Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 71

Chapter 71:.

I hid behind an old phone booth across the road and watched Derek walk out of the parking lot and into Dere International. Employees passing by greeted him with respect.

I wondered if he was the head of some department at Dere International.

I thought he wouldn’t be out until noon, but he came out around ten o’clock in the morning, his suit jacket in hand. As he left the parking lot, I hailed another cab and followed him.

As he passed the square, he stopped the car. It was then that I saw him walk into a maternity and childcare store. Suddenly, my heart was filled with terrible disappointment.

“Miss, would you like to get out now or would you like me to continue driving?” the cab driver asked me.

“Wait here for a little while. I’ll let you know when I can drive on,” I told him.

After a while, Derek got out with a shopping bag. Once he got going, I told the cab driver to follow him.

The road became more remote as we went along. Finally, he pulled up in front of an old community.

He got out of the car and walked straight into the community. Before I got out to follow him, I made sure to pay the cab driver the fare.

I was worried that he might spot me, so I didn’t dare get too close to Derek.

When he entered a building, I followed him, but didn’t get in right away. Instead, I quietly listened and counted his footsteps as he walked up, and figured out which floor he was going to.

Moments later, I heard him coming down. I could tell it was him just by the sound of solid footsteps coming from his high-top shoes.

I ducked under the stairs and made sure he was gone before heading upstairs.

Based on my earlier calculations, he went to the fifth floor, so I went there to investigate. There were two families on the floor, one of which must have been the one he visited.

My mind was a mess and my palms were sweating from the anticipation that the truth was now only a door away from me.

Before coming here, I had mentally prepared myself.

Since I had already reached this point, there was no reason to turn back.

So I followed my instinct and knocked on the door of the house on the left.

The person who opened the door was the woman who was with Derek yesterday.

“Who are you looking for?” her voice was as youthful as her appearance. Judging by the size of her belly, she probably knew Derek before I did. And if timing was important with regard to this matter, I should be the one to stand back and not get in his way.

With that in mind, I figured I had no right to show the pain I felt and the hatred I felt in front of her, nor did I have the right to question or investigate anything. My only goal was to know the truth.

“Hello, I am Mr. Sullivan’s assistant. He asked me to speak with you because he had already had the experience of delivering a baby. Perhaps I can offer you some advice,” I said.

Surprised by my statement, she asked, “Which Mr. Sullivan are you talking about?

Her question stunned me.

It made me wonder how many other Mr. Sullivan’s she knew.

“Mr. Derek Sullivan’s.”

I had seen her before at the hospital, so I was sure I hadn’t mistaken her for someone else.

“Oh, Derek?” she quickly relaxed her knitted brows.

The way she pronounced his name pleased her very much as she spoke to Derek on the phone that rainy night.

So this pregnant woman in front of him was the reason he had to leave despite how hard it was raining that night, huh?

“Please come in.” She smiled at me and made way for me.

The moment I walked in, I noticed a shopping bag on the couch. It was the one Derek had bought at the maternity and baby supply store.

As she went to get a glass of water, I sat down on the couch and noticed several scraps in the ashtray on top of the small table. They were the same ones Derek often smoked.

I thought I should quit smoking.

As I looked around, I realized that the condition of this house was as poor as my old house.

Did Derek have a mania for helping the poor?

Then, I noticed a school uniform hanging on the balcony. It was about the same size as this woman’s. Was she still a student?

At the thought of this possibility, I could no longer rest easy.

Derek wanted to fulfill his grandfather’s wish, but he did not marry the woman who was pregnant with his child. I thought it must be because he was not yet old enough to marry.

Soon, a glass of warm water was placed in front of me as she sat on the couch across from me.

“Here, drink some water,” she said.

“Thank you!” I replied.

“Why didn’t you come here with Derek? He left a moment ago,” the young woman asked. As she spoke, a smile appeared on her face. She must have really believed that I was Derek’s assistant.

Considering how pure and innocent she was, I deduced that it would be too aggressive to ask her too many questions.

“We were supposed to visit you together, but I had to take care of something first. Besides, Mr. Sullivan is very busy, so we had to come separately,” I replied, thinking I had come up with a good excuse.

The woman nodded in response. “Derek is indeed a busy man.” In her words, she must have been very considerate.

“As busy as he is, I’m sure he will make some time to accompany you during your prenatal checkups.” I tried to gather more information by asking a roundabout question.

“He’s a nice guy,” she replied. The smile on his face revealed his two canine teeth. If she found out Derek was married, would she still think he’s a good guy?

“Are you still a teenager?” I asked her cautiously.

She seemed to understand what I meant, so she lowered her head awkwardly and replied, “I celebrated my eighteenth birthday this month, which means I’m an adult.”

I was really only eighteen .

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