A Replacement Bride

Chapter 152

"What's wrong?" Joaquin rushed out of the bathroom when he heard the sound. He only had a bath towel on him, exposing the strong muscles of his upper body as well as the particularly eye-catching deep and shallow wounds.

Katherine only remembered after seeing him that they had just married yesterday and were now officially husband and wife.

Looking somewhat uncomfortable, she only spoke up after a while, "Joaquin, we need to talk."

"What do you want to say to me?" Since last night, he had noticed that something was off with her.

He then took a bathrobe and draped it over his body before he walked over and sat beside the bed, looking at her with serious eyes.

She stayed quiet for a minute before starting. "At the very beginning, our marriage was only a form of deal for us to each get what we need. However, now that we have had a wedding, we are already husband and wife in a legal sense. So, I think there are some things that I need to confess to you."

"What is it?" For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.

He had envisioned countless possibilities, such as her having some kind of illness or that she actually preferred women.

"Actually, I have a child. She is four years old but has been staying in Fontan for treatment due to her poor health. She has severe autism and doesn't get close to anyone. The only person other than me that can communicate with her is her psychologist." She initially thought it would be hard to talk about this, but after she finished speaking, she realized it was not as difficult as she thought it would be.

She had never mentioned Noah to anyone. Except for her grandmother, even the people closest to her had no idea that Noah was actually her child.

"Huh?" He was a little surprised at how things turned out differently from what he had imagined. "That's it? Is there anything else?"

"That is it." She shook her head.

He quietly mulled over her confession before tentatively asking, "The child's father—"

Her expression changed slightly upon hearing that, but she acted so naturally that he did not notice anything. "He is dead," she lied.

"Is that so? Then, are you planning to bring the child back?" He did not have a moment of doubt as he swiftly believed her words.

"Yeah, autistic children are a special case. She can't possibly stay out of contact with people all her life, so I plan to bring her back. I am just letting you know..." The Levisays and Fosters had a much too complicated relationship. She was worried that Noah would be overwhelmed by this once she was back.

"Go ahead and bring her back then. And leave the rest to me. You don't have to worry or feel pressured either." He figured out what she was worried about after giving it some thought.

Hearing that, she sincerely gave her gratitude. "Thank you."

"Since you have come clean about your secret, I want to make things clear to you as well. Katherine, the word 'divorce' is not in my vocabulary. So, now that you are married to me, you will be Mrs. Levisay for life," he stated while looking at her earnestly.

Caught off-guard, she peeped, "You?"

"Ahem. I am serious about what I said. Before my mother passed away, she told me that men must be responsible. Since I married you, I will be responsible for you. So, you can start trying to accept me from now on." His expression looked somewhat stiff. If she had taken a closer look, she would undoubtedly notice the redness on the tips of his ears hidden behind his hair.

For some reason, seeing his serious demeanor while saying those words had moved her greatly.

"Uh, I-I suddenly remember there's something I have to attend to today. I am off now. I will bring Noah back in a few days. Let's talk about her then. That is all." After saying that, she swiftly scampered out of the hotel room as her heart thumped away.

Joaquin could not help but smile as he looked at her. He had to admit that she was kind of adorable when she acted that way.

After Katherine came out of the room, she tugged at her clothes and abruptly slapped her forehead upon a realization—she was still wearing disposable slippers from the hotel. She really could not understand why she felt nervous just now.

"Kathy? What's the matter? Where are you going?" She had just boarded and gone down the elevator to the first floor when she met Lilith, who was all dressed up.

Lilith could not help but ask and peek behind Katherine upon seeing her.

Hearing that, Katherine looked at her, and she only recalled that the woman standing in front of her was Joaquin's aunt after she had thought for a long while. "Hello, Aunt Lilith. Is everything alright?" she greeted her nonchalantly.

"Oh, nothing much, but you and Joaquin got married yesterday. Technically, you ought to go to Foster Residence with him today to greet Father. I came to the hotel to remind you as I was worried you would

forget about this. Isn't Joaquin with you?" She reached out to hold Katherine's arm as she politely asked.

However, Katherine was not used to being so intimate with strangers. She inconspicuously avoided Lilith's touch and casually replied, "Joaquin didn't tell me that. I am afraid I can't chat any longer, Aunt Lilith. I have something to do. You can head upstairs if you are looking for Joaquin." Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

She quickly left without addressing the sour expression on Lilith's face after she said her fill.

"What a rude b*tch! She has no manners at all! Bah!" As Lilith looked at Katherine's back, she could not help but scold her before she straightened her back and entered the elevator.

Katherine then took a ride back to Soulin International after she left the hotel.

She only let out a relieved sigh when she saw Jennifer sitting on the living room couch with the television remote in her hand as she watched TV.

"Grandma, have you eaten yet?" Katherine changed her shoes at the entrance before entering the house.

Jennifer glanced at her and frowned when she saw that Katherine was still wearing the wedding dress. "Why are you back here now? Did Johdy upset you for you to be running away from home on the first day of marriage?"

Hearing that, Katherine stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Jennifer, baffled. "What are you talking about, Grandma? Where did that come from?"

"Then why are you home now? It is so early in the morning! Last night, the two of you…" Without finishing her words, Jennifer started looking at Katherine from head to toe with suspicious eyes.

Cheeks flushed, Katherine could only squeak "Grandma!" as she felt uncomfortable from being scrutinized.

"I am not pushing you into doing anything, but Kathy, think about Noah. Don't you think her condition might get better if she has a younger sibling?" Jennifer complained.

Despite hearing that, Katherine only pressed her lips together without answering the question.

Jennifer sighed again, her eyes sad as she peered at Katherine. "I hope you and Johdy aren't using a fake marriage to deceive me."

"Of course not, Grandma." She quickly made up an excuse out of fear that Jennifer would continue to urge them to have more children. "Joaquin and I don't want children yet. I plan to bring Noah back first. It surely will take time if he wants to cultivate and have a good relationship with Noah, and we won't be able to completely focus on Noah if we had another child."

How terrifying, she shivered. I am being pressured to have a baby right after I got married.