Chapter 329:
“What’s wrong?” Joey asked, noticing my concern.
I put on my coat and said, “My mom wants me to come home right away. You can unpack your things—I’ll go first.”
About half an hour later, I arrived at my mother’s house. The moment I stepped inside, I sensed that something was off. My mother was sitting on the sofa with a very serious expression, the air thick with tension. I walked over to her and asked, “Mom, who made you angry?”
Madam Meyer looked up at me and asked, “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
“Oh, nothing. I just didn’t sleep well last night,” I said, touching my eyes and hoping to brush it off.
“That’s not it. You obviously cried a lot. Tell me what happened,” she pressed further.
I knew my mother would eventually figure out that I had broken up with Herbert. I didn’t want to keep lying to her every day, so I decided to tell her the truth.
I took a deep breath and said, “Mom, Herbert and I broke up completely this time.”
Bella’s POV:
“What did you say? Break up completely? I remember you telling me that you were about to get married.”
At my mother’s question, I lowered my eyes and replied, “We didn’t get married. We broke up completely. There will be no hope of reconciliation in the future.” I said this deliberately, hoping my mother would finally give up on any hope of Herbert and I getting back together.
My mother sighed deeply and continued to cry.
I quickly changed the subject.
“Mom, why did you call me so urgently?”
Her anger flared.
“Betty’s pregnant!”
Betty?
I stared at my mother in shock, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“Betty? Pregnant? My God, she’s still a student!”
“She’s been going out early and coming back very late these past few days. I didn’t pay much attention at first, but this morning I noticed her belly. I asked her who the father was, but she refused to tell me. She’s still a student—how can she be a mother? You don’t know how hard it is to raise a child on your own. She has no idea how difficult it is to be a single mother,” my mother said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Although some female students in college did get pregnant, my mother knew the challenges of being a single mother all too well. Given her cultural beliefs, it was no surprise she was so upset.
Betty was a stubborn girl, but she had always been obedient. How could she suddenly be pregnant? I had never heard of her having a boyfriend. I thought about it for a moment, and then a realization struck me.
Betty had been harboring feelings for Hank for a long time. Could it be…? No, that couldn’t be. Hank was an upright man and Betty’s teacher. Besides, he had never shown any romantic interest in her. He would never do something like that.
Could it be that Betty had fallen for someone else, driven by the pain of unrequited love?
I immediately stood up and walked toward Betty’s bedroom, knocking on the door.
