Nina Shaw lowered her head, murmuring softly, “But I’m just not ready yet.”

Xavier Quinn’s eyes darkened a little. “Do you not want this child?”

She didn’t look up at him. If she had, she would definitely have seen the rush of deep emotion in his gaze—like one word from her could make him lose all sense.

Nina Shaw hesitated for a moment. Xavier Quinn desperately wanted to hear her answer, but even if she said she didn’t want the child, he would never allow her to go through with an abortion.

Not want it? How could she not? Whether the man was hers or not didn’t matter; the child was. To her, nurturing this tiny life was something sacred.

“How could I not want it? This is my child. I want to keep her. When she’s born, I’ll take her around the world.” Nina Shaw’s eyes flashed with light when she spoke of the baby.

Xavier Quinn was very satisfied with that reply. He chuckled softly and bent down to plant a kiss on her cheek. Nina Shaw pushed him away with a fierce look. “Seriously, what’s with the kisses? Just say what you want to say.”

Xavier Quinn didn’t get angry. Instead, he just smiled. Tonight, he was in an exceptionally good mood.

Nina Shaw had already made up her mind—even if Xavier Quinn didn’t like this child in the future, she would raise her alone. If he ever wanted a divorce, she’d just keep the child and let him go free.

—

That night, Yancy Shaw returned to Lanyue Residence. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard someone singing in one of the rooms.

Hearing Lauren Shaw’s voice, he couldn’t help but smile. Tonight, he’d only just come home after an emergency surgery kept him at the hospital until now.

Lauren Shaw had told him she’d be having dinner at her parents’ tonight. She must be in a good mood, humming away and not even noticing he was back.

Lauren Shaw had just come out of a bath, wrapped in loungewear, carefully patting skincare onto her face. She smelled sweet and fresh all over.

Yancy Shaw entered the room. She glanced at him and mumbled, “You’re back.”

He walked up behind her, took the hairdryer from her hand, and asked casually, “Why are you so happy tonight?”

Lauren Shaw met his gaze in the mirror and nodded. “Of course I’m happy. I’m about to become an aunt!”

That was certainly good news.

Yancy Shaw’s brows lifted slightly as he turned on the hairdryer. His long fingers gently swept through her hair, and the pleasant scent of shampoo tickled his nose.

Lauren Shaw looked at his refined, gentle face in the mirror, her heart fluttering. She found herself recalling just how she’d fallen in love with him—all those memories playing out in her mind. Come to think of it, they’d barely ever fought. Days like these really were peaceful.

After he finished drying her hair, Yancy Shaw noticed she kept stealing glances at him in the mirror. He leaned down, coming right up to her eyes. “If you want to look at me, just look. There’s no need to sneak around.”

But Lauren Shaw shook her head. “It’s not the same.”

“How’s it different?”

“Looking in secret and looking openly—each has a different feeling.” She could never get enough, no matter the angle.

Yancy Shaw laughed and lightly tapped her nose. “You can look at me however you like. Either way, I’m all yours.”

He didn’t even need to try—sweet words just rolled off his tongue these days.

Lauren Shaw nudged him toward the bathroom. “Go shower first.”

Soon after Yancy Shaw stepped into the bathroom, Nina Shaw called.

Lauren Shaw answered. Nina Shaw’s voice came through, “Shengsheng, are you asleep?”

“Nope, Sis. What’s up?”

“Nothing, really. I just couldn’t sleep and wanted to chat.”

Xavier Quinn had taken a call and said he had something urgent to handle.

Lying alone in bed, Nina Shaw kept tossing and turning. She wanted to talk with Lauren Shaw—otherwise, she might just suffocate with all her thoughts.

“Where’s your brother-in-law?” Lauren Shaw asked.

“He left to handle something. Said he’d be back soon.” Nina Shaw glanced at the clock, listless—it was already midnight.

Maybe it was the heightened sensitivity of pregnancy, or maybe she was just overthinking. Left alone, her mind couldn’t stop wandering.

Lauren Shaw more or less guessed what was going on. Sisters born from the same womb—they knew each other’s hearts.

“Sis, are you feeling upset?”

She herself admitted it: if Yancy Shaw got called away at night and she was left alone at home, she’d be unhappy too. So, she figured Nina Shaw was feeling much the same.

Nina Shaw sighed, her tone tinged with bitterness. “It’s not the first time this has happened. Honestly, I’m used to it by now.”

Before, she hadn’t thought much of it. But now, things were different. She’d started wanting more—people always get greedy.

There was a time, back when things were tense between her and Xavier Quinn, when she could go ten days or half a month without seeing him, even wishing he’d never turn up at all.

Now if he so much as missed a single day at her side, her heart felt strangely empty. That emptiness was hard to bear.

“You actually like him, don’t you?” Lauren Shaw hit the nail on the head, laying bare her feelings.

Nina Shaw was stunned at first, turning those words over in her mind. Did she like him? She wasn’t sure—she only knew she found it harder and harder to let go of him.

Sometimes, she even envied the pure, sincere love between Lauren Shaw and Yancy Shaw—a relationship with no motives or strings attached.

She could see clearly how Yancy Shaw loved Lauren Shaw—not dramatic, but steady as a gentle stream, never fading or changing.

She and Xavier Quinn, though, had too much between them: his family, his work, his everything. They could never be like Lauren Shaw and Yancy Shaw.

Nina Shaw changed the subject. “You should rest early. Tomorrow’s Fashion Week—I’ll be there in person to watch.”

“Alright.” By the time Lauren Shaw hung up, Yancy Shaw was just coming out of the bathroom. “Who was that?”

“My sister.”

She put her phone by the bed. Yancy Shaw, now in loungewear, lifted a corner of the covers and slipped into bed, wrapping Lauren Shaw in his arms.

“Will you have time to come to Fashion Week tomorrow?” Lauren Shaw looked up at him, hoping he’d come if he could.

Yancy Shaw kissed her forehead. “If I’ve got free time tomorrow, I’ll be there.”

Lauren Shaw wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in his scent, utterly content.

Thinking about her call with Nina Shaw, she asked, “Do you think Sis and my brother-in-law actually like each other?”

Back at the Li house, the feelings between the two had been obvious—you couldn’t fake that. But both of them were so clueless about love, neither one dared take another step.

“Shengsheng, relationships are between two people. There’s nothing we can do,” he said.

He wasn’t wrong. What was between Xavier Quinn and Nina Shaw was far more complicated than what outsiders could see.

Lauren Shaw nodded. “I know.”

His hand slid around her waist. Lauren Shaw stopped his wandering hand. “Tomorrow’s Fashion Week. We’d better sleep early.”

Yancy Shaw chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tire you out tonight. Get some sleep.”

Lauren Shaw hugged his waist, eyelids growing heavy, and drifted off into slumber without even realizing it.