Chapter 531: Chapter 531



Theresa took the two children back home. Perhaps Dolores was tired from recent affairs, so she fell asleep in her room. Theresa woke her up because Matthew said Armand was coming later.

Dolores opened her eyes lazily and looked at Theresa with dull eyes, who was standing by the bed. Dolores got up and sat on the bed. She rubbed her eyes, “They’re back.”

Theresa replied, “Yes. We bought you the radish you want to eat.”

Dolores had just woken up bleary-eyed and looked like she wasn’t fully awake yet.

Theresa poured her a glass of water, and Dolores took it and drank half a glass of water. She woke up a little. Dolores put the glass on the bedside table. She got out of bed, put on her shoes, and asked, “What did you have for lunch outside?”

As Dolores spoke, she looked at the time and then looked at Theresa, “Is it that late?”

It had been over three hours since Theresa had taken the children outside.

Dolores thought, “What did they eat to have taken so long?

“We ate grilled fish wrapped in paper,” Theresa lied randomly because grilled fish took a long time to prepare. It was made with fresh fish and cooked for more than half an hour, at least. It could take almost three hours to finish eating and shopping.

“I think you should be hungry now. Let’s get you something to eat,” Theresa and Dolores headed together to the living room, where Andrew and Amanda were watching TV on the couch.

As they were shopping with Matthew at the grocery store, they passed by the baking section. The two children said Dolores liked the red bean paste. It was made up of layers of red kidney beans that were soft on the inside with a crunchy edge.

Dolores had bought it several times in the past, so Andrew and Amanda knew she liked it.

Matthew bought two boxes of red bean pastry after learning that Dolores liked it. He also bought other desserts since Dolores could not eat radish as a proper meal because it was insufficient in nutrients.

Theresa stretched, “I’m going to take a shower.”

She didn’t want to see Armand. She would not have a soft heart nor would she forgive him, even if Armand died in front of her at that moment. Theresa was not to run away because she could not let go of the past. She simply did not want to see Armand.

Armand’s face always reminded her of many unpleasant and painful memories.

She could change his appearance and his voice, but she could not erase his memories.

Dolores nodded and took a carton of pure milk out of the refrigerator. She poured herself a cup of milk and set it on the table.

Andrew was very attentive and brought all the food Matthew had bought and put it on the table, “Mommy, we bought you red bean spreads and pineapple scones.”

“And this,” Amanda handed him the radish Dolores wanted to eat.

Dolores sat down in the chair. She looked at the two children and smiled. She thought her children had grown up and knew how to be affectionate.

She rubbed Amanda’s head, “Can you help Mommy wash it?”

“Sure.”

Amanda felt it was something to be proud of to help Dolores, so she was glad of it.

Dolores reached out for a piece of red bean pastry that Andrew opened the package for her and took a bite. She thought, ‘Still tastes the same,’ Dolores said something to Andrew, “What did you eat today?”.

“Steak,” Andrew replied.

How did Andrew know that Theresa said they had eaten grilled paper-wrapped fish to rationalize the time they consumed with Matthew away.

Dolores stopped her motion of carrying the cup of milk and raised her eyes to look at Andrew. Dolores wondered, “Did I hear wrong?”

Theresa said they had eaten grilled paper-wrapped fish, while Andrew said they had steak.

Dolores asked again, “What did you have for lunch today?”

“Steak,” blinked Andrew, “Mommy, do you want to eat, too?”.

Dolores shook her head and subconsciously frowned. She pondered, ‘If Andrew and Amanda had steak, why did Theresa say they had grilled paper-wrapped fish? Besides, there aren’t any western restaurants around here.’

Why would Theresa lie?

Dolores smiled and asked as if she was chatting with Andrew as usual, “What restaurant did they eat at?”

“The Bamboo Restaurant, the place where Oscar invited us to eat last time,” Andrew said sincerely.

“Ah, I see,” Dolores gently lowered her eyes. It was a high-end western restaurant, and the minimum expenditure was over sixteen hundred dollars. It was a long way from where they lived.

Dolores mused, ‘How did Theresa take them to the restaurant? Why did she lie to me?’

At that moment, Amanda handed the washed radish to Dolores, “Mommy, here you go. I washed it clean.”

Dolores reached out and took it, but lost her appetite. She looked at the two girls and felt a little nervous.

Why would Theresa lie to her?

Or had she done something and was purposely trying to hide it from them?

Click.

The sudden sound of the doorbell interrupted Dolores’ thoughts. She wanted to get up to open the door, as Amanda said, “I’ll go get it,” and ran as fast as she could.

Dolores sat back in the chair and turned her eyes to the door. No one would come at this hour, and even Oscar would rarely come at night as well.

Soon the door opened, Armand was at the door. Dolores was surprised to see Armand. She thought she heard a loud sound in her ears, as if a sharp needle was pricking her ears, and she felt a numbness in her body.

Dolores reflected, ‘How could Armand have appeared here?’

She was shocked and her hands clenched. At the same time, she looked behind Armand with some expectation.

‘Armand,’ Amanda greeted him with a smile and invited him into the house.

Since Amanda had just met Armand not too long ago, she was not surprised when she saw Armand.

Armand walked in and looked at Dolores, and greeted her.

“H-how did you know I was here?” he tried to contain himself and made his voice sound calm.

“Matthew said he missed Andrew and Amanda, so he’s asked me to look into their whereabouts, and…. I just found out where they live,” Armand explained the reason why he appeared there at that moment.

Dolores clenched her hands, which were wet and stained with a sticky layer of sweat. She intended to leave the two children with Matthew at that moment. After all, she needed someone to be with her at that moment.

However, she realized that she could not do that as she had never left Andrew and Amanda in the past. Dolores felt pain as she left Matthew. She feared she would not be able to cope without the two children by her side.

“Can I take Andrew and Amanda to B-town for a few days?” Armand explained his intention.

Dolores slowly raised her eyes and wanted to ask if Matthew was okay. However, she didn’t ask about him, but said quietly, “Sure.” They were also her children.

Dolores got up, “I’ll go pack some clothes for them. Come and sit on the couch for a while.”

“Okay.”

Armand sat down on the couch.

“Do you want something to drink?” asked Dolores.

“I want a glass of water.”

“I’ll get it for Armand,” Amanda brightened.

Dolores looked at Amanda and thought, ‘Amanda probably knows she’s going to visit Matthew and that’s why she’s so excited and happy.’

She turned around and went back to her room. The two children’s clothes were in the closet in her room.

As she opened the closet to get the clothes, the dream she had last time suddenly came to her mind. She clearly remembered Matthew saying he missed her in a hoarse voice and smelling of sweat because the dream was so real.

She pondered, ‘Was it just a dream?

Was Armand the only one who came here?’ wondered Dolores.

She began to doubt, and an ungraspable thought suddenly arose in her mind. She expected something and subconsciously moved closer to the window as if her brain was not in control of her body. She gently lifted the white gauze curtain and looked out the window.

In the quiet street there was a car parked next to the road. She had seen the car, but she couldn’t remember if she had seen it in the hospital parking lot or in front of the restaurant where she was eating.

He soon found a familiar figure.

Matthew was leaning against the car door with his back facing the streetlight.

He was on the phone with Abbott, who was briefing him on the construction work. Matthew was working on line, as he could not return to B-town. Matthew felt someone watching him and lifted his head to look out the window.

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