Chapter 141

"You were very quiet back there, Jacinto. Something the matter?" Laffer asked his partner. The others had also noticed, so they looked at him. 

Jacinto pursed his lips and made sure no one was around that could hear. "I think I've seen that woman before." He said a bit unconvinced; after all, he wasn't sure if her face was familiar to him or her name.

"The hell, Jacinto! Don't go down there!" Percival exclaimed, taking Jacinto out of his musings. The loud man looked very scandalized, his thoughts going completely in a different way.

"Fuck you, Percival! I didn't mean it that way!" Jacinto rebuked. "I have a cousin who goes around painting the women he fucks. I must have seen her there." He waved his hand.

"You think he has come here, to this out-of-the-way place, to sleep with her and paint her portrait?" Laffer asked incredulous. If they had not gone to that village, they would have never known it existed. Therefore, he very much doubted Jacinto's hedonistic cousin would travel so far to get laid.

Jacinto frowned, also doubting his words. "That or she looks like someone else." He shrugged. It was not important anyway. 

He had just been a bit surprised to see someone familiar in such a distant place. However, he must have mistaken her for someone else.

"Those guys are really lucky, though…" Percival muttered. He had thought he only liked skinny women with their lithe and stylish figure, but Lucas' wife had upended his view. 

If he ever found a woman like her, then he would definitely pursue her!

He was not the only one with that idea. Except for the married Louis, the others were still sad bachelors. Their eyes were opened to the possibilities thanks to Isabelle.

In the house, Isabelle glared at the animal held by Joseph.

"She's so cute! Look at her round eyes! She's so fluffy, too!" The man gushed as he scratched the wolf pup's head. 

"Good, you can move out and live with it." Isabelle aridly said.

"Don't be like that, Belle. We wanted a dog to guard the house, and Lucas brought this." Joseph splendidly smiled. It was rare for the hooligan to show such childish wonder, so it made her hesitate. 

On one hand, that was no dog but a wolf! The same species that almost killed Lucas! She was very reluctant to let such a dangerous animal stay at her house. On the other hand, Lucas seemed to know a way to tame such a ferocious beast, and she admitted it would be a good guardian.

Still…

"What is it going to eat?" Isabelle crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow at Joseph. Lucas had been sent to rest, so it was only the two of them arguing outside the house.

"She can eat the leftovers of whatever we eat." Joseph shrugged.

Isabelle frowned. "Don't wolves only eat meat?" She wondered. Even if she did not accept the animal, it did not mean she wanted it to get sick due to their negligence. 

"We can put some meat aside for her." Joseph said.

"Is it female?" Isabelle peered at the fussing animal that wanted to get away from her husband's rather invasive hands. Proof of it was when he flipped it and rose its tail, showing that it was indeed female. "Oh… Right…" She had nothing more to say.

"I'll take her with me to the field!" Saying so, he rose from his seat and carried the wolf pup to the back of the house.

"Don't let it get close to the rabbits and chickens!" Isabelle reminded him. He only waved at her without looking back. She huffed but still appreciated the handsome image he presented while walking away.

With Joseph gone to work, she also started with her chores. First, though, she scavenged around the kitchen for something to eat. She had not eaten her fill before. Besides, she had also emptied her stomach, leaving her famished. 

She found some breakfast leftovers and quickly devoured them. 

With something to sustain her until lunch, she got herself to work. She watered the flowerbed with the water of a nearby vat her Husbands helpfully filled every night. There was another vat filled with water by the herbs.

Since she was not going to town every day, she had asked Joseph to put those vats so she could scoop the water since she wanted to do something in the house. Finally, the last to be watered were the two cuttings of the colorful trees she found with Lucas.

And, thinking about Lucas, she headed to her room where he was resting. Seeing him peacefully sleep on her bed once again, extremely thrilled her. Even though she had not known her Husbands for so long, the love she felt for them was genuine.

Therefore, if one of them suddenly left her, it would break her heart.

The sight of his bandages saddened her and made her wonder what he went through. However, she did not have the courage to ask in case the situation distressed her too much and made her fall ill again. No, she was not going to ask.

It was enough to see him back.

With the sound of his puffing breathing, she took out her sketching notebook and a pencil, and leaned against the headboard to start drawing new wedding dresses.

At Mrs. Attile's store, Felix swept the floor while Ginna tiredly leaned on the table behind the counter. A headache had not let her sleep the whole night. She was forced to go to the doctor to get something for it.

So, she was nursing the tail of that headache while the teen worked.

"Do you want to eat something?" Felix asked Ginna. Whenever Isabelle was not throwing up, she was always eating something, so he thought it was normal for pregnant women to eat as much as possible.

Ginna moved her head to look at him and nodded, not having the energy to speak. The teen hurried out of the store to find something that might be good for pregnant women. He even had the heart of going to Monthe's stall to ask the older man.

 Moments after Felix left the store, the bell at the entrance rang making Ginna sigh. Why did the person not come earlier? They had to arrive right when she was alone. When she looked up, she knew why the person had chosen that moment.

" Xandre…" Ginna stood and looked at the man in front of her with trepidation. With obvious reason as he was the father of her baby.

"Your mother told me you worked here." He tried to look at her abdomen, but the tall counter didn't allow him, so he was not able to confirm what Ginna's mother yelled at him.

"Of course she did." She mutinously muttered. 

A few days ago, when she had been at the doctor, her mother had returned to the store and had yelled at Felix for trying to hide her, for taking away her job, for trying to shamelessly hook up with a pregnant woman. The older woman made no sense, so Felix only stood there stupefied until she left.

When he told Ginna, she laughed but also apologized. More than anything, she was disheartened that her mother had only arrived to yell nonsense and not ask how she was.

It seemed the mother and daughter relationship was completely broken.

"You… um, is it true?" He uncertainly asked.

"What? That I ran away from home?" Ginna rose an eyebrow. 

She knew what he was asking, but she wanted him to man up and be direct. It was always like that with him. If she had not approached him, he would still be looking at her with a pathetic expression. Even while doing it, he had been very indecisive. 

That was the main reason why she only fooled around with him and did not want to formalize the relationship. If they got together, her family, who were more cunning than foxes, would have eaten him alive. 

"No… that, I know that… just, the other thing." He stuttered.

"Do you know why I don't want to marry you despite carrying your child?" It seemed Isabelle was rubbing off on her. She was never so proper when wanting to prove a point. 

Hearing her confirm the pregnancy, made Xandre's heart tremble. However, thinking about her question, he could guess why. He was not smart, he could do nothing more than physical labor, he could not even farm the land.

In his family, he was the least liked son. It was a miracle his parents hadn't kicked him out yet.

"I know I ain't husband material…" He lowered his head. "I can do nothing. I've no way to support you and the child. I just…" Well, he had no idea why he had gone to see her. He had hesitated outside the store for quite a long time.

He had seen the teen helping around in the store and merrily talking with her. Although he had felt despondent, he was not brave enough to face them.

Ginna knew his situation. Villages made it impossible for a person to hold secrets. Even the dogs there must already know about my pregnancy, she wryly thought. Xandre was the stupid son of the Morri family, that's what everybody said. Even the little kids.

For this 'stupid son' to impregnate her, didn't that make her stupider?

Looking at his pitiful countenance, so unattractive, she was reminded of his only redeeming point. He was honest. Stupidly so.

"Do you want to marry me?" Ginna asked.

Xandre startled badly and looked at her as if she was a ghost. Then, he blushed and fidgeted. "I… I… well, I mean… I can't…" He horribly stammered and even bit his tongue. 

"Do you want to or not?" Ginna huffed to hide the smile that wanted to bloom on her face. Xandre nodded while covering his mouth with both his hands, tears in his eyes. "Then, go bring your things and come back here. If we're gonna live together, we'll do it at my place."

He nodded again and quickly ran out of the store. He almost bumped into the returning Felix in his rush.

"Was that guy crying?" The teen asked bewildered.

"Could be. Now, gimme the food." With her headache gone, she was starting to feel hungry.

While eating, she wondered what that man would say to his parents for suddenly leaving the house. Anyway, she finally got someone who could do the chores in the house.

No more carrying water up the stairs!