My Darling, My Dearest

Jack felt relieved that nothing was wrong with Rachel. While waiting for her, he picked up a book from the bed and flipped through a few pages. He glanced at the clock in the nightstand beside him. Thirty minutes had already gone by, but she still hadn't come out.

Impatiently, he dragged the blanket to the side and got up again. Rachel shouted from inside the bathroom, "Almost done."

Frustration got the better of him this time, so he turned the knob on the bathroom door and pushed it open. All of a sudden, Rachel screamed in surprise. She abruptly pulled down the flap of her pajama that she had lifted.

Terrified, she yelled at Jack, "Why did you open the door without knocking first?!"

"I just wanted to see what you were doing." Jack frowned and walked up to her. He looked her up and down and said, "You said that you were almost done. What were you busy with?" "Nothing," she shot back.

Rachel quickly turned around barged out the door. Jack was left behind inside the bathroom looking puzzled. As if talking to himself, he mumbled, "But you were the one locking yourself up inside the bathroom What were you even doing?" Hearing this, Rachel replied, "I was taking a shower."

He repeated the question over and over, but she just gave him the same answer. She cut him off before he could ask one more time, "Can you please just stop asking? I'm going to sleep now. Keep quiet." Her mood caught him off guard, so he kept silent.

When Jack woke up the following morning, his hand subconsciously fumbled around the bed to look for Rachel. He sat up the moment he realized that she wasn't there.

The other side of the bed was empty. He couldn't see Rachel inside the room.

Jack was alarmed. "Rachel?" he called out.

After a while, she answered from the bathroom, "I'm in the bathroom. I just have to do something."

"What's the matter?" Jack put on a robe and walked to the bathroom. He tried to turn the doorknob, but she locked it from the inside.

He frowned and asked, "Rachel, what are you doing? Why are you acting so secretive?"

"I'm almost done. Don't ask." Rachel's firm reply left him speechless.

In the office, Henry scooped some tea leaves from the can and put them in the teacup. "Jack, I'm here to talk about the partnership with you. But you don't even make tea for your guest," he teased. "I think MK Group's hospitality needs some improvement."

The blank expression on Jack's face did not change.

Henry observed Jack's face as he took his time pouring water into the teacup. He wondered what the reason was behind Jack's unusual behavior. Waving his hand in front of Jack's face, he said, "You're not yourself today.

What's wrong?" Hearing this brought back his senses. "What did you say?" Jack asked.

There was a little tin soldier on Jack's table. Henry casually fiddled with it and asked, "What were you thinking just now? You haven't been yourself since I came here."

All Jack could do was shake his head. He decided to steer the conversation away. "So what do you think of the partnership? Will it be at the start of next quarter?"

"Didn't I say that we should settle it one month earlier?" Setting the toy back down on the table, Henry sat back on the sofa. "Didn't you hear a word of what I said?" He grabbed the teacup and took a sip. Jack just smirked and scratched his forehead. His mind thought about other things, but he knew he had to focus on work. Their conversation lasted for more than an hour.

Michael entered the office just as Jack and Henry were about to finish their discussion. He had gone out earlier to do some tasks of his own. "You're still not done yet? You two are taking so long." Henry's gaze stayed on the signed document for a moment before he closed the cover. He turned to Michael and answered, "Oh, we just finished our discussion. You look exhausted."

"Well, forget it." Dismissively, Michael waved his hand in the air. "A couple of days ago, I got in touch with a former classmate from junior high school. We watched a few basketball games and talked over beer. "Yes, you mentioned it before," Jack recalled.

Reaching over, Michael took the cup from Henry's hand and drank the tea.

"The thermos bottle is right beside you. Can't you pour yourself a cup?" Henry was slightly annoyed.

"It's still too hot. Your cup of tea is perfect." Michael went on after handing the empty cup back to Henry. "Then I got a phone call from him just now, asking me to go out. I went out and saw this tall, muscular man crying his eyes out!

I can't believe it!" Exaggerating, Michael imitated his friend as he spoke. Jack curled his fingers and pounded his fist on the table impatiently. "But why did he cry?" he asked.

Realizing that he had strayed from the topic, Michael scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He resumed, "Well, he started to notice that his wife was staying longer and longer in the shower. Now, guess what she was doing there."

Jack's heart sank. A lump formed in his throat as he wondered if this was the same thing that was happening to Rachel.

"She kept locking herself in the bathroom for long periods. And when my friend would ask her about it, she'd get mad at him," Michael explained.

"So, what was she doing? Just say it and stop trying to be mysterious on purpose. If you don't want to say it, then forget it. We don't want to hear the story," Henry said.

"Well, if that's what you say. Have it your way then. I'll stop." Crossing his arms over his chest, Michael grunted in protest.

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While he waited for Henry to ask him to continue, Michael was caught by surprise when Jack pressed him for the answer.. Jack pushed him and said forcefully, "Just spit it out. And do it quickly." Michael was dumbfounded. He didn't know that Jack was paying attention to his story. Michael frowned at him. "Why are you so curious all of a sudden? Normally, you don't even bother to listen to these kinds of stories."

Jack looked a little awkward and could only grumble, "Just finish your story!"

"Fine, I will." Giving in to Jack's

prodding, he told them the

conclusion. My friend didn't expect that his wife was cheating on him She was talking to her lover on the phone inside the bathroom. The running water masked her voice while they talked. That's why it took him so long to figure out. Affairs are

really hard to uncover nowadays."

A thousand questions ran through Jack's mind when he heard the story. He could not speak a word.

'Talking to her lover?

What about Rachel? Is she cheating on me?' he wondered again and again.

That night, he waited for Rachel to enter the bathroom. Then he walked silently and pressed his ear on the glass door, trying to listen to any sound.

'Why can't I hear anything?

That's strange. I'd hear it if she was talking on the phone right now," Jack thought.

He was too distracted by his thoughts. Without noticing it, he leaned too much on the door. All of a sudden, the glass door swung open. Jack staggered forward and almost fell to the floor in front of Rachel. When he got up on his feet, Rachel was standing in front of him. "What were you doing?" she asked in a surprised tone.

"I...I needed to use the bathroom, so I came here to see if you were done. I..." Jack put one hand on the back of his head as he tried to make an excuse.

He realized how lame his excuse was when he stammered.

This had happened before, and he just used the bathroom in the guest room.

The situation was truly embarrassing for Jack. He got caught in the act, and he knew his excuse didn't work. Like a guilty child, he lowered his gaze away from Rachel's inquisitive eyes.

The disappointment was visible on Rachel's face. Jack lifted his head when she was about to speak. "What were you really doing in the bathroom these past days?" he interrupted.

"Nothing." Rachel tried to avoid further discussion by walking out of the bathroom. She walked to the bed and tucked herself under the sheets.

The more Jack thought about their situation, the more he was convinced that he was going to lose Rachel. He felt miserable. He leaned against the bathroom wall and just stood there in silence. He could picture himself standing alone on a long, snowy road while he watched Rachel walk into the arms of another man.

Jack tried to shake the thoughts from his head. He went to Rachel so he could ask her one more time.

Seeing that he wasn't going to stop until he had an answer, Rachel sat up on the bed. She lifted the end of her pajama to show her pregnant belly. "Look at me, Jack," she told him.

"What is it?" He didn't understand what she meant by it. Moving closer, he gently put his hand on her belly. "Is the baby moving right now?" he asked.

"No." Rachel took his hand off her belly and pointed at the stretch marks. "Have you seen my belly? There are so many stretch marks. I've been applying ointment in the bathroom these days. I wanted to see if I can make them fade away."

"Then why didn't you just tell me?" Jack asked in a tired voice.

Lowering her head, Rachel muttered, "I feel so ugly when I look at myself in the mirror. I didn't want you to see the marks. I'm afraid that you

wouldn't like me anymore." "How ne

could dislike her? She's the woman I love, and the mother of my child,' Jack thought to himself.

All the anxiety and doubt that were weighing him down finally disappeared. He looked at Rachel lovingly, and then he laughed so hard that his body trembled. Confused, she asked him, "Are you alright?"

Author's noteUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

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Translator: Scarlett5555