Take My Breath Away

"No! You're on my side. If you call Matthew, you're just admitting he's better than you. So will you help me or not?" Erica demanded.

"Of course I will. I'm busy these days and won't go to Y City soon, though. I'll make a few calls. If it doesn't work, maybe you can talk to Dad," Gifford answered. But helping Erica was a little tougher than it seemed on the surface. He was glad to help, but he needed help himself to pull it off.

He had no connections in the court system. He knew people who did, so he had to call them and see if they could pitch in.

'Why does Rika always come to me for help? Dad's better set up for that than I am. Maybe she figures Dad would turn her down, anyway, ' he thought.

"I won't call Dad. He always sides with Matthew. He won't help me..." Suddenly, Matthew opened the door. He was silent as usual, so Erica had no clue he was there. His face darkened as he heard what she said. "Thanks Gifford, you're awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll see what I can do!" Gifford couldn't stand Erica's tone, as if he was the one who bullied her.

The next moment, before Erica could say anything else, her phone was wrenched from her hand. "Mind your own business, Gifford. Just pretend Rika never called you. I'll fix this," Matthew said into her phone.

"Matthew, you're there too? Rika said you are holding off her case against Phoebe Su. What happened?" 'So I wonder if the rumors are true. Does Matthew still carry a torch for Phoebe?' he wondered. 'Nah. Couldn't be.'

Matthew held the phone high, foiling Erica's attempts to retrieve it. He put a hand out to keep her away, put the phone back to his ear, and said, "Nothing serious. She's just being a bad girl again."

"Oh..." Gifford believed it without a doubt. He knew better than anyone else what kind of trouble Erica could cause. "Remember, Rika's pregnant. You need to be a little more patient. She'll be fine after you calm her down some!"

"Don't worry. I will. Have a good night."

He hung up the phone.

Erica shouted, "Gifford!"

But it was too late. She could clearly see the screen of her cellphone. It showed the call was disconnected.

'Why did Matthew have to come in just when I managed to get Gifford to say yes? All that trouble for nothing, ' she cried inwardly.

Placing her phone on the bedside table, Matthew asked gently, "Are you hungry?"

"I've lost my appetite!" She turned her head away in a fit of pique.

"So what do you want to eat?" he asked, as if he didn't hear her reply. It was

out of seafood."

"We're not." There was frozen seafood in their fridge, but she was pregnant, so she needed fresh food.

Erica was confused. 'Since we have seafood in the fridge, why did he buy more? He is too extravagant! Forget it.

I'm still mad at him, so I won't ask.'

The smell of food soon filled the kitchen. Erica swallowed and waited for Matthew to serve the food.

The noodles were the same old noodles they always ate. But the seafood was quite different.

Erica ate a mouthful of the noodles. 'Wow! This is amazing.

I love having a husband who can cook!

I have to drive Phoebe away from him, ' she swore in her head.

Matthew took out two egg tarts from the oven and put them on a plate. "Tell me if you get full."

"Well, okay!" Erica agreed and took another mouthful of the noodles. The noodles were so scrumptious that she didn't want to talk.

Seeing that she was eating well, Matthew went upstairs to take a shower.

When he came back down, his wife was pacing back and forth on the carpet, holding her expanding belly in her arms, and every once in a while saying something to the maid cleaning the kitchen.

"Finished?" he asked.

"Mm." Erica wanted to tell him that she was stuffed full, but she was still angry with him. So she continued to look down at the traces of her feet stepping on the carpet one after another, which quickly disappeared.

"So you're all done?"

"Mm-hmm!" This time, she didn't raise her head, nor did she look at him.

Matthew looked at her belly thoughtfully. So she was hungrier. He prepared a large plate of fruits, a large bowl of noodles and two egg tarts for her. She had wolfed them all down.