christine put down her cup of tea and looked at me curiously. "What happened?"
I took a deep breath and tried my best to keep a straight face. "Rita is pregnant."
After hearing what I said, Christine was no longer in the mood for tea. She waved her hand, signaling to the butler to take the tea and desserts away. She looked serious. I could not figure out what she was thinking at the moment. "Mom, what do you think?" I asked inquisitively. Christine pondered for a moment. "Are you sure Charles is the father?"
"I... I think so." The truth was, I was unsure. But now that I thought of it, what Scarlett had said made sense. If the father was not Charles, who else would it be? Rita had been keen on marrying into the Moore family. She would not do anything stupid, would she?
While I was in deep thought, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, and my face turned white as a sheet.
Christine must have noticed the look on my face that she asked, "Is it Susan?"
I nodded in response. Susan's voice then came from the other end of the line, and it was aggressive like a shrew.
"Rita is pregnant. Charles must be responsible for it."
I forced a smile and replied, "We'll be sure to take responsibility if the baby is indeed Charles' s." "Whatever. The wedding should be held as soon as possible." Susan hung up the call without even waiting for my response.
"They're definitely a family. All of them are bad -tempered." My head was throbbing because of what just happened. While I was massaging my temples, I decided to call Charles. I had to talk to him tonight. No matter who the father of Rita's child was, this matter must be solved immediately.
Charles' POV:
When I entered the yard, the butler opened his mouth to speak but stopped on second thought.
I raised my eyebrows and casually walked into the living room.
Just as I had anticipated, everyone was gathered there except the person I wanted to see the most.
"What's going on? It's so ceremonious." I asked knowingly and sat on the couch lazily with my legs crossed.
My father snorted and grumbled, "Stop playing dumb." "Wow. The last time you were this stern was when I chose to go to law school regardless of your objection," I retorted.
"Stop changing the topic. Susan called today and asked you to marry Rita as soon as possible," he said with a straight face.
"Why does no one believe me when I say that the baby is not mine?" I was dissatisfied and helpless that nobody believed my words.
"That's not the point. Back then, you were the one who took the initiative to buy the wedding dress for Rita. Sometime later, the news of your engagement was broadcast. Everyone knows that you two are getting married. Charles, I'm telling you, you have to clean up this mess without discrediting the Moore family." Mom came straight to the point.
"I'll take care of it. Don't worry." I did not want to defend myself anymore. They would not believe me anyway. Without waiting for their response, I got up and left.
When I left the villa, I did not know where to go, so I drove around aimlessly. All I could think about at that moment was Scarlett. I missed her so much. It was driving me crazy that I could not see her. But, she must hate me now.
With nowhere to go, I decided to go to the bar with Spencer.
"Charles, stop smoking." David snatched the cigarette from my hand and looked at me worriedly. I had been smoking for quite a while now that the ashtray was filled with cigarette butts.
Spencer patted me on the shoulder. "He's right. You asked us out for a drink. How could you smoke in a corner alone?"
I forced a smile at them, but it came out bitter and unconvincing. Neither cigarette nor alcohol could dispel my dejection right now. All I wanted at the moment was to see Scarlett. I even hoped she would call me, but that would be wishful thinking. I just wished I could hear her voice right now.
David heaved a heavy sigh and tried to ease the atmosphere with his senseless monologue. "As I see you heartbroken, I now believe the theory the wise never falls in love easily."
I took a swig of alcohol and chuckled. "I'll wait for the day you eat your words."
"Charles is right. He used to be cold and heartless. But now, he's suffering because of love. In my opinion, theories are destined to be overturned." Spencer clinked his glass with mine to show solidarity with
me.
But then, he shook his head and added, "Charles, you'd better make everything clear to Scarlett. I think there are too many misunderstandings between you two that it's confusing her." "Scarlett doesn't believe me. In my eyes, I'm a scum," I replied glumly.
"Then why don't you just have sex with her? When you two have a real relationship, she won't leave you anymore."
As I did not say anything, Spencer winked at David and teasingly asked, "What the hell are you talking about? You know what kind of person Scarlett is. She's smart and rational.
Don't act rashly, and make sure that the gains outweigh the losses." "What else can we do then? How about I ask someone to send Rita abroad and make sure she never comes back?" David suggested. "David, stop it." Spencer glared at David and then looked at me. "Charles, listen to me. The only way to solve this problem is to clearly explain to Scarlett what you truly feel."
I did not say anything, but I knew that Spencer and David were doing this for my own good. Nevertheless, there were some things that could not be explained in a few words. Anyway, all I could do at the moment was drown myself in alcohol.
Scarlett's POV:
I had been restless ever since I returned from Charles's company. Everything seemed to be off track.
I lay in the bathtub and stared at the ceiling blankly as I recalled everything that happened between Charles and me. I did not get out of the bathtub and walk out of the bathroom until the water turned unbearably cold.
Now, I lay on the bed, wide awake. I kept tossing and turning, but I still could not fall asleep. Exasperated, I picked up my phone and typed on the search bar, "How to divorce in a short time?"
Dozens of search results came out. After reading the netizen's suggestions, one answer caught my eye. I decided to sue for divorce.
I immediately called Nina and told her my plan. At first, she did not support what I was planning to do.
"Scarlett, I think you should think it over. Charles is an excellent man. It's hard to find someone like him again," Nina advised with a hint of hesitation.
"It doesn't matter how excellent of a man he is. Rita is pregnant with his child. I should stop clinging to him and do the right thing," I explained calmly.
"Wait. What did you just say? That woman is pregnant?! If that's the case, why wouldn't Charles leave you alone? What a jerk!" Nina was flabbergasted by the news and became sympathetic to me. Now that she knew the truth, she promised she would help me with the divorce process as much as she could.
At that very moment, the doorbell rang. I hung up the call at once and went to answer the door.
It was Spencer, David, and Charles. It seemed that they had been drinking as the latter was passed out drunk.
"Scarlett, let us in. Charles is so heavy," Spencer pleaded while gritting his teeth. He looked exhausted, probably from carrying Charles all the way here.
I got out of the way and let him take Charles inside. But then, something occurred to me. In the past, Spencer alone could take Charles back with ease. Why did he say he couldn't handle Charles even with David's help now?
At that moment, the two put Charles on my bed. Spencer wiped the sweat on his forehead and helplessly said, "Charles is drunk as a skunk. David and I can't handle him anymore. We planned on sending him back to his own place, but Charles went crazy all the way and insisted on coming to your place. Anyway, he's here now. Please take care of him."
"You'd better send Charles away. It's bothersome to let him stay here." I refused disdainfully. I did not want to be entangled with Charles anymore, especially after what I had just found out. However, Spencer just patted me on the shoulder and ignored my refusal. "Thank you, Scarlett. David, come on!" With that, he and David left my apartment.
I looked at the drunkard on the bed, at a loss for words. I poked Charles on the waist, but he made no reaction. It appeared that he was fast asleep. Charles's usually cold face was gentle when he was asleep. Even though I was trying so hard to suppress my feelings for him, I could not stop myself from caressing his face.
I smoothed his hair and found that his forehead was red and swollen. He must have bumped it while he was out drinking. I could not deny, I was concerned about him. So, I took some ice cubes from the fridge. wrapped them in a towel, and put the compress on his forehead to reduce the swelling. I also wiped his face with a warm towel in hopes that he would feel better when he woke up.
It was already deep into the night when I finished caring for him. As he was sleeping on my bed, I went to the guestroom and slept there.
When I woke up the next morning, the sun was already shining brightly outside. I rubbed the sleep off my eyes. For some reason, I was a little light-headed. I must have not slept well last night. It did not matter anyway. With that, I got out of bed and sneaked into the next room.
The room was dim as the curtains were closed. To my surprise, Charles had not woken up yet. It was odd, considering that he usually woke up early in the morning. Worried that he had a hangover, I put my hand on his forehead to check his temperature. I was relieved to know that it was normal.
Just as I was about to withdraw my hand, Charles grabbed it, and his eyes fluttered open. He did not seem like he had just woken up. In fact, he looked very sober.
"You were just feigning sleep," I grumbled.
"Why is your hand so cold?" Charles frowned and pulled me closer to him.
"Does your head hurt?" I raised my head to look at him. He had small stubble already, for just not shaving for one day.
Charles lowered his gaze and solemnly said, "Scarlett, I don't remember anything except you."
My eyes widened in alarm. "What's wrong? Is it because you drank too much last night?"
"Just kidding." Charles burst into laughter. He then kissed me on the forehead and whispered in a loving voice, "You were scared, weren't you?"