Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Timothy's black pupils looked at her faintly and expressionlessly. He stretched his long legs and walked up to her before asking, "Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"

Samantha's heart sank slightly when she heard his question.

Based on what she knew of his character, he should not have reacted that calmly.

He was questioning her even.

Samantha's hand clenched tightly on the blanket. She had chosen to face it, so she would not back down regardless of the outcome.

She blinked and said, "Harmony likes you. Her feelings for you have never changed. She's the same then as she is now. She came back this time because she wanted to be your wife. She wanted to be Mrs. Barker."

"But you're already married to me, so I have become an obstacle to her. She's been going all out to undermine me from the shadows, frame me, and try to get the better of me, but she hasn't succeeded."

"When I got pregnant, my baby became a thorn in her side and she couldn't stand it unless we were out of the picture. I was nauseous not just because of the morning sickness I had some time ago, but also because she repeatedly provoked me. Just looking at her was enough to make me vomit!"

Samantha looked at Timothy's unchanged emotions and clenched her fists even tighter. "Timothy, when Penelope held me the other day, I could see that there was something wrong with her mental state. It was like when she attacked me at the bar. Penelope turned out to be just a pawn. The person controlling her from behind… the one who wanted to kill me and my baby…was Harmony all along!"

"But I survived. I was lucky to survive. But our child...was killed by her!"

At the end of her tirade, Samantha's eyes were filled with uncontrollable sadness.

Her emotions were genuine, rather than an act.

Had she not taken precautions in advance and sought Vincent's help, she would not be able to confidently say that she would succeed in protecting her baby.

After all, no one could be certain that the plan would be flawless.

Simply thinking about it again was enough to make her feel a little traumatized.

Samantha looked at Timothy again and bit her lower lip tightly when saw the lack of expression on the man's handsome face.

Ten seconds later, the man finally spoke up. "You're just guessing, Sammy."

'Just guessing?'

Samantha had never imagined that he would say something like that.

He denied her outright without even bothering to come up with an excuse.

Samantha found it laughable. The corners of her lips started to curl up but she could not muster even the smallest of smiles. The tone of her speech remained the same as she gave him a rational, level-headed breakdown of her accusation. "I asked Chelle for help to investigate Harmony. She told me that Harmony went to the bar on the day I was attacked."

"Penelope was supposed to be serving a sentence in prison, but Harmony went to visit her just a few days ago. Penelope then suddenly fell sick and applied to be released from prison for medical treatment. She later showed up before me and wanted to commit murder-suicide."

"If those two factors aren't enough, Chelle found out that Harmony was taking care of Penelope's mother, Violet, while Penelope was still in prison. Violet is the only family Penelope has left."

"Do you actually think these are all coincidences, Timothy?"

Timothy's expression sank even more but he remained quiet.

The atmosphere in the room became suffocating and the air seemed to have turned stale.

A sudden knock was heard at the door of the ward and brought some respite to the tenseness.

Timothy turned around and said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open and Ronald walked in.

He could keenly sense that something was not right about the atmosphere and he too became tense. He looked at Timothy, then at Samantha, and swallowed his words silently even though he had something to tell them.

Did Timothy anger Samantha just moments after she woke up?

Given that Samantha had just lost her baby and was already heartbroken, what on earth did Timothy do to her again?

Timothy narrowed his eyes at Ronald and asked, "Yes?"

His chilly voice made Ronald's heart tense up and he felt as though Timothy had caught him silently complaining.

He hurriedly forced out a smile and began telling them what he went there to tell, "Mr. Barker, Mrs. Barker, the hospital has just notified us that, that...Penelope's vital signs fell sharply this morning. They tried to save her, but it was a lost cause… she's dead."

"Understood." Timothy's voice did not fluctuate at all. "You may leave."

Ronald did not dare to make any further remarks after seeing the situation. He turned around and swiftly walked out of the ward before closing the door.

Samantha had expected Penelope to end up like that.

Penelope never wanted to continue living. The only reason she would kill Samantha along with the baby was that Harmony had offered her a deal that would see her mother live well.

Harmony just never factored in the possibility that Penelope would survive the gunshot instead of dying on the spot.

If she woke up, she would be investigated and questioned by the police. If Penelope could not bear the pressure and ratted Harmony out, Harmony's entire plan would fall short.

That was why Penelope had to die.

Only dead people tell no tales.

Samantha closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again. She looked up at Timothy who was standing in front of her and said emphatically, "Now that Penelope died all of a sudden, do you still think I'm just guessing? Do you still believe everything is just a guess, Timothy?"

Timothy's pupils trembled slightly and he finally looked into her eyes. Their figure was reflected in each other's pupils.

Samantha could not see any emotional fluctuation in him, only...a ruthless calmness.

He replied, "None of this can be used as evidence against Harmony."

"Heh."

Samantha's lips curled up and she laughed suddenly.

She chuckled out loud, then realized just how ridiculous it was and laughed a few more times.

As she laughed, tears began to well in her eyes so much so that the face of the man before her had become blurred and slightly distorted.

Once she was done laughing, she raised her hand and wiped away her tears. Even though she was doing her level best to restrain herself, her voice still faltered as she said, "I've always chosen to believe in you, Timothy."

"Don't you know? Even after all those disgusting things Harmony said to me, even when she showed me that you gave her the trophy I gave to you, even when she could get you to meet her and forget your promise to me simply by giving you a call…I still believed you. I still want to believe you, even now!"

"But... she killed our baby and nearly killed me! When I accused her and laid out all the information I gathered in front of you, you still excused her actions!"

Tears streamed down her face again. She wiped those tears furiously but could not completely wipe them off.

Samantha raised her hand all of a sudden and grabbed Timothy's hand. She stared at him firmly.. "I really, truly cherish how we were able to start over after losing out on two years together. I thought…you felt the same as me and cherished it too, but was it all…just wishful thinking on my part the whole time? From those two years ago up until today?"