Chapter 811

“I’m happy. Shouldn’t I be smiling?”

Dr. Ludwig smiled back, his voice gentle as he leaned in to kiss her lips. “If you’re tired, you should sleep. If you don’t, I might have to resort to force.”

Seeing that playful glint return to his eye, Ivy playfully glared at him. “Do we have to be either having sex or sleeping? Can’t we just lie here and talk?”

“About what?”

Ivy shifted in his arms to lie on her back, letting out a long sigh. “I had so much I wanted to say, but you chased it all out of my head…”

The past few days of peace had left her feeling reflective. The pain of the last three years, the turmoil of the past six months… now that the storm had passed, it all felt surreal. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, wondering if it had all been a dream. Only the warmth of the man beside her, the solid presence of her husband, convinced her that it was real. She had truly escaped the nightmare and found happiness.

“It’s nothing. Let’s just sleep,” she said, her fingers intertwining with his. The feeling of their hands locked together filled her with a profound sense of security.

The New Year was fast approaching, and a festive atmosphere filled the air. Ivy dragged Jamison to the mall, and they bought a collection of cheerful decorations, spending the weekend putting them up around the apartment.

“Are you planning on staying here permanently?” Jamison asked. “It’s close to my work, but far from yours. We could use the holiday to clear out the penthouse at Laurel Lake and move there instead.”

Laurel Lake was in a prime downtown location, much closer to the CBD where Ivy worked. It would make her commute much easier.

Ivy was busy dressing their two cats in festive New Year’s outfits. “Don’t worry about it,” she said without looking up. “This place is fine. It’s close to your work, so you don’t have to travel as much.”

It was the way of a couple truly in love, always putting the other first. Ivy knew that her commute was nothing compared to his long, grueling hours.

“Maybe later… if things work out between Katrina and Mr. Wilson and they decide to settle down there, we can think about moving,” she said, holding up Snowy for Jamison’s inspection. “Isn’t he adorable? Don’t you just want to cuddle him?”

Jamison had just finished hanging a wall decoration. He looked at his wife’s beaming face and felt an overwhelming urge to “cuddle” her.

“I’m starting to think you like the cats more than you like me,” Dr. Ludwig grumbled.

Ivy shot him a look. “Are you serious? You’re jealous of a cat? You’re the one who adopted them! Don’t you want me to be nice to them?”

Jamison just smiled. “It seems you really do want a baby, dressing up the cats like little children.”

At the mention of children, Ivy turned to him. “Speaking of which, did you get that check-up I asked you about?”

“I’ve been busy. I’ll do it after the New Year.”

“You don’t want to have kids, do you?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

“It’s not that. I’m not desperate for children, but if they’re yours, I know I’ll love them. But these things can’t be forced.”

“I know, but you still have to take it seriously. I ask you to get one check-up and you…”

Before Ivy could finish, her phone rang. Muttering under her breath, she walked over to the kitchen island to get it. The smile on her face vanished when she saw the caller ID.

Jamison, who was about to hang another decoration, noticed the change in her expression. “Who is it?”

“Baillie,” she replied, knowing exactly why he was calling. “It looks like he’s finally hit rock bottom and is ready to ask for help.”

Jamison’s face hardened. He put down the decoration and walked over to her.

Ivy answered the call. “Hello?”

“Ivy, Mom fell and hurt herself. We just got to the hospital.” Baillie didn’t ask for help, just stated a fact.

Ivy frowned. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Do you need money?”

Baillie didn’t want to admit it, but he was at the end of his rope. After The Windsor Group went bankrupt, he’d sold it for a pittance, but the money hadn’t been nearly enough to cover the debts. His credit was ruined, he couldn’t travel by train or plane, and he was getting around in a second-hand electric car. Rosetta had to take the bus. After decades of luxury, she was now jostling for space with senior citizens, a battle she was ill-equipped to win. Today, she had been pushed while getting on the bus, and had stumbled into the path of a passing scooter. She was injured, and so was the woman on the scooter.

Baillie had been living on credit cards for weeks. Now, faced with his mother’s medical bills and compensation for the scooter driver, he was truly desperate.

After a long pause, he finally forced the words out. “Yes. I need money.”

“How much?” Ivy asked, her tone businesslike.

“Twenty thousand.”

“Twenty thousand?” Ivy was stunned. “You can’t even come up with twenty thousand dollars?”

She had expected him to ask for hundreds of thousands. Twenty thousand was nothing.