The 99th Divorce

“He’s actually ready to name the baby?” she thought.

Shen Manting felt her heart jolt with shock, and she felt angry, like how a person feels when their possessions are coveted by another.

Her brows furrowed into a frown, and she reached out her hands and said, “Give me the baby.”

But she’d already taken the child back while she was speaking.

Shen Manting’s voice was rather harsh. Shen Luo’an wasn’t stupid. He could tell she was angry.

Shen Luo’an pursed his lips and he, too, began to scowl.

He’d been in good spirits, but when he saw how guarded Shen Manting was, his mood took a sudden downturn, and his gentle gaze turned increasingly cold.

“Shen Manting, what do you mean by this?” His voice wasn’t raised, but it clearly carried a hint of anger.

When Shen Manting heard his voice, she backed off.

When she looked up, she saw Shen Luo’an’s angry expression.

She lowered her head and said coldly, “The baby’s afraid of strangers. He’ll cry.”

“Afraid of strangers?” Shen Luo’an chuckled suddenly. “Can’t you find a better excuse to brush me off with? Afraid of strangers? He’s only a few days old, and yet you’re telling me that he’s afraid of strangers?”

Shen Manting fell silent and hugged the baby even more tightly in her arms.

“The baby’s mine. The baby’s mine,” she thought. “Even if he is the baby’s real father, I won’t allow him to take the baby away from me!”

But Shen Manting didn’t say this out loud.

She held the child, but she didn’t feel at all confident that she’d be able to keep him.

Shen Luo’an’s tone of voice was harsh, but when he saw Shen Manting’s reticence, he found it was pointless to argue with her.

Gritting his teeth, he stood up and turned to leave.

He closed the door behind him, and it made a not-so-subtle noise.

The baby seemed to sense something, but it also seemed that he didn’t, because his tiny lips pursed, but his breathing soon returned to normal.

Shen Manting stared at the closed door, and her eyes stung. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart mercilessly hammered against her chest.

She lifted her head up and looked at the ceiling above her head. The room was completely silent.

February 1. Gloomy day.

I don’t know where Shen Luo’an went off to. Madam Lin still stayed here to take care of me and the baby.

I know he’s just being spiteful and ran off because I made him angry yesterday. He didn’t return home last night.

Thank heavens. I can finally take care of the baby with peace of mind and get a good night’s sleep.

I hope he forgets about me and never comes back.

February 8. Sunny day.

It’s been a week since Shen Luo’an left, and he hasn’t come back.

Thanks to Madam Lin’s care, I feel myself getting healthier. The baby spends a lot more time awake, and sometimes he’ll open his eyes to look at me.

I’m content.

Baby, Mummy loves you.

…

February 13. Rainy day.

The baby is half a month old now. Shen Luo’an came back and once again looked much thinner than he did before.

He ate at home, but he didn’t say a single word to me. He only came to take a look at the baby.

He didn’t ask to hold him, which struck me as rather strange.

He went out again. I keep having the feeling that he’s up to something.

I hope that I’m just overthinking things.

I finally thought of a name for the baby. His name will be Shen Yuexiao.

“Yue” as in “to surpass,” and “Xiao” as in “a hero.” So it means “more than a hero.”

…

Shen Manting closed her diary, and Xiao Yue’er watched her from the side with his big and pretty pitch-black eyes.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and yawned.

His tiny face became all red, and his tiny hands balled themselves into fists. He looked pure, innocent, and oblivious as he looked at Shen Manting.

Shen Manting’s lips curled up into a smile, and she picked up the baby, cooing softly, “Shen Yuexiao. Shen Yuexiao. Do you like your name?”

The door wasn’t closed, and all of a sudden she could hear the soft sound of footsteps from outside the room.