Chapter 19
Devin’s Aunt Judith cradled the month-old baby in the parlor, encircled by a cluster of family and friends, all admiring the little one.
Leanne made her rounds, greeting Jennifer and several other relatives. Judith called out. to her as she thought to go out for some fresh air.
“Leanne, dear, would you like to hold the baby?”
The infant was snug in a cotton onesie adorned with bunny prints, swaddled in a cozy blanket, gazing up with big, bright eyes.
Leanne was about to decline, but Judith had already placed the child in her arms. “Go on, hold him. Look how much he likes you. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you.’
With no graceful escape, Leanne sat down, engaging in a silent staring contest with the baby.
The baby seemed genuinely fond of her, blowing bubbles and laughing with eyes. squeezed into happy crescents.
Leanne was smiling, too. It was a strange, heartwarming feeling to be liked by a child.
“Hello there,” she whispered to the baby. “I’m Leanne. What’s your name, little buddy?”
Judith chuckled, “He doesn’t know his name, sweetie. And even if he did, he couldn’t tell you.”
The baby’s pendant had slipped out from under the blanket, which Judith quickly adjusted. That was when she noticed something around Leanne’s neck.
“Oh? Leanne, you have a pendantt, too.”
Everyone’s attention suddenly shifted to Leanne’s necklace.
She wore a jade pendant, an exquisite piece of imperial jade, rarely seen, shaped like a charming locket, smooth and delicate.
Leanne subconsciously touched her pendant, which had warmed and melded with her skin after years of wear.
“That’s a beautiful locket. Where did you get it? I’d like one myself,” Judith remarked with admiration.
Leanne shook her head. “I’m not sure. It was a gift.”
“Oh!” Judith beamed, “Curtis gave it to you, right? Then I guess it’s out of my reach.”
Leanne’s smile matched Judith’s as she sat under the glittering chandelier, suddenly recalling a snowy winter’s night.
1/2
Chapter 19
It was at midnight on Christmas Eve.
Curtis was waiting for her downstairs.
Amidst the snow, she was greeted with a warm embrace and a kiss, along with a personal grand fireworks display, just for her.
There was a time when Curtis was in love with her.
Fond of gemstone herself, Brenda Perez, Devin’s mother, interrupted, “Young people these days don’t often wear jade, do they?”
“That piece has such life to it. Leanne, you wear it well,” Brenda complimented Leanne kindly and then turned to Jennifer. “You’re so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter-in-law like Leanne.”
Jennifer smiled politely. “You’re the fortunate one, getting a grandson so soon.”
Her casual remark unintentionally steered the conversation in that direction.
Seizing the moment, Brenda asked Leanne, “Why don’t you and Curtis have one of your own?”
Leanne fell silent.
Thankfully, Jennifer didn’t care to dwell on the subject and deftly changed the topic. Leanne returned the baby to Judith and stepped out the side door for air.
Outside was the pool, surprisingly filled in this season. Leanne had forgotten her coat and shivered as the wind hit her.
She thought about returning for it, but the bright lights and cheerful laughter from inside made her reluctant to re-enter.
The joyful family atmosphere didn’t seem to include her.
Sitting by the poolside, one of the Perez family’s servants rushed over with a cashmere
shawl.
“Mrs. Richardson, it’s windy. Please don’t catch a cold.”
Leanne gratefully wrapped herself in it. “Thank you. I’ll head back soon.”
The servant left, and she enjoyed the solitude, free from social obligations.
But her peace was short-lived. A sudden chill on her back made her turn to see a boy around seven or eight, armed with a water gun eyeing her mischievously.