Molly paused, then admitted, “Alright, fine. I was going to make it up to him. He just… missed his window.”

Danielle gave a wicked little grin. “Well, that’s on him then. Roy didn’t have the fortune to get fussed over by you tonight.”

Honestly, Molly thought, Roy was getting bolder. He actually hung up on her.

But truth be told, he probably regretted it the moment he did. He’d clearly had too much to drink, and when he was drunk, his thoughts always ran in circles.

It wasn’t as if she’d ever rejected him outright. She just didn’t treat him like a priority. And that, in itself, was probably enough to break his heart.

“Why don’t you call him back?” Danielle asked.

Molly had been thinking the same. The idea of Roy lying there feeling hurt made her feel slightly guilty. “No,” she said after a beat. “I’ll see if I can fly to Basterel tomorrow.”

Danielle arched an eyebrow. “Wow. He must be something if he’s getting you to fly over just to smooth things out.”

Molly had long grown used to Danielle’s teasing. “I’m still human,” she replied dryly. Then she nudged her. “Now go shower. We’ve got wine to finish.”

“Alright, alright.”

Shermaine had gone to shower early. Molly stayed in the living room with her glass of wine and put on a film.

A little while later, Shermaine came and sat beside her. Molly reached for the bottle to pour her a drink, but Shermaine stopped her with a shake of the head.

“I can’t drink right now.”

“On your period?”

“No.”

Molly’s eyes narrowed as her brain caught up. “You’re not… pregnant, are you?”

“Yeah.”

Molly froze for a second, her hand still holding the wine bottle. “Shermaine, you don’t mess around, do you?”

Shermaine gave a small smile. “Let’s just call it good news.”

“I’ll get you some juice.”

“Thanks.”

Molly brought the juice back and said with a smirk, “With your genes and Joshua’s, that baby’s practically going to be a superhero.”

Shermaine’s eyes narrowed faintly. “Maybe.” She hadn’t thought about it in that way. All she wanted was for the child to be healthy, to grow up safe and well. She didn’t plan to impose expectations too early.

When Danielle found out Shermaine was pregnant, her attitude changed in an instant. Teasing was gone, replaced by firm concern. “You went into the quarantine zone today. Got that close to Natalie—I don’t care how confident you are, Shermaine, you’ve got to be careful.”

Caution was never wasted, especially now.

Shermaine, unsurprised by her reaction, simply nodded. “I know. Now hush and drink.”

The next morning, Molly boarded a flight to Basterel.

Roy was still dead asleep at Riverswood Villa, lying in one of the guest rooms with a hangover that had knocked him flat.

Joshua had already left for the office, and Dave was somewhere in the house, passed out cold.

When Molly arrived, Martha greeted her at the door.

“Ms. Hill, Mr. Shay is still upstairs, asleep. Would you like me to wake him?”

“No need. Which room is he in?”

“The second guest room from the end on the left.”

“Thanks.” Molly made her way upstairs.

As Martha had said, the second-to-last room on the left was unlocked. She pushed the door open.

The bed was a mess, with a lump under the covers and a mop of brown hair sticking out from one end.

Molly stepped in and sat at the edge of the bed. It had been a while since she’d seen Roy in person. His hair, once dyed that playful shade of pink, was now back to brown. It made him look much more well-behaved.

But the reek of alcohol on him was strong. He’d clearly overdone it.

He was curled around a pillow in his sleep, which explained why, back in Ustrana, he’d always wanted to cuddle her at night.

She leaned over and pinched his nose.

Roy wrinkled his brow and gave a soft groan but didn’t open his eyes.

Molly’s hand slipped to the back of his neck. Sensing some kind of threat even in his sleep, Roy reacted instinctively. His arm shot out and wrapped around her in one quick motion.