âWhy are there so many packages?â Lina could not help asking.
âTheyâre all yours. My dear, itâs not easy to make money. Why did you buy so many things in one go?
Donât you know how to save some money? How much did you pay for all these?â lectured Mrs.
Sweeney.
âM-Mine?â Lina was dumbfounded. There must be at least 30 boxes!
However, she had not bought anything online.
Lina casually opened a box. When she saw a container with the words âfolic acidâ, she was shocked.
She quickly hugged the box and said, âMom, Iâll take these back to my room first. Uh, I wonât bother you anymore!â
With that, she quickly carried all the boxes that cluttered the living room back to her room. She closed the door and began to unbox them.
The more boxes Lina opened, the more surprised she became.
What was contained in these packages were food for pregnant women, books about pregnancy, baby items, skincare products for pregnant women, stretch mark creams, and even⦠a pillow for pregnant womenâ¦
Lina was only glad that she did not unbox these things in front of her parents. Otherwise, she would have received a good scolding!
The receiverâs name and address on the boxes were all hers.
Come to think of it, Hadwin Stephenson was probably the only one who would send these things to her.
Lina hurriedly picked up her phone and dialed Hadwin Stephensonâs number.
It was not long before Hadwin Stephensonâs gentle voice sounded from the phone. âLina?â
âDid you buy the things that were delivered to my house?â asked Lina.
âYes, have you received them?â asked Hadwin Stephenson.
âYes, there are more than 30 packages!â Lina snapped.
âOnly 30?â asked Hadwin Stephenson.
Lina immediately had a bad feeling. âWait, how⦠many packages did you send to my house?â
âProbably a hundred. I thought they would be of some use to you,â he said.
..â She felt defeated. âCome on! Do you have too much money to spend?â
âYouâre the only one Iâm willing to spend money on,â said Hadwin Stephenson.
Lina froze before quickly saying, âHurry and take these things back. Take back the rest too when they get delivered to my house. I donât need them!â
âIf you already have all these things, I can take them back. But if you donât, you can have them,â he said.
**
âHadwin Stephenson, if I use the things you give me, wonât my parents find out Iâm pregnant? Do you think theyâre blind? How am I supposed to explain it to them?â Lina lowered her voice and growled.
âExplain it however you want to. Are you going to keep it a secret all your life?â said Hadwin Stephenson.
âWhy canât I keep it a secret from them all my life? If Iâ¦â Then, she stopped short. Her teeth bit her lip and she did not go on.
Hadwin Stephenson, who was on the other end of the line, said. nothing too.
For a moment, there was only silence.