The Revenge of the Mute Wife by Melanie Paulson
Chapter 54

Chapter

54

Jayden was the first to arrive at Deborah's house. Just as he rang the doorbell, he saw Elliot arriving too.

"Good evening, beautiful," he said as Deborah opened the door.

"Hey, Debbie!" Elliot chimed in, rushing to hug her.

[Good evening. You arrived at the same time.] Deborah greeted them with a smile before ushering them inside.

"So it seems," Jayden said, leaving his console in the living room. "Sweetheart, I'm taking over your TV."

[Go ahead.]

"Mr. Elliot," said a person standing at the door with paper bags. Jayden and Deborah noticed that Elliot had arrived with someone else.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Gabriel, could you please put those on the table?" Elliot said. " Debbie, I brought some snacks for tonight." "Excuse me," Gabriel said, entering the house to leave the purchases before turning to Elliot. "What time should I pick you up?" "Hmm... well, if Debbie doesn't mind, maybe I'll stay the night here."

"What?!" Jayden exclaimed with a frown.

[If your dad doesn't mind, you can stay.]

"Yay!" Elliot exclaimed happily, hugging her.

"In that case, I'll come by around 10 am tomorrow. Have a good night," Gabriel said, leaving the place.

"Can I stay over too?" Jayden asked, giving her a pleading look.

"You have your own house." Elliot shot back a challenging stare..

"I didn't ask you," Jayden said, frowning. "Debbie?" he looked pleadingly into Deborah's eyes.

[Both of you can stay.] Deborah didn't want them to get into a fight. She already saw how they were glaring at each other.

+15 BONUS

"Fine..." Jayden and Elliot said in unison.

The boys got back to setting up the TV and connecting it for gaming, while Deborah plated the snacks. Dinner arrived around the same time. With everything prepped, the game night began. Around midnight, the games ended because Elliot fell asleep.

Jayden observed as Deborah set up the sofa to serve as a bed for Elliot, covering him snugly with a blanket. "I see now why you offered to let him stay overnight," Jayden remarked, pausing his game..

[If I recall correctly, he had karate class today, amidst all the other lessons he had to take to eventually take over the company.] Deborah tried to recall Elliot's routine.

"Now I'm starting to get jealous because you seem to know a lot about him," Jayden teased.

[Before he went abroad to study, Caroline and Elliot were the only ones who visited me in that apartment.] Deborah explained.

"I see. Compared to your so-called 'family, I understand why you treat this kid like, a little brother."

[That's right.]

"Well, practicing a sport is definitely something I support."

[Do you practice any?] Deborah asked.

"Hmm," Jayden pondered for a moment. "Currently, I dabble in karate and swimming, but when I was younger, I did a lot more... well, when I had plenty of spare time." [Wow, it seems you love trying new things.]

"Well, as a kid, I was mischievous, and my mom decided it was best to channel that energy into something productive, so I ended up taking up sports."

[Your poor mother, you must have given her a hard time.]

"A bit, but I've always admired how she raised me, fulfilled all my whims, and still helped Dad with the business."

[Does your mom work in the company too?] Deborah asked, amazed.

+15 BONUS

"Yeah, actually, my dad created several businesses for cach new idea she had: interior design, brick manufacturing, tiles, and ceramics," Jayden declared excitedly, recalling those moments. "In fact, look," he said, pulling out his phone to show her some images of materials with different designs, colors, and shapes. "She designs them and the artisans bring them to life."

[They're beautiful, and it's lovely to see a couple supporting each other like that.]

"Yeah, I hope to have a life like theirs," Jayden said, winking at her. "Hey gorgeous, want to go for a walk?"

Deborah nodded and grabbed her keys, leading them out of the house but not before flicking off the lights for Elliot's comfort as he slept. They strolled aimlessly through the quiet streets until they reached the park. They opted to sit on one of the benches. "Do you feel cold?" Jayden asked, sensing the night breeze.

[I'm fine.] Deborah replied with a smile before gazing up at the sky. [It's a beautiful night.]

"Hey, why was there a ball of yarn in a corner of the table?" Jayden asked curiously.

[I've been practicing knitting clothes for my baby.] Deborah confessed shyly. "Oh... I see."

[Is something wrong?]

"Well... since winter is approaching, I thought maybe you were knitting a scarf for me."

[Do you want me to make you a scarf?] Deborah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

[Okay, I'll look up the instructions to make you a nice scarf for winter. How does that sound?]

"I like that idea, but um... this might make me sound like a jealous man, but did you ever make any for Roger?"

[No, but I did buy him one as a Christmas gift. He never used it and just threw it away.

1

"What?! He threw it away?" Jayden was annoyed.

+15 BONUS

[Yeah, I bought him a scarf with the little savings I had at that time, but oh well...]

"That idiot really deserves everything that's happening to him," Jayden said angrily. "I promise you, I'll treasure everything you give me-" His words were cut off as she placed her hand over his mouth.

[I know, Jayden, you're different and special.]

Jayden blushed at her words. "Can I ask what 'different and special' means?"

[That your struggle is over.]

"Huh? Deborah, does that mean what I think it means?"

[Yes, um... if you don't mind that I'm expecting another man's child, I...] She was nervous about what she was about to say.

"Don't be silly, that baby is yours and that's enough for me," he said, embracing her. "I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world."-

[You've already demonstrated that.] Deborah closed the distance between them to cup Jayden's face in her hands before kissing him. COMMENTS