Once Bitten, Twice Shy

The reason Rochelle asked that question was as she had once been pregnant before. At that time, her nausea and morning sickness were quite serious, leaving her dizzy and nauseated all the time.

Samantha's condition at that moment resembled the time Rochelle was pregnant.

'Pregnant.'

As soon as Samantha heard those words, her pale complexion became even most ghastly and looked further drained of blood.

Her eyes widened as she looked incredulously at Rochelle. Her voice was extremely hoarse and she asked, "What...did…you say?"

Rochelle could not help frowning when she saw despair and panic—rather than the slightest bit of joy and delight—in Samantha's expression.

She knew that Samantha was preparing to get pregnant. Whenever they spoke on the phone or chatted on WeTalk in recent days, Samantha had been telling Rochelle about wanting to bear a lovely child for Timothy. She had even fantasized about what their child would look like.

As a result, Rochelle was stunned to see Samantha react like that...

It was all but certain that Samantha was in such miserable condition that night because of that good-for-nothing scumbag Timothy!

Rochelle did not want Samantha to be provoked any further. She bit her lower lip gently and said cautiously, "I'm just guessing, Sammy. Let's go to the hospital and get you checked."

'Go to the hospital...'

Harmony's words to her back in the tearoom began playing in Samantha's ears once more. She grabbed Rochelle's hand, clenched it unconsciously, and said firmly, "No. Don't go to the hospital."

"But…this sort of vomiting requires a checkup..." Rochelle disagreed.

It involved her health, after all. In the event she really was pregnant, it would not be good for her or her child if she continued to remain in such an emotional state.

"We can't go to the hospital!" Samantha asserted yet again.

It was not that big of a deal if she was not pregnant, but on the off chance she was, Samantha would know for sure once she went to the hospital and received the results.

'Can't.'

Rochelle was perceptive enough to sense that something was amiss when Samantha said 'can't'. She wanted to ask why, but seeing Samantha's weak appearance forced her to leave any questions for later.

She held Samantha's hand and said softly, "Okay, I'll listen to you. We won't go to the hospital."

After a pause, she asked again, "Then where—"

Before she could finish her question, Samantha answered quickly, "Your apartment."

Rochelle nodded. "Sure, we'll go to my place."

She turned around, took the blanket from the back seat, and gently draped it over Samantha's body. "Close your eyes and rest. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Samantha forced a smile.

Rochelle was always a reliable best friend in moments of crisis.

In consideration of Samantha's physical condition, Rochelle avoided driving too fast and kept a slow and steady pace. 30 minutes later, she finally got to her apartment.

Rochelle helped Samantha into the apartment and laid her down on the sofa, then went to the kitchen. She then came back with a glass of warm water and placed it in Samantha's hands. "Drink some water."

"Okay." Samantha held the glass in both hands and drank the water slowly. At long last, her dry throat eased a little.

Rochelle hugged a pillow and sat next to her. After seeing that her mood had eased, she asked softly, "Can you tell me what happened now?"

There was no need for Samantha to keep secrets from Rochelle.

She put down the glass and gave a rough explanation of what happened.

Rochelle exploded with rage after hearing everything.

She got up angrily and said, "I knew that fake b*tch had bad intentions. I thought I made it clear that she should know her place, but she insists on stirring up all sorts of trouble. I'll settle this once and for all, Sammy! Right now!"

Samantha felt all warm in her heart and stretched out her hand to grab Rochelle. "No, don't. It's not worth putting your life on the line just to bring her down."

Rochelle replied, "Why not? After all she did to you? I'd rather sacrifice my own life than see her alive!"

She had lived enough anyway.

Samantha held Rochelle stronger and pulled her to sit back down. "Chelle, I can assure you I'll deal with Harmony. Let me be the one to personally get revenge."

"But then… the person who hurt me in this incident isn't Harmony. It's Timothy."

After all, he had betrayed her ruthlessly even though she loved and cared for him deeply.

Everything that happened recently was laughable.

At the mere mention of Timothy, Rochelle became so incensed that she wanted to tear him apart. "I really thought he had changed. Just how…motherf*cking blind was I?!"

"Although, it shouldn't come as a surprise. How can anyone expect otherwise when he's friends with a b*stard like Jonathan?"

All Rochelle wanted at that moment was to dump Timothy and Harmony into the sea and feed them to the fishes!

Having a best friend who would stand by her side through thick and thin made Samantha's heart feel warm.

Rochelle opened her arms to hug Samantha and said, "What are your plans now?"

She then added angrily, "If you want to kill someone, I can always help you bury the body."

Her words drew a little chuckle from Samantha.

Life, however, was very precious. She had struggled very hard to survive during her two years abroad and had no reason to do something stupid for those who were not worth it.

At that moment, she was very grateful for her experiences abroad, because she would have been resoundingly defeated without them.

There was no point trying to change what had already happened. She could feel sad, cry, and be weak, but she would not allow herself to be like that.

She was not the type to wallow in pain while her foes jumped in delight.

Samantha closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before getting up from Rochelle's embrace. Although her voice was still hoarse, her tone was much calmer than before. "I need you to do two things for me, Chelle."

Rochelle was extremely distressed to look at that ghastly pale face.

She had watched Samantha crumble into tears, regain composure, and even start dealing with the matter. The entire sequence happened in less than an hour.

How strong did her heart have to be for her to act that way?

How much pain did she have to suffer before to become like that?

Rochelle would much rather see Samantha crying bitterly in her arms at that moment.

She sighed to herself but nodded without saying anything. "Tell me. I'll do whatever you need."

Samantha took out her cell phone and handed it to Rochelle. "First things first, could you call Grandma and tell her that I'll be staying with you tonight instead of going back?"

"Okay." Rochelle swiftly took the phone and dialed the number.

Since Old Madam Barker knew that Samantha and Rochelle were very good friends, Rochelle just needed to find a random reason to convince the old lady.

After hanging up, Rochelle returned the phone to Samantha, who switched it off without hesitation and chucked it back into her bag.

Rochelle observed Samantha's actions without making any comment and asked, "How about the second thing?"