The matter of disinfecting Watkins' wound absorbed Erica's attention entirely. When she heard the front door open and then shut, she thought nothing of it, supposing the driver had gone out.
Little did she know that she was wrong; in fact, it was her husband coming in.
As soon as Matthew had finished his business trip, he'd rushed straight home without even visiting the office.
He was unpleasantly surprised when he opened the door, for the first thing he saw was his wife, squatting in front of a strange man and dealing with his wound.
Matthew's face darkened at this eyesore. When he was in a mood like this, he seemed to give off an uncanny aura that lowered the temperature in the room.
The driver, who was still inside the house, turned at the sound of the door. Seeing Matthew approach, he nodded respectfully. "Mr. Huo!"
Only then did Erica realize that her husband was back.
Joy flashed through her eyes, but when she saw the man's cold expression, her memory of the unhappiness between them a few days ago came rushing back. Sobered at once, she silently went back to spraying Watkins' wound with the disinfectant.
Just steps away, Matthew came to a stop and took in the exceptionally unhappy scene before him.
When the two men's eyes met, Watkins spoke first and awkwardly extended his hand, smiling. "Hello."
He was quite embarrassed when Matthew ignored him entirely, neither responding nor shaking his hand.
Erica left off with the disinfectant and said, "Well, it's no good to spray any more. Your wound is too deep, and you really need to go to the hospital."
"Well, thanks anyway." As soon as Watkins said this, his phone rang and he answered it. "Hello? Yeah, I'm here. Yes, I'm on my way now."
With that, he put the phone away and got up. "Erica, thank you very much," he said emphatically. "I'm sure you've saved my life, and I will repay you someday. But my friend is here, so I'll be going now."
Erica waved her hand. "You don't need to repay me. Just get going. And please, don't delay in going to the hospital."
"All right."
Saying this, Watkins turned toward the door, but just then a spasm went through him, and his knees wobbled. Without thinking, Erica caught him by the arm. "Are you okay?"
The atmosphere in the living room was thick with awkwardness as Matthew stood by, silent and ignored.
Despite doing nothing, his presence was en
w could this man say this? Isn't Phoebe supposed to be the woman who really has his heart? Or is he just this cruel to all his women?'
Clenching her teeth, she dropped the first aid kit and stormed after him. "Don't forget that Phoebe is pregnant. She might lose her baby after being hung at the school gate for one day, let alone being hung for three days. What if you lost her and the baby?"
Matthew turned on her with flames in his eyes. "Then I'll use your child to make up for her!" he retorted.
Erica squinted at him, uncertain. 'My child? Does he mean Ethan? Ha, why not? Ethan is in fact the descendant of the Su family!' "Okay, deal," she said savagely. "I'll go tie up Phoebe right now!"
More than ever, she was becoming aware of what sort of man she was dealing with. Matthew would be just as cruel to his goddess as he was to his actual lawful wife. He'd actually asked her to use Ethan to make up for Phoebe if she lost her baby.
"Stop!" Matthew yelled as she turned away.
With a snort, Erica did as she was told and faced him again.
Expressionless, Matthew walked up and looked into her eyes. "Are you sure you are Ethan's biological mother?"
'Huh? Why would he suddenly ask that? Does he suspect something?' Vigilance flashed in Erica's eyes. "Of... Of course I am."
Matthew didn't fail to notice his wife's hesitation. In his opinion, any normal red-blooded person wouldn't give away even a pet, let alone a baby, after having them for more than half a year. But Erica was such a simple, soft-hearted girl. How could she possibly have parted with Ethan so willingly?