Chapter 341: What Was I Thinking?

After breakfast, Sophie and Luca spent the rest of the morning cleaning Arabella’s house.

Rachel, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Not that she could have helped much in her current condition. The poor girl was still struggling to walk properly, so making her do housework would have been unnecessarily cruel.

Once everything was cleaned up, Sophie prepared to leave.

“Luca, I’ll have to trouble you to stay here and look after Rachel for a while.”

Luca nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.”

Sophie couldn’t help sighing at the thought of what might happen if their mother, Diana, saw Rachel in her current state.

How was she supposed to explain it?

Even if they came up with a convincing excuse, would Diana really believe it? She was an experienced adult, after all. There was only so much they could hide from her.

For now, it was probably best to let Rachel recover at Arabella’s place. At least that way, Diana wouldn’t immediately notice that something was wrong.

Just thinking about the situation gave Sophie a headache.

There might have been a chance to keep things under control before, but now…

‘It’s really over.’

Even if their mother was satisfied with Luca as a potential partner for her daughters, Sophie doubted Diana would be thrilled to discover that both her daughters had become involved with the same man.

With that troubling thought in mind, Sophie gathered the rubbish and left.

Meanwhile, Luca and Rachel settled comfortably on the sofa to watch television.

Rachel snuggled against his side, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. After a while, however, she seemed to remember something important.

“Luca, do you think I might be pregnant?”

Luca’s hand paused.

They hadn’t taken any precautions the previous night, so the possibility couldn’t be dismissed.

He tightened his arm around her and looked down at her face.

“If you really are pregnant, what do you want to do?”

If Sophie had asked him that question, he would have supported her decision to have the baby without hesitation. Rachel’s situation was different, though. She had only recently turned eighteen and was about to begin university.

An unexpected pregnancy could seriously disrupt her education and change the course of her life.

For the first time, Luca felt a genuine pang of regret about how recklessly things had unfolded.

‘Perhaps I should have been more careful last night.’

Rachel fell silent, considering his question.

After a while, she finally answered.

“If I’m really pregnant, then I’ll have the baby.”

There was no hesitation in her voice once she’d made up her mind.

She hadn’t thought much beyond the simple fact that having a child with Luca would make her happy. The idea of becoming a mother didn’t frighten her as much as he might have expected.

Even attending university while pregnant didn’t sound entirely impossible.

‘If it becomes too difficult, I can always take a semester or two off.’

Of course, she hadn’t worked out all the practical details. For now, she was simply willing to accept whatever came her way.

Luca raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by her answer.

“You’ve really thought this through?”

“Of course!” Rachel adjusted herself in his arms and looked up at him with a sweet smile. “Luca, aren’t you touched?”

“Yes, I’m deeply touched.”

He patted her fluffy head, his expression softening.

“But let’s not worry about it just yet. There’s a chance you won’t get pregnant.”

After all, these things couldn’t be forced.

He and Sophie had been trying for some time, and they certainly hadn’t been lacking in enthusiasm. Yet there was still no sign of a pregnancy.

Sometimes, it all came down to luck.

Rachel seemed satisfied with his answer. A moment later, her attention wandered back to the television.

“Luca, look! They’re still showing Little Red Riding Hood!”

Luca followed her gaze towards the screen before giving her an amused look.

“Didn’t you watch this all the time when you were a kid? Aren’t you tired of it yet?”

Rachel shook her head enthusiastically, completely absorbed in the cartoon.

Watching her excitement, Luca couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.

‘She’s still watching cartoons like a child, yet she’s already been dragged into all this trouble because of me.’

Looking at the innocent girl nestled against him, he suddenly felt like the big bad wolf from the story.

Only this time, the wolf had done something far more outrageous than eating Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.

…

Luca and Rachel remained at Arabella’s house until noon the following day. By then, Rachel had recovered enough for him to take her home.

The moment they arrived, Sophie pulled her younger sister into the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

“Rachel, are you feeling all right now?”

Her concern was evident, although her impatient tone suggested she had plenty more to say.

“I’m fine!” Rachel replied cheerfully. “Luca took really good care of me. I don’t feel uncomfortable anymore.”

To prove her point, she even spun around on the spot.

Sophie watched her for a moment, apparently satisfied that she had recovered.

Then her expression turned serious.

“Good. Now that you’re feeling better, we need to talk.”

Rachel’s smile faltered.

“I understand that you want to get closer to Luca,” Sophie began, “but that doesn’t mean you can drug him!”

She hadn’t brought up the subject the previous day because Rachel had been in pain and needed rest. Now that her younger sister was feeling better, however, Sophie had no intention of letting her off the hook.

There was nothing wrong with wanting to strengthen a relationship, but some lines simply shouldn’t be crossed.

Rachel had used an unknown substance in an unknown quantity. The consequences could have been far worse than either of them had anticipated.

“Oh…”

Rachel lowered her head and pouted.

“I’m sorry, Sis. I know I was wrong.”

Truthfully, she’d already realized her mistake the previous day. She had even intended to apologize to Luca, but after they started watching cartoons together, she’d become so engrossed that the thought completely slipped her mind.

Then Luca had kissed her, and she’d promptly forgotten about everything else.

Now that Sophie had brought it up again, she couldn’t avoid the subject any longer.

“Good. As long as you understand what you did wrong, I won’t keep lecturing you.” Sophie paused before adding firmly, “But don’t ever do something like that again. Luca might be reluctant to scold you, but I certainly won’t hesitate.”

“Okay,” Rachel murmured, keeping her head bowed.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Then Rachel suddenly looked up, a peculiar glint appearing in her eyes.

“But, Sis, you need to apologize to me, too.”

Sophie blinked.

“Me? What have I done that I need to apologize for?”

Rachel stared at her in disbelief before letting out a disbelieving laugh.

“Sis, I generously invited you to join me the night before last, didn’t I? But what happened yesterday? You went and took over completely, leaving me crumbs to feed off!”

Her expression turned into one of exaggerated indignation.

“Tell me, shouldn’t you apologize?”

Sophie stared at her, momentarily speechless.

Rachel, meanwhile, was growing increasingly worked up as she recalled what had happened.

“Rachel, you…”

Sophie’s eyes widened as she stared at her younger sister.

She’d genuinely believed she’d handled the situation perfectly.

Who would have thought Rachel had noticed after all?

“Hehe, Sis, so shouldn’t you apologize to me as?” Rachel continued, wearing a triumphant smile.

“You little idiot!”

Sophie’s face turned bright red.

Caught between embarrassment and anger, she could barely find a suitable response. In the end, she turned around and hurried out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Once outside, she leaned against it, covering her burning face with both hands.

Slowly, her legs gave way until she was sitting on the carpet.

‘This is so embarrassing!’

‘How am I supposed to maintain my dignity as her older sister after this?’

For the first time in a long while, Sophie seriously considered whether it was possible to move to another city and start over.