Chapter 12

Brendan remained calm despite Chloe's incessant crying. He said, "I'll get Jason to swing by the hospital and check it out." He hung up and called Jason, instructing him to go to the hospital.

Naomi felt relieved. She'd thought Brendan would leave her that night.

After ending the call, Brendan turned to Naomi. "If you're awake," he said, "get out of the car yourself. I'm not carrying you."

Naomi pretended to be asleep.

Brendan unfastened his seatbelt, opened the car door, and walked into the house without looking back. Seeing him leave, Naomi quietly unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car. She caught up to him, grabbing his arm.

Despite Brendan's cold demeanor, Naomi remained in good spirits—a stark contrast to Chloe's earlier tears. They looked at each other, and Brendan quickened his pace. Naomi hurried to catch up. "Brendan," she said, "let's have a baby!"

"No."

Although he claimed he didn't want children, he didn't remove Naomi's hand from his arm.

Jennifer smiled brightly when she saw them walking back together. She quickly ordered dinner to be prepared.

Naomi seemed unusually cheerful that day, spending more time with Brendan and talking to him more than usual.

After dinner, as they walked upstairs to the bedroom, Brendan noticed Naomi's continued good mood. He casually said, "Hold on, Naomi. Don't get too excited." He had promised to come back once a week, but nothing more.

Naomi didn't mind. "I'll go take a shower," she said.

After a while, Naomi emerged from the shower to find Brendan sitting on the bed, reading a book. He wore gold-rimmed glasses. Naomi approached him and knelt beside him. Before she could speak, Brendan tapped her forehead with his finger, subtly creating distance.

Naomi looked at him. Just as she was about to speak, her phone rang. It was a call from a client.

She glanced at Brendan, then stood up. "I'll take this call quickly," she said, answering the phone. "Hello, Ms. Logan."

On the other end, a middle-aged woman's indignant voice—Annie Logan—said, "Ms. Goodwin, why are men so ungrateful? When I married him, he had nothing. I went through years of hardship with him, taking care of our home and children. In the end, he's lost his love for me and wants a divorce. He must know what those other women want from him. Isn't he afraid of karma?"

The woman began to cry. Naomi knew Annie and her husband, Tom Hunter, had most likely had another argument about the divorce.

While holding the phone, Naomi poured herself a glass of water. She consoled Annie, saying, "Ms. Logan, given the circumstances, you've done your best to save your marriage. Since Mr. Hunter is unwilling to cooperate, we can only approach this rationally. Given your years of hardship, let's strive for the maximum benefit for you."

At Naomi's words, Brendan looked up at her.