Chapter 11.7

At dawn, after catching her breath, Yvonne got up from the bed. Liam had held her continuously without letting go.

She was picking up the negligée that had fallen messily on the floor. Liam hugged her from behind. His warm breath tickled her neck.

“Don’t go, sleep here.”

“I need to feed Claude.”

“I drank it all, will there be more?”

It was a playful remark. But Yvonne did not laugh at the joke.

“Let go.”

“Okay.”

Liam released his arms from around Yvonne’s waist. Despite his desire to stay with her longer, he realized he had to care for his baby’s meal.

Once freed, Yvonne quickly went to the bathroom to wash and came out. She kept checking the time while lying under Liam. Although they had lingered longer than expected, fortunately, it was still within the feeding time.

After tidying her clothes by putting on her robe, Yvonne was about to leave the room when she unlocked the latch and grabbed the door handle.

“You’ll come back after?”

Liam’s voice from behind stopped her. Yvonne hesitated and then turned to look at him.

“Were you not satisfied?”

“I was.”

“Then why…”

“I want to be with you.”

Yvonne couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

Did that man still believe we could return to the way things were?

Did he believe I had forgiven him because I came to him first? Or did he not care, as long as he had my body?

Though the exterior might be splendid, the demon who had driven her and Emma into despair was acting affectionately, which was horrifying and disgusting.

But she couldn’t express all these feelings. She needed that man’s help.

After biting her innocent lips, Yvonne finally thought of an excuse.

“Your bed is small.”

“Ah… Is it?”

Fortunately, the excuse worked quite well. Liam quickly agreed after checking the size of the bed he was perched on.

“Hmm, I guess you’re right.”

Indeed, while the bed was fine for sleeping alone, it seemed small for two people.

Despite wanting to be with Yvonne longer, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. He had even thought of proposing when the opportunity arose, so it was even more so.

He didn’t know why Yvonne suddenly changed her mind, but things seemed to have improved to the point where they were physically intimate. So it seemed okay to cautiously bring up marriage.

Although they had practically lived as a couple before, they were officially strangers on paper.

Thus, Liam had already imagined handing Yvonne the wedding ring Gabriel found, and the woman shedding tears of emotion. Of course, that fantasy was shattered by her saying she would leave now.

Despite the disappointment, he thought it was perhaps for the best. Even if it was a reunion, proposing in bed? It was the worst idea.

Blinded by desire, he almost made a mistake. It was better to propose later, in a splendid place, when the opportunity arose.

Moreover, there was a deep rift between them. It would take time for the deeply dug rift to fill and smooth out.

‘Yes. Don’t be greedy from the start.’

With his mind settled, Liam let Yvonne go.

The next day, they headed to the train station. And Yvonne learned for the first time that train seats had different classes.

Though she had only ridden twice, when she went to the train station to buy tickets, the staff gave her regular seats. Seats where she had to sit, but uncomfortably jostled with others.

She couldn’t even imagine that trains could have separate compartments. It was hard to tell if she was really on a train or in an inn.

In the special compartment, there was a bed and a separate bathroom. Even the walls were adorned with luxurious wallpaper with ornate patterns. It was vastly different from the ordinary seats covered with roughly nailed wooden planks.

Yvonne was patting the back of the sleeping Claude and marveling at the train interior. Liam, who entered the compartment late after entrusting the luggage to the attendants, asked curiously.

“Why are you standing still?”

“Ah… I didn’t know there were rooms on the train like this.”

“Did you really travel in regular seats until now?”

Yvonne hesitated for a moment before nodding in affirmation.

Honestly, she had never thought it strange. Even now, she was just amazed that such a place existed.

On the other hand, Liam couldn’t remain calm. Even traveling in a first-class seat for eight days was tough. But eight days in a regular seat? Especially while pregnant, with a heavy and tired body.

‘D*mn.’

Even without seeing it himself, imagining Yvonne struggling in unknown places made him feel weary. It felt as if someone had placed a heavy, large stone in his chest.

Liam exhaled heavily and rubbed his face. Saying something like “I’m sorry” wouldn’t easily resolve it.

“Don’t travel alone anymore. Nothing good happens when you’re by yourself.”

“…Okay.”

Yvonne nodded slightly. Somehow, it didn’t feel right, but as the train showed signs of departure, Liam wrapped his arm around Yvonne’s shoulder and pulled her close.

* * *

‘First-class even provides meals.’

This was Yvonne’s first impression upon seeing the meal brought by the attendant. They even meticulously asked what she couldn’t eat before preparing the meal.

It was a completely different treatment from the regular seats, where she had to eat outside during stops and then get back on. Though the compartment itself already indicated this fact.

“Come to think of it, there’s something I want to ask you…”

Liam opened his mouth cautiously. He had debated several times whether to ask, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Why did you write a petition for that Bertrand guy?”

Yvonne paused for a moment. She had thought Liam would find out eventually, but she didn’t expect him to notice so quickly.

More than anything, she had completely forgotten about Philip due to Claude’s condition.

“If he goes to trial, the servants working at Rivette Estate would be affected.”

“You forgave him for such a trivial reason?”

“There are people at Rivette who were close to me and treated me well. I didn’t want them to suffer. But there won’t be a second time.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I got a written promise. He won’t appear before me again.”

Liam resisted the urge to sneer at whether she believed that. A written promise was just a piece of paper with no power against force.

“Wasn’t it too easy to forgive? He tried to kidnap you and Claude.”

“To him, I probably felt like a maid who could be treated carelessly.”

Just like you did to me.

Yvonne swallowed the last words. Though she didn’t say it, Liam understood what she left unsaid.

Liam instinctively parted his lips but eventually said nothing. Any words would be excuses, and it wouldn’t change what he had done.

They finished their meal in uncomfortable silence. Yvonne lowered her sleeve to nurse Claude, pulling out her br*ast from the loose neckline.

She wanted to nurse him where Liam couldn’t see. Even though they had been a couple and had been intimate just yesterday, she wanted to avoid his gaze as much as possible.

However, outside was a corridor where people walked. She couldn’t nurse her child there, so she ended up nursing in front of Liam.

“Do you always feed him this often?”

“Less than before. I’ve reduced the frequency.”

“This is less? Have you been sleeping properly?”

“To some extent. But they said Claude is rather calm. The midwife who first received Claude kept helping with the care, so it was okay.”

Liam was quite shocked. A baby who cries every few hours is considered calm. And how often he nursed.

It had only been half a day since they boarded the train, yet she had already nursed the baby three times.

And this was reduced? He couldn’t even imagine how hard it must have been for Yvonne right after childbirth.

I should have been there. No, she ran away because she disliked me, so maybe it was better I wasn’t there.

In a short time, many thoughts and regrets crossed his mind, but it was already in the past. Doing well in the future was much better. Liam, who had made up his mind, reached out towards Claude.

“Give him to me. I’ll hold him.”

“Do you know how to hold him?”

“You can teach me.”

“…I’m more comfortable holding him.”

Yvonne almost naturally handed Claude over to Liam but quickly regained her senses. He was a man she might not see again after Claude’s treatment. She didn’t know if it was okay to instill Liam as a father in the baby’s subconscious.

“I’m worried you might dislocate your arm.”

“My arm won’t dislocate from this.”

“Then you’re telling me never to hold him? What if you leave for a bit and I’m the only one here?”

“That’s…”

Unable to find a way to deflect, Yvonne had no choice but to agree. She taught Liam how to hold the baby, as she had learned from the midwife.

“Babies have heavy heads, so you need to support the neck. Then, support the buttocks too… Let the baby’s head rest on your left chest so he can hear your heartbeat.”

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

Having seen it before, Liam easily held Claude. The baby, who had been fussy in the unfamiliar arms, quickly found comfort and rested peacefully.

‘He’s small.’

The baby looked small, but holding him made him feel even smaller and more fragile. The doctor’s warning that he might die didn’t seem like mere worry.

Such a delicate and small baby was his child.

Before holding Claude, he had thought of him more as a means to keep Yvonne. It was true to some extent.

Yvonne, who said she disliked him, relented when Claude was mentioned. Her seeking him out first was also triggered by Claude’s illness.

He was aware that this child was his son. But he didn’t feel the tenderness or warmth typically associated with children.

However, holding the baby, he seemed to understand a little. The reason Yvonne cherished Claude so much.

Even holding him briefly made his heart flutter; how must the woman who carried him for so long feel?

Recalling the past when he easily told her to get rid of the child made him break into a cold sweat. Though he spoke out of ignorance of a pregnant woman’s struggles, he had crossed the line.

Liam genuinely thought it was fortunate that Claude was born safely. And he resolved to save him somehow.