"Yes," Clara repeated."And… It's Wilson's child?!" Mrs. Wells exclaimed."Yes," Clara said again.Mrs. Wells fell silent, and the mother and daughter looked at each other.After a long pause, Mrs. Wells finally said, "So, what is going on? I thought you had no love for Wilson? How could you be pregnant with his child?"Clara's smile turned bitter. "It was an accident. He came to me drunk, and I took him back to his hotel room." As for the rest, Mrs. Wells could guess without Clara having to tell her the whole story."So… Does Wilson know about the baby?" Mrs. Wells asked."Yeah. He knows," Clara answered and told her mother what had happened with Wilson today.Mrs. Wells listened, secretly blaming herself. She noticed Clara had been vomiting a lot lately, but as a mother, she did not even realize that her daughter was pregnant. Thinking about Clara's struggle for the baby, Mrs. Wells felt even more sorry for her."Since you've decided to give birth to this child, then… Let'

Wilson's face flashed with ecstasy. Clara said she wanted to marry him! It was true. Did she still have him in her heart? Did she still have feelings for him?Joy spread through him, but not for long. Wilson heard what Clara said next, and his smile gradually disappeared. At last, he stared at her, his face pale."But I want us to be divorced sometime after the child is born. We're getting married on paper only. There won't be any wedding, and nothing will change. We'll continue to live our lives separately, like what we're doing."It turned out that Clara only wanted to marry him to give her child a legitimate identity. Clara had already thought of divorce in a year, even before they got married. Clara did not want to live with him after the marriage. She wanted things to stay the same and live separately. In short, he was just a tool to her.Wilson stared at Clara in a daze and remained silent for a long time.The atmosphere in the ward grew tense until Clara broke the silence.

There was someone who had helped Clara a lot while she was in prison. Clara wondered if she would ever be able to return the favor, and the thought saddened her. She did not have the person's contact information, after all. Besides, it had been so many years, so the hope of finding that person had become even slimmer.-A few days later, Clara and Wilson arrived at the county clerk's office.Clara looked at the signs hanging on the entrance emotionally. Once upon a time, she used to look forward to coming to this place with Wilson after he proposed to her. Later, Clara went to prison and stopped thinking about this. She thought she would not marry in this lifetime. She never thought she would ever come here, but this time, she had come here to marry Wilson."Shall we?" Wilson's voice rang from beside her."Let's go," Clara said, taking a deep breath. She took a step forward, but every step felt so heavy.The two of them entered the office and received a queue number. Then, they s

Clara's voice was faint and flat throughout the whole recitation of marriage vows. She was just following along like a robot. Wilson focused his gaze on Clara as he recited the vows. To Clara, these vows had no meaning, but for Wilson, these vows were his lifelong vows. Wilson wondered if Clara knew how grateful he was when she agreed to keep the baby. Did she know that this was the marriage of a lifetime for him? Maybe they would end up getting a divorce in the future, but at least when he was old, he could tell himself that she had been his wife in his lifetime and lay in his grave without regrets. It was already a great honor for him to be her husband, even if only in name. Even though this was not a marriage out of love and he was just a tool to her. Even so, he should be content, Wilson thought to himself.-Wilson and Clara left the county clerk's office, each with a red book in their hands. Before leaving, Wilson said, "I'll take you home.""No need. I'll take the publi

The neighbors widened their smiles as they received the candies. Everyone began crowding at Clara's store to congratulate her."Oh, Clara! You're so lucky to have such a good husband. He must be ridiculously rich.""Congratulations! I heard from your husband that you two were separated for many years because of an accident. He kept saying how sorry he was for you and Yanny. You've struggled so much raising Yanny alone for years, but now, you'll finally have a good life." "What a handsome groom. No wonder Yanny is so good-looking. He's just like his father." Clara could only manage a smile at the neighbor's congratulations. Mrs. Wells was smiling too, but she did not have to force a smile. With Wilson's effort, the gossip about them would gradually lessen in the neighborhood.By the time the candies were distributed and finished, it was time for the elementary school to end. When Yannick left the school, he saw Dad standing in front of Mom's store, and many of their neighbors wer