Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Separation Withdrawal

In just ten short seconds, countless excuses to steel her courage flashed through Caroline Whitman’s mind.

’Just give it one try.’

’She had to know how Adrian Grant felt about her.’

’If he pulled his hand away in disgust, she could adjust her mindset and strategy.’

’But if he didn’t...’

With three seconds left on her mental countdown, Caroline Whitman gritted her teeth and made her decision once more.

3.

2.

1.

The instant Adrian Grant lifted his foot to step onto the crosswalk, Caroline Whitman’s heart pounded as she swiftly, accurately, and decisively grabbed his hand.

Her heart rate spiked to an unprecedented peak.

Before Adrian Grant could even react or move, Caroline Whitman spoke first, offering what sounded like an explanation for him but was really just a clumsy excuse to bolster her own courage:

"That wine made me a little dizzy, and I was afraid it wouldn’t be safe to cross the street, so I... I just needed to hold onto you for a second. If... if you mind, you can pull away."

The words tumbled out of her, and only after she finished did she realize what she had just said.

’What did she mean, "if you mind, you can pull away"? That was what she was thinking, but she actually said it out loud?’

Adrian Grant felt the firm grip on his hand. "..."

’Did she have any idea how strong her grip was? It completely eliminated any possibility of him pulling away on his own.’

He was somewhat amused. "I don’t mind. If you fall while crossing the street, I’ll help you up."

Feeling him squeeze her hand in return, Caroline Whitman’s heart soared to a new high.

’She had to wonder if this was because of the alcohol and staying up late. Was this not a prelude to sudden death?’

’Then again, eleven-thirty isn’t really staying up late, is it...’

Caroline Whitman felt an immense sense of security doing this in the dim light; in a setting like this, no one could see her blushing face.

"You’re such a good person," she could only manage to stammer in response to his words.

They crossed the street, but Caroline Whitman didn’t let go, and neither did Adrian Grant.

They turned onto a tree-lined path, where only the streetlights quietly illuminated the way forward.

Besides the two of them walking side by side, hand in hand, there was no one else around.

Caroline Whitman felt it was too quiet. She wanted to find something to talk about but didn’t know what to say.

’Remembering that the more one says, the more mistakes one makes, she decided to just keep her mouth shut.’

Adrian Grant wasn’t very talkative on a normal day, and at this moment, he was even more taciturn.

When things were quiet and there was no sound, Caroline Whitman’s mind tended to run wild.

Especially now.

’He still hadn’t pulled his hand away. Was it because he felt it would be awkward, or because he just didn’t see the need?’

’Or was it that he didn’t dislike her?’

Alcohol gives courage to the timid. Caroline Whitman was experiencing the essence of this saying with perfect clarity.

She stole a glance at his profile out of the corner of her eye, then quickly looked away.

"Thanks. We’re across the street now, you can let go," Caroline Whitman said. Her voice was quiet, but in the stillness of the night, it felt deafening to her.

Adrian Grant turned his head to look at her. As Caroline Whitman peeked at him, she met his gaze—a pair of dark, deep eyes behind his glasses. Even in the darkness, she could inexplicably see amusement in them.

His gentle voice reached her ears. "Let’s just keep holding hands. This road is a bit dark. If you fall like last time, I’ll have to carry you back."

As Adrian Grant spoke, his gaze had already returned to the path ahead.

But Caroline Whitman only felt her face flush an even deeper red in an instant.

She hadn’t just seen the amusement in his eyes; she had heard it in his voice, too.

"..."

Never lose the battle, even if you lose the war. Even when Caroline Whitman felt she had lost the upper hand, she was still stubborn with her words.

In a situation like this, her first instinct was to argue that not only could she sing and dance, but she could also run just fine.

However, remembering that she was currently trying to woo him, not pick a fight with him, she stopped the words on the tip of her tongue.

"Mhm, you really are a good person," Caroline Whitman could only stammer out once again.

Adrian Grant, having been handed the "good person card" yet again: "..."

He smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly as he turned to look at her again. "No more giving me the ’good person card’ next time."

Caroline Whitman thought about it and agreed.

’The villain of the story isn’t supposed to be a good person, after all.’

"Oh, got it."

"..."

"I think I finally understand why Ryan is sometimes so quick to agree to every order," Adrian Grant suddenly remarked.

He felt that if Caroline Whitman had added "I’ll be good," she would have been a perfect copy of the little guy.

No, he corrected himself, the little guy was a copy of Caroline.

The out-of-the-blue comment made Caroline Whitman pause for a second. "What about Ryan?"

"Haven’t you noticed that whenever you ask Ryan to do something, he always says ’oh’ and then obediently does it?"

Caroline Whitman didn’t think much of it. "Isn’t that normal? Of course kids should listen to adults."

"Yes, but Ryan is a little too obedient."

Her attention completely shifted. When it came to her child, she became much more talkative. "What do you mean, too obedient? I think he’s quite assertive."

"Indeed. For example, he obediently promised you he’d stay in the private room, but in reality, he turned around and ran off to find a police officer." Adrian Grant gave a simple example, and Caroline Whitman understood instantly.

’Now that he mentioned it, it was true. That little rascal would agree to things so sweetly and obediently on the surface, but he was actually a little trickster. It was a good thing he hadn’t gotten into any major trouble.’

’It was just like that week they were on a business trip together. She video-called the little guy every day and thought he was being truly obedient, but it turned out he was quietly stirring up trouble with Franklin Whitman.’

"So you’re saying he learned this from me?" Caroline Whitman shot him a sidelong glance.

Adrian Grant just smiled. "I wasn’t involved in his life from birth to three and a half, so I really have no say in how his personality developed."

Caroline Whitman huffed lightly and muttered under her breath, "Good, you know your place."

The two of them said no more.

They walked in silence until they reached the entrance of her residential complex. Caroline Whitman stopped. "I’m here. Hasn’t your driver arrived yet?"

They had walked slowly, turning a ten-minute walk into a half-hour stroll.

At this time of night, there shouldn’t have been any traffic jams.

"Yeah, he should be here soon. I’ll just wait."

"Why don’t you... come upstairs for a bit?" After a moment’s thought, she asked hesitantly.

Surprisingly, Adrian Grant didn’t refuse. "Alright. It’s safer if I see you to your door before I leave."

Once they were upstairs and Caroline Whitman had opened the door, they let go of each other’s hands.

They stepped into the entryway.

Caroline Whitman took out a pair of slippers. "The same ones you wore last time."

Adrian Grant said nothing and changed his shoes.

After he came in, she had him sit on the sofa. This time, it was her turn to go to the kitchen, mix a glass of honey water, and bring it to him.

Adrian Grant simply unbuttoned his cuffs, rolled up his sleeves, and accepted the glass without ceremony, taking a few sips.

Perhaps it was because of her own bold move tonight, or because this was Adrian Grant’s second time at her place, or perhaps it was the fear that he had seen through her intentions.

Despite having spent so much time with Adrian Grant, she once again felt that familiar awkwardness of being alone with him in the same room.

So, Caroline Whitman found an excuse to go take a shower.

When she came out, Adrian Grant was no longer in the living room.

There was a sticky note on the coffee table, written in strong, forceful script:

"Thanks for having me. My driver is here, so I’m heading back."

Caroline Whitman’s heart felt suddenly empty, and an inexplicable sense of loneliness washed over her. She walked to the balcony and looked down into the pitch-black darkness.

After standing there for a long while, she finally went back to sit in the living room.

’Back when we lived together and Adrian went on business trips, why didn’t I ever have these kinds of withdrawal symptoms from being apart?’

Caroline Whitman was rather baffled.

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