A Drunken Decision ( Annabelle Ross )

Chapter 8 

Nathan stared at the text message from Annabelle. He did not quite know how to answer her, for his parents and Ashley merely greeted him tepidly upon seeing that he was back without asking anything else. It was as though they had all lost their memories and forgot about his eldest sister’s existence. 

“I wonder what feelings Anna had when she sent me this text message. Was she afraid or hopeful?” he thought. 

As he gazed at the three people laughing and chatting with each other, the urge to rush forward and question them seized 

him. 

He wanted to ask whether they no longer cared about Annabelle, unconcerned about whether she would fall sick abroad alone, have nothing to eat or drink, or whether she missed them. 

Nonetheless, he ultimately held himself back at the thought of the problems that would ensue if he questioned them. 

Lowering his head, he forcefully maintained his smile and replied to his sister’s text message. 

He typed, “Aren’t you underestimating me? Who am I? My adaptability is the best! I wouldn’t let them see through mc so easily!” 

Far away in Yaleview, Annabelle could not help bursting out in laughter when she saw the reply. Only after her laughter had faded did she reply to his text message. 

She urged him to study with peace of mind and behave, not to make any trouble that would cause their parents to worry.. Additionally, she even told him to get along well with Ashley. 

As Nathan looked at Annabelle’s text message, a wave of sorrow suddenly swept over him. 

“How devastated would she be if she were to learn about Mom and Dad’s attitude?” he lamented in his mind. 

Fortunately, Annabelle fell asleep from exhaustion after chatting with her brother briefly. Unaware of the situation in her. family, she slept soundly for once. 

The next day, she woke up bright–eyed and bushy–tailed. After having breakfast, she got ready to search for a house. 

Her estimated date of delivery was early June the following year. It was still over half a year away, so she could not possibly stay at a hotel until then. 

Since she had money, she did not waste time searching by herself, heading straight to a real estate firm and telling them her requirements a spacious property with a supermarket, market, and hospital nearby. 

The 

agent who greeted her was a friendly young lady. Upon listening to her requirements, she filtered through the available properties and swiftly took her to view the house. 

All else aside, the first house was indeed very near to the hospital. Only a street separated the east entrance of the residential area and General Hospital. There was also a medium–sized supermarket at the main entrance. On top of that, it was said that the west entrance of the residential area faced a market. 

“If the interior of the house is okay, I don’t need to go and view the second house,” Annabelle thought. 

At the 22nd block near the east entrance, she and the young lady took the elevator together. Just when the elevator doors were a moment from closing, a flurry of frenzied footsteps sounded from outside. Annabelle was stunned for a moment before she quickly pressed the button to hold the elevator. 

“Thank you!” The person who hurried in was a woman who appeared to be in her 30s. She was wearing a comfortable sweater and a skirt. When she noticed Annabelle’s finger on the button holding the elevator, she turned and thanked her sincerely. However, her eyes abruptly widened at the sight of the latter’s face. 

Annabelle felt that the older woman before her looked quite familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen her, so she did not pursue the matter. Instead, she merely retracted her hand and inclined her head with a smile. 

Unexpectedly, the woman goggled at her as though having seen something horrifying, blanking out for a long time. Annabelle touched her face in puzzlement, wondering, “Is something the matter with my face?” 

Aloud, she started, “Excuse me, but…” 

“I’m sorry! I mistook you for someone else!” The woman jolted back to her senses and hastily apologized, promptly withdrawing her gaze before Annabelle could voice her question. 

Realization dawned upon Annabelle. In a gentle voice, she replied, “It’s okay.” 

Subsequently, silence reigned. The woman quietly pressed the button for the eighth floor. Seeing that, Annabelle arched a brow and said inwardly, “The property I’m going to view happens to be on the ninth floor. If I were to rent that unit, we’d be neighbors a floor apart, no?” 

In truth, she gave others a pretty good impression as she was soft–spoken and appeared amicable at first glance. Soon, they reached the eighth 

Chapter 8 

over her shoulder. 

Annabelle was utterly bewildered, but still, she flashed the woman a sweet smile. 

The woman was startled, but before she could react further, the elevator doors had slowly closed before her eyes. 

She stood in front of the elevator for what seemed like an eternity before opening the door to her place and going inside in a daze. 

Upstairs, Annabelle viewed every room meticulously with the young lady’s company. 

“Don’t worry, miss. This house has long since been renovated and left to ventilate for a few years. The formaldehyde and all have dissipated ages ago. The landlord initially left this house for his son to live in after getting married, but his son made it big and bought a house in the city. Thus, this house has been left vacant with the landlord taking care of it. He’s now up in years, so his son wants to take him to the city to care for him. That’s why he’s renting the house out. He has his own requirements as well. He’d rather have less in rental than to rent to sloppy people. I think you’re suitable, miss!” 

After hearing that, Annabelle grinned so widely that her eyes crinkled. 

“Of course, I’m suitable! Not only am I single, but I also don’t like to party. Hence, I definitely won’t mess up the house!” she exclaimed internally. 

Having ascertained that everything fit her requirements during the house viewing, she swiftly signed the rental contract. At the beginning of the rental period, she had to pay a month’s deposit and three months‘ rental in advance. After that, she could pay monthly. 

She also saved the landlord’s son’s WhatsApp contact for ease of paying the rental henceforth. 

Subsequently, she had the young lady hire a cleaning service for her. When Annabelle had packed her things and checked out of the hotel, she returned with her suitcase. 

Unexpectedly, she bumped into the woman from the eighth floor again. The latter’s face was pale, and she appeared as though she was not feeling well. 

“Are you not feeling well, miss?” Lifting her suitcase over the stairs, Annabelle took a closer look at the woman, only to see that her condition was even worse than she thought. 

The woman shook her head. “I’m already in my 40s, so it’s inappropriate for you to address me thus!“. 

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Annabelle was not at all perturbed. She reached out and patted her stomach, declaring with pride written all over her face. “I’m also going to be a mother soon! In that sense, our age gap isn’t that significant!” 

“What?” Shock manifested on the woman’s face. It was as though she had heard something unbelievable. Her gaze traveled downward and stilled on Annabelle’s abdomen. “You’re pregnant? Where’s the baby’s father, then? Why are you moving in alone?” she asked hesitantly. 

Speaking of that, Annabelle turned a smidge embarrassed. After all, she could not tell the woman that she was not close with the child’s father. 

“Ahem… The baby’s father has passed away.” 

“Anyway, the baby’s father isn’t aware of its existence, and I’m not planning on having my child disrupt his life in the future. So, I’m not lying when I say that. Since we aren’t going to bother each other’s lives, it’s no different from being dead in each other’s worlds,” she concluded inwardly. 

Upon hearing that, the woman seemingly suffered a huge blow as she almost slumped to the ground. Annabelle hastily stepped forward and supported her. “You can’t just endure this, miss. You’ve got to get yourself checked at the hospital.” 

However, the woman shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m fine. I’ve just got low blood sugar. Where’s your family, then? Don’t they care about you?” 

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