Erica hastily tried to defend herself. "It's not my fault. Our Mr. Huo is too busy."
"Well, you're a bossy woman anyway. You should've tried those less-than-feminine charms on Matthew and forced him to come with you," Gifford said. Blair had already cautioned Gifford not to talk to Erica about Matthew. Her reasoning was that if they just backed off, things would happen naturally. Erica might eventually fall in love with Matthew if they quit pushing her.
"Come on! He doesn't do what I want! And he's not in love with me, so he's not likely to," Erica retorted. And she was quite good at bullying someone into doing what she wanted.
'I'm not wrong, though. He doesn't love me, and I can't intimidate him, either. So even if I tried that around him and pushed him to come back with me, he wouldn't listen.'
Gifford smiled slightly and draped his long arm around her shoulders. "Wow, my dear sister has gotten smarter in her old age. That's gotta hurt, knowing you can't play your old tricks."
"Of course, I'm a smart girl. Let's go back home." She figured someone would crack a joke about it. If anyone tried that, though, she'd stand up for her honor, and that of the Li family. She might not be able to influence Matthew, but she'd certainly verbally browbeat anyone else.
Finally, they returned to the Li family villa. It had only been four days since she had last been here, but it felt like four years.
Cecelia and Baldwin were also there today. They lived in the military base now, but came back for the occasion.
The moment they entered the living room, Erica was like a happy puppy as she hugged everyone and kissed them one after the other. She even cradled Feb in her arms and didn't want to let him go.
"Feb, call me 'Mommy.' I missed you so much!" said Erica, gently pinching the boy's smooth face. She knew the boy was too small to make real sounds, but she still said it anyway.
"That's Ethan now. Ethan Li. I renamed him. Ethan sounds so much better than Feb," Wesley corrected her.
"Li?" Erica cocked an eyebrow, and the joy on her face faded. "That's Ethan Wu, actually."
Wesley was displeased as he was aware of her change in mood. "You still thinking about the boy's father?" he asked in a cold voice.
Erica didn't answer his question.
Blair explained, "Rika, the household registration would be a pain if his last name were Wu. Also, we'd have to get the proper documentation for school."
The living room was quiet for a moment. After a while, Erica compromised and said, "Okay. Ethan Li is fine."
Yvette came out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup. "Lunch is ready," she said. "Everyone wash up now!"
"Rika, give Ethan to me. Wash your hands and grab a bowl," Blair ordered and took the child from Erica.
Despite Matthew's absence, the Li family were generally content. While many of them were hoping to talk to the man, at least Erica and Ethan were there. Mealtimes were always interesting with those two around.
After lunch, the Li family members wouldn't stop talking about Matthew in front of Erica, which bored the snot out of her. Eventually, she said, "Hey, Yvette. How about we go for a walk and help our meals settle?"
The two sisters hadn't really talked a long time. Yvette agreed readily. Erica wanted to take Ethan Li with them too, but since the boy was asleep, she gave up on that idea.
When they left the villa, Yvette took a good look at her sister. The fire in her gaze had died down some. She was much less dramatic than before. Yvette caressed Erica's head and said, "Look at you, Rika. You're all grown up."
"No, it's not like that. I just feel depressed and I've gotten sentimental. I wouldn't have married Matthew if it weren't for Feb...um...Ethan Li. I don't love him and he doesn't love me either." Erica took her sister's arm and rested her head on her shoulder.
"Dad and Mom did this for your own good. You know what? Matthew's a good guy. Maybe you don't want to hear that, but I'm sure you'll have a happy life," Yvette coaxed her sister.
"Yvette, I know he's a good man. And I know he's rich and handsome, but we don't even like each other. What's the point?" Erica answered listlessly.
Yvette paused and caressed her hair. "A man like him has his own charms. You should pay more attention to him. You like handsome guys, don't you? Matthew ticks all the boxes. Since you're married, why not try and fall in love with him?" she suggested.
"No, he has someone he loves already. I don't want to be the other woman." 'What's the difference between being the other woman and my situation? I knew Matthew has someone he loves, and yet I married him. I must really hate myself, ' she thought.
Yvette shook her head and said, "There are tons of girls in my company who have a crush on Matthew. When they heard he was off the market, there wasn't a dry eye in the company. They're probably still crying."
"Really?" Erica couldn't believe her ears.
"Yeah. They went through at least a box of tissues each on your wedding day. They all envy you, so you should feel lucky," Yvette said.
Erica was speechless. She could tell Matthew liked someone else. How could she be happy when she knew that? And she didn't really want to tear them apart. That would almost make her the other woman. "And can we stop talking about Matthew now? That's a sore subject with me. I'm going to go shopping with Rhea. Wanna come with us?" Erica asked.
"Sure." It was Yvette's day off, so she agreed to go shopping with them. So the sisters went back to their villa to fetch their car.
But when they arrived at the villa, Erica regretted her suggestion. She looked at Yvette and said, "Hey, I suddenly remembered I told Hyatt I'd meet him later today. Don't wait for me. Just head home."
"You're seriously going there alone?"
"I'll be fine. I'll hail a cab!" "All right. Be careful on your way there."
"Sure. I'm good. Bye!" After Yvette entered the villa, Erica turned and walked away.
When she and Rhea had been attending the same college, she had many admirers and enemies. She didn't want her sister to come across her enemies, so she asked her to go back home. Erica could take care of herself, but she wasn't so sure she could keep her sister safe too.
At A Country Film Academy
Erica didn't enter the campus. She gave Rhea a call and waited for her at the school gate.
But unbeknownst to her, the news that she came back to her parents' house alone had spread across the country. Why hadn't Matthew come back with her? No one knew.
Plus, she gave birth to a boy out of wedlock and made Matthew the boy's stepfather. As a result, everyone who saw her gave her strange looks, and the whispered mean comments followed.
And of course, she encountered the mean girls, the ones who hated her. The news that she was back on campus had also spread fast. "Erica Li, how dare you come back! Have you no shame?"
The girl who just spoke was Reese Zhou, Erica's high school classmate. She was a student in the Art Department of A Country Film Academy.
She was really something, and she and her friends always made fun of Erica. This time, they weren't going to miss another opportunity.
Erica cast a contemptuous glance at Reese Zhou and snorted. "Got a problem? Why have I no shame? Go ahead, enlighten me," she said calmly.
Reese Zhou had known Erica for almost three years, but she was still a little afraid of her when Erica was angry. The young mom wasn't angry yet, so Reese Zhou had the audacity to mock her. "Your private life is an ugly affair. And you have the gall to marry Mr. Huo after giving birth to a bastard. Come on!"
"A bastard? My son has taken to Matthew. How dare you call Matthew's son a bastard? You may be not afraid of me, Reese, and that's okay. But you should be afraid of Matthew," Erica said. She was surrounded by six girls all told, but she wasn't the least bit scared.
"I have a healthy fear of Mr. Huo. But he's not here, is he? He should have come with you on this trip, but he didn't. So he doesn't give a damn about your feelings, does he? Tell me the truth! Was this a shotgun wedding? What did you blackmail him with to make him marry you?" Reese Zhou taunted.
She wasn't the only one who didn't think Matthew married Erica out of love. It was a popular belief that there must be some unspeakable reason for him to marry her.