Crushed Affections

Wesley interrupted, saying, "No need to relocate. I can take care of her, so ma'am, you don't have to make all those trips."

Lia was so furious that she could hardly breathe. "I'm the same age as Bella! If you call me that again, I'm going to beat you up! You should care for yourself, kid! What do you know about taking care of a pregnant woman?"

Suddenly, his expression turned serious, and he began listing all he could do for Bella. "First, I have a lot of time to accompany her to do her check-ups. If there's an emergency, I can take her to the hospital because there's one near our place. Besides, with me around, she won't need to hire a helper, which saves cost!"

The more Lia listened to him, the more bewildered she became. "Hold on, kid, what's your relationship with Bella?"

Bella and Wesley answered simultaneously. "We're just neighbors."

"I want to marry her."

Both Bella and Lia were stunned at Wesley's response. Bella hadn't expected him to joke this far and immediately clarified, "This is not the time for jokes. Stop messing around and go do your own thing. I'll stay at my friend's place tonight."

Wesley, suddenly serious, stated, "I'm not joking. I never was, but I feared you'd stop talking to me if I told you. Since you don't want to be together with Dominic anymore, why not give me a chance?"

Lia was taken aback. "You have some nerve to accept a woman with a child. I know Bella is pretty, even if she's a little older than you, but age isn't the issue. The issue is whether you're mature enough for this. I'm very sure your parents would murder you if they found out."

He replied calmly, "They can't dictate my decisions. Besides, I can support her and the baby."

Bella had heard enough. "Since you've said all of this, you should be prepared for me to stop talking to you. I don't need your care. For all you know, I may change my mind and return to the baby's father. To me you're just a neighbor. We could never be more than that

Upon hearing her response, Wesley nearly lost control and asked, "What's so special about Dominic? Aside from being younger, what makes me any less than him?"

"You can never compete with him, and there's no reason for it. If I had known you were serious, I wouldn't have let you get so close to me in the first place." Bella's answer was cold.

Lia felt that Bella's remarks went a little overboard and tugged on her sleeve gently, but Bella ignored her and stared down at Wesley.

After a tense moment, he turned and walked away, apparently upset.

Still processing everything, Lia asked, "What's the deal with your neighbor? I'm so confused..."

Bella rubbed her temples in frustration and answered, "Don't ask me because I'm just as confused. I need to move soon. I'll lose my mind if I keep being neighbors with him."

Despite her shock, Lia found the situation quite amusing. "You're quite the charm. Even while pregnant, you've got a young man chasing after you. Dominic was a fool for not keeping you."

However, Bella wasn't in the mood

for jokes. "Lia, aside from the

medical staff, you and Wesley are, the only people who know I'm

pregnant. I've informed even net

the hospital that the baby isn't

Dominic's.

at

"Wesley and Dominic have no contact with each other, so I'm not worried about it getting out. But please, don't let this slip."

Lia felt a sudden pressure. "The

social circles here are small. Once

your tummy begins to show, it'll be difficult to keep it hidden from

Dominic. You need a

rstool.ne

if

you're going to claim that the baby

isnthis.

"Wesley can't be the stand-in because he's too young. The only choice is if you leave Joville, which I don't recommend because that would be like admitting guilt, and it's risky for you."