Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 280: Afraid You’ll Leave

If Gwen Yates knew Ruby Sullivan shared her thoughts, she probably wouldn’t be so angry.

A hug from behind was something Ruby Sullivan had only seen in TV dramas, and she never expected that Ethan Sterling would one day do this to her somewhere other than a bed. So her first reaction was that this "afraid of the dark" man was probably trying to give a thunderous blow to the girl in the taxi.

So she cooperated without moving. Although it felt a bit unfamiliar, the cool evening breeze, combined with him wrapping around her like that, felt rather comfortable.

Ruby Sullivan watched as the taxi drove away and patted Ethan Sterling’s hand clasped at her chest, "You can let go now, they shouldn’t be able to see us anymore."

Ethan Sterling took a moment to respond, then understood what she meant. Instead of letting go, he held a little tighter. Taking advantage of his height, he tilted his head to nip at her earlobe, "Ms. Sullivan, I was just afraid you were cold." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Ruby Sullivan tensed up all over from being nipped, and her now moist earlobe felt cool, constantly reminding her of the tingle she felt when his lips and teeth met her skin.

"Well, um..." She swallowed hard, trying to straighten her tongue, "That—That doesn’t mean you can make me piggyback you home."

"Alright." Ethan Sterling was quite satisfied with how nervous she became to the point of stuttering, so he finally released her arm, instead holding her hand as they turned to head home.

The most troublesome thing now wasn’t Gwen Yates, but his little daughter at home. Ethan Sterling didn’t know how to explain all this to Honey and worried that when she finally faced the truth, her simple-hearted little glass heart wouldn’t take it well.

As they neared the house, Ethan Sterling lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, "You’re not mad about Gwen Yates, are you?"

Ruby Sullivan was a bit dazed from his ear-nibbling earlier. After a pause, she sighed deeply, "To be honest, when I saw her boldly flirting with you, I was indeed angry, but after calming down, I wasn’t even sure why I was angry."

It seemed that no matter how good Ethan Sterling was to her, she couldn’t quite place his role in her life. After thinking it over, besides being an ex-husband, he could at most be called a creditor. Then... thinking of all that had happened recently, she felt she could at least label him as a suitor in the midst of a flirtation.

She could admit that he was indeed flirting with her, but she still didn’t have the courage to call him a suitor.

But what difference would it make even if he was a suitor? He still had the right to walk away at any time.

Often, she felt like they were partners living together for the sake of their child, with some unclear feelings between them. But these feelings weren’t strong enough to be called a bond. And she constantly reminded herself of what truly mattered.

She had once chosen marriage so assuredly for a man, yet all it brought her was pain.

Faced with the same man who somehow felt so different, she couldn’t think about this in a usual way.

Their relationship was twisted. Perhaps both of them were trying to straighten things out, but there were so many knots entangled within, it wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly; it needed time.

Ethan Sterling rested his hand on her shoulder, letting out a long sigh, "If you’re angry, you can take it out on me, hit me, scold me, just don’t keep it bottled up. Don’t make me guess your mood; that scares me."

Ruby Sullivan wasn’t quite accustomed to this earnest side of him, and her hand began to wave higher and higher, using humor to ease tension, "Scared like being afraid of the dark?"

"Afraid you might disappear from my world again with the child the way you did before."

He thought he had long been used to living like a machine until she came and left again. Only then did he realize how much he yearned for the human world. He wanted to hear Honey call him daddy with that clear voice. He wanted Seth’s cold expression to corner him into silence. He missed the comfort of her being by his side every night.

He had developed a heart, wanting to put it in a box like Captain Will in Pirates of the Caribbean and entrust it to her because he never wanted to leave her again.

Ruby Sullivan found those words too cheesy and couldn’t help but turn to look at him. She thought, if this was just a joke, she could play it up and laugh it off. But his eyes were so bright, earnestly conveying the word "serious," so she timidly withdrew her gaze, as if burned, responding only with silence.

A man like Ethan Sterling, even if twenty years down the line he had a pot belly, would inevitably still have women attracted to him. What’s more, after the Rhonda Sullivan incident, there was also Naomi Sinclair’s drama. Ethan Sterling had long been labeled a playboy, and women with all sorts of intentions would flock to him. That seemed unavoidable for his lifetime.

As they entered the elevator, Ruby Sullivan felt she should say something before they got home, "If every time you handled it the way you did just now, I wouldn’t be angry." Because she understood he did what he could to reject, and he completely stood by her side; that was enough.

"Thank you." Ethan Sterling smiled, turning sideways to kiss her forehead, "I’ll remember my wife’s teachings."

Ruby Sullivan furrowed her brows, then burst into a smile, letting out a "tsk," but didn’t correct his use of "wife."

When they returned, Mama Bennett was still bathing Honey. Seth Sterling heard the door and peeked out from his room, "Dad, Mom, can you come over for a second?"

"Sure, Son." After changing into her slippers, Ruby Sullivan quickly walked over, with Ethan Sterling right behind her.

Seth had been exhausted but lay sleepless in bed afterwards. His foolish little sister had him furious to the point of spitting blood today, and he was glad Gwen Yates wouldn’t be around tomorrow; otherwise, he didn’t know how he’d handle it.

Once inside, Ruby Sullivan sat next to Seth on the bed while Ethan Sterling took a seat in the chair.

Seth looked at both of them seriously, "I think we should let Gwen Yates go and come up with an excuse to explain things to Honey. They have all their classes together, and I’m not there; it’s a bit worrying."

Ruby Sullivan hugged her obedient son and gave him a kiss, "This was something your dad and I should handle. It’s burdensome for you to worry like this. I’ll try to talk to Honey, and we’ll take care of it."

Seth pressed his lips slightly, glanced at his father, and said worriedly, "I’m afraid she might turn into another Mrs. Sullivan."

Ethan Sterling’s face stung a bit.

He let out a sigh and went over to ruffle his son’s hair, "Back then, I asked Rhonda Sullivan to be your mother because I didn’t know Ruby was your mom. And at that time, there were some misunderstandings between your mom and me, and I didn’t know where she was... Now that she’s back, that situation will never happen again."

Ethan Sterling said it with utmost seriousness, but Seth had his own little plans. After Ruby Sullivan returned, hadn’t they remarried only to divorce again? He didn’t quite believe his father’s words, but since his mom told him not to worry, he forced himself to relax.

Oh, his silly sister, when would she ever grow up?