Without waiting for Ned to answer, Ingrid reached out and shook his arm, asking, “Ned, what are you thinking about?”
He snapped back to reality. He didn’t know how to broach the subject with Ingrid to tell her that “Baby” was actually what Angeline called him in private because he knew that Ingrid always felt insecure around him.
“Weren’t you always complaining about me calling you ‘Baby’ and treating you like a child?”
He smiled and reached out to tousle her hair.
“Don’t you know women always say one thing but mean another?” she said, swatting his hand from her hair. “Only when you call me that, I feel… special to you! Besides, you’ve been calling me that for so long, yet you suddenly stopped. There must be a reason for it!”
Ingrid’s eyes were smiling, but her hands had tightened into fists. She feared Ned would tell her it was because he had remembered Angeline and perhaps “Baby” was what he used to call Angeline in private, so he didn’t want to use it on her.
She was also afraid that Ned might remember something and not tell her while slowly distancing himself from her.
“Baby! Baby! Baby!”
Ned held her hand, as gentle as ever, and said, “Since you like it so much, I’ll call you ‘Baby’ again in the future, but you’re not allowed to say I’m childish, okay, Baby?”
Seeing how Ned was somewhat back to his normal self, Ingrid comforted herself. Even if he did remember Angeline, he was acting like he used to in front of her, and that meant he still loved her the most. She visibly brightened up and tentatively asked, “Did you happen to see Angeline last time you took Gregory to Cloudsville College? How is she doing?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to mention her in front of me?” he said, lowering his eyes guiltily.
“Okay, okay, I won’t mention her!” Ingrid got up to pour soup for him and said, “I’ll accompany you for a bowl of soup and then I have to go. The crew is hosting a dinner for the investors tonight. I must be there.”
“Don’t forget to send me the hotel location. I’ll go pick you up when you’re done,” he said.
…
Over time, Henrietta’s case gradually gained public attention as the article demanding strict punishment for bullies made the headlines.
Trevor, the defense lawyer, communicated with Angeline’s lawyer several times, hoping to persuade her to write a letter of forgiveness and provide a chance for redemption for the children. He even brought along letters of repentance written by those children.
In the call from her lawyer, Angeline said the letters of repentance could never bring her sister back to life, and her intention was clear. She wanted them to face the consequences of their actions. After getting assurance from her lawyer that they would be appropriately punished, she went to see James.
“If you’re willing to come with me, that would be great. You and Gregory could accompany me there,” said James happily.
Handing over the materials for the upcoming meeting to Angeline, he continued, “You should familiarize yourself with these documents and be mentally prepared. It could be as short as one or two months… or it might take longer than that.”
“There’s one more thing I must confess to you,” said Angeline before she informed the professor about her pregnancy. “You could opt me out if my pregnancy would cause you any trouble.”
James pondered for a moment before asking, “Will the pregnancy affect your performance?”
“At least so far, it hasn’t,” she replied.