Female Novel
Chapter 3
Should I be surprised? In all honesty, it wasn’t really unexpected. Even though she and Josiah didn’tdate each other before getting married, they had been together for almost three years, so she felt likeshe knew him quite well. Josiah was a kind person, not like the arrogant CEOs portrayed in novels andTV dramas who could intimidate one with just a single word. On the contrary, he was elegant in hisdemeanor, considerate in his speech, and meticulous in his actions. He was a gentle and mature man.A woman who could make him lose his composure must be someone extraordinary. She was almostprepared for an emotional reunion filled with memories of the past, but reality turned out to be quitedifferent from her expectations. When she returned to the old house, there was indeed a pregnantwoman present. However, the pregnant woman was seated with her mother-in-law, Susan McKay,while Josiah was seated alone on a single couch next to them.
When he saw her return, he quickly stood up as usual, took her coat and bag from her hands, and said,“Let me hang these up for you.” Susan warmly welcomed her back. “You’re back, Lysander. Hurry upand take a seat.” Lysander greeted Susan and then glanced at the pregnant woman beside her. “Andshe is…” Susan smiled and said, “Let me introduce you. This is Lysanne, the daughter of our neighbor,Mr. Thorne, next door. She and her husband have been living abroad and just returned recently.Lysanne, this is Josiah’s wife, as I mentioned to you earlier.” The pregnant woman smiled and slowlystood up, holding her belly. “Nice to meet you, my name is Lysanne.” Lysander was taken aback. “Whatdid you say your name is?” “What a coincidence. I’m Lysanne. Our names sound rather similar, don’tthey?” Susan nodded in agreement. “Yes, what a coincidence indeed. I was pretty surprised whenJosiah got married. Perhaps Josiah is destined to have a connection with people whose names startwith Lysan. One was his best friend since childhood, and the other was his wife.” Lysanne said, “Yes,how wonderful. You may not know this yet, Madam Susan, but Dr. Thorne was the one who performedsurgery on me.” Susan was even more surprised now. “Really?” “Yes.” Lysanne reached out her handto Lysander, seeking a handshake. “I haven’t thanked you for saving me and my child yet. If it wasn’tfor you, we wouldn’t be standing here safe and sound.” Lysanne was frank and straightforward, soLysander saw no reason to be afraid of her. She shook hands with her confidently. “No need to be so
polite, it’s my duty. Your situation seemed dangerous, but it wasn’t a big deal. Once you rest for a fewdays post-surgery, everything will be fine, but you still need to be careful afterward.” “Thank you, Dr.Thorne. I will remember that.” The servants gradually set the table with food, and Susan invitedeveryone to eat together. Josiah was modest and not fond of extravagance. Since turning thirty-onewasn’t a milestone birthday, he didn’t have a grand celebration. Instead, he prepared a feast at homeand gathered with his family for a meal. Lysander had always been a woman of few words.
At the dinner table, it was mostly Susan and Lysanne chatting about daily life, and she listened on theside, more or less understanding some parts of it. Beside the old residence lived a family surnamedThorne. The two families had been neighbors for decades. Lysanne and Josiah were born in the sameyear, with Lysanne being a few months younger. They were classmates from elementary school to highschool, and they didn’t part ways until college. Josiah studied management at the top local university,while Lysanne went abroad to study law. In Susan’s words, “Lysanne and Josiah are so close theycould finish each other’s sentences.” Lysander’s mother-in-law, Susan, was a cultured individual,having written and published her own books, and she spoke eloquently. Her words subtly suggestedthat Josiah and Lysanne shared a platonic bond, not a romantic one. Concerned that Lysander, withher background in science and engineering, might not grasp her meaning, Susan gently patted herhand and remarked, “At one point, they were so inseparable that I briefly mistook their relationship forsomething more, but it turned out… Hahaha, it was just a misunderstanding!” Turning back to Lysanderwith a smile, Susan elaborated,
“Actually, Lysanne had a crush on one of Josiah’s male friends, and she used to ask Josiah to passnotes to him every day!” Josiah’s expression betrayed a hint of melancholy as he self-deprecatinglyremarked, “Yes, I was merely a messenger.” Lysander smiled and inquired, “So, did it work out in theend?” Lysanne, who had been quiet this entire time, answered directly, “We did date, but it didn’t lastlong. It was just a teenage crush, and those relationships usually don’t last.” “True.” Susan joked,“Lysanne, why didn’t you ever fancy Josiah? I fail to see how that boy is any better than Josiah.”Lysanne shrugged and replied, “We’re too close to each other. I just couldn’t bring myself to feel that
way.” Susan had achieved her objective, and Lysanne’s lighthearted response lifted the mood. Thedining room was filled with Susan’s hearty laughter. In truth, Lysander was grateful for Susan’s act ofkindness. Lysander harbored doubts in her heart but refrained from asking directly. Susan saw throughher doubts, thus spoke up and clarified everything. Honestly, Lysander was genuinely content with thismarriage. Josiah was kind and considerate, Susan was easy to get along with, and they didn’t pressureher to have children like other affluent families. On the contrary, they were very supportive of hercareer. It was almost perfect, except for the absence of love. But… Lysanne, Lysander… The similarityof these two names led her to overthink. According to Susan, their neighbor, Mr. Thorne, hadaccompanied his wife to a sanatorium in the mountains a few years ago. His wife’s health was poor,and the mountain air was beneficial for her recovery, so the neighboring house had been vacant forover three years and was temporarily uninhabitable.
As a pregnant woman, Lysanne stayed overnight at the Guerra Residence that night, either out ofsafety concerns or out of neighborly care. After showering, Lysander returned to the room to findJosiah half-reclining on the bed, wearing gold-framed glasses and perusing a book. He set aside thebook as she approached, took the towel from her hand, and helped dry her hair. “Feeling tired?” Shehad worked continuously for 24 hours to accompany Josiah back to the old house for his birthday.Upon returning home, she didn’t get any rest either and had been awake for nearly 36 hours. “I’m fine,”she replied. Josiah’s movements were gentle, and his tone even gentler. “That day at the hospital, timewas limited, so I didn’t mention Lysanne to you. She flew back from overseas specifically to celebratemy birthday, but unfortunately, she got into a car accident on her way back from the airport.” “Ah, sothat’s how it is.” So that night, he hurried out, not due to an urgent matter at work but to pick someoneup from the airport. Josiah stated, “Lysanne and I are the closest of friends.” When he mentioned theword “friend,” he spoke deliberately and with emphasis.
Lysander responded slowly, “Flying back from abroad while six months pregnant to celebrate yourbirthday, it’s certainly not an ordinary friendship.” His hand paused for a moment as he dried her hair,
and she heard his soft and hesitant voice in her ear, saying, “Mm-hmm.” “By the way.” Josiah changedthe subject. “You mentioned earlier that you had a birthday gift for me. The day is almost over, sowhere’s my gift?”novelbin