Flash Marriage: Shrewd Wife, Devious Husband
Chapter 38: Doubts

Chapter 38: Doubts

On their way back, Marcella went to a store to buy the necessities for the baby. She didn’t think Mrs. Murphy would let them have little Joey’s stuff from their house. She had no fight left in her. She wanted some peace.

Tony offered to pay. He said he had enough money. But she didn’t want to depend on him too much. She made a pit stop at the bank to withdraw money. Uncle Karl said the processing would take some time for the money she inherited to be handed over to her. For now, she only had a grand.

She figured it would be enough for the basic necessities.

They stopped at a store. Carrying the baby, she walked inside the place. It looked like an entirely different world inside that store. She saw a handful of couples in there who were expecting. Marcella saw the glow on the women’s faces and reminded of her sister.

She was too excited to have the baby. She had lot of dreams and hopes, she was glowing with happiness. The prospect of someone calling her mother was a big deal for her after waiting for a baby for almost a decade.

"What do you think of this?" Tony showed her a cute onesie.

"Yes," she nodded.

Winter was approaching and they picked some clothes fit for the winter. She also picked up bottles, diapers, and other necessities minding her budget.

Walking around the store, Marcella’s arms were weighing her down. The baby who felt like a feather an hour ago, weighed like an anvil. Her arms hurt and her back felt like it would snap. She didn’t think that she was that weak.

She saw a pregnant mother carrying a toddler on her waist walking so easily around the aisles. Marcella was ashamed of herself.

Ah, a little more...

She had no choice but to bear with it. Marcella walked to the cribs section. She loved one crib very much but it didn’t fit her budget. She slowly moved to the low cost one. But she couldn’t get her eyes off the white painted one.

Tony watched her from a distance. He could see that she was in pain. Whenever she was in pain, she would unconsciously clench her jaws and hold her breath. She was doing that for a while.

As always, she refused to ask for help. Whenever he sees her like that, he couldn’t stay still and he would rush to her aid. It’s his reflex.

"We can get that crib. You like it, don’t you?" he asked and tried to get the baby from her hand.

He didn’t know the first thing about a baby. He had never even seen a baby this size before. By how careful she was holding he had no confidence in himself.

But what is the alternative? Let her suffer? He cannot allow that.

Marcella yelped. ’What are you... Do you know how to hold a baby?" she asked.

"I think..." Tony said. "Give me pointers..."he said as the baby wriggled inside the swaddle. He didn’t want him awake. He knew babies cried. There is one crying in the store somewhere right now. It didn’t sound very pleasing.

Marcella was surprised. "Well, well, Tony Crawford, you are human, after all," Marcella smiled. "I thought you knew everything."

Tony shrugged with a smile. "Not everything..."

He saw the familiar smile on her face. Oh, how much he missed it for hours! He felt like he got his soul back.

Marcella let Tony hold the baby. She didn’t think that he would back off. He almost had the baby. She didn’t want to end up in a tug of war with him.

"Support the neck and... there..." She fixed the swaddle. "You are doing great!"

He was holding the baby in one arm and yet he was careful. He had a proud smile when she praised him. But then she remembered Randy’s words.

Did he really love Andrew? Is it possible he wanted to hurt his father by hurting Andrew? She’s known people who had killed for lesser reasons. Humans are very tricky.

Can I trust him with the baby?

She immediately got the baby from his arms. He was surprised but she was in no mood to care for his feelings. She chose the affordable crib and went to the checkout counter.

He wanted to pay for the bill but she insisted she paid. Tony just went along with her. She avoided looking at his face. Her heart was filled with bitterness and doubts and she knew for sure that she would look ugly with those feelings in her heart.

Tony suggested that they go straight to his home. Marcella found that it would be the best. They should stay in the same house. They are married! And Tony has the biggest house. It would be perfect for the nursery.

Humans truly are blind in their reasonings. For someone who believed that the baby might be in danger in Tony’s hands, she had no qualms moving in with him with the baby. Was that selective bias or cognitive dissonance? Or did she trust him from the bottom of her heart against all odds?

They were stuck in the traffic.

"Andrew is my brother," he said.

Of everything that happened that day, her silence hurt him more. She said nothing, but he knew what she was thinking as she got the baby from his hands. It ripped his soul from within. He was not built up to withstand her doubt.

"Uh... I know..." Marcella wetted her lips. "You share the same father."

Tony shook his head. "No, we are not half-brothers. We are brothers. We have the same parents."

Marcella wanted to scream.

Whaaaaat?