He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 72: A Lifetime to Make Up for a Mistake
Aiden Sinclair’s thin lips parted, and he uttered a single word without hesitation. "Yes."
Clara Jacobs froze as if struck by lightning, her body rigid and numb. Suddenly, she hated how clever she was, how quickly she had pieced everything together.
’He had been using her as bait to go after Julian Sinclair all along. How could he treat her so cruelly?’
’Impossible.’ Clara Jacobs refused to believe it.
"When I was abroad, you wrote me so many love letters, all handwritten. I recognized your handwriting. You can’t possibly not like me! If you don’t like me, why did you write me a love letter every single month? Don’t tell me you didn’t write them!"
Aiden Sinclair said, "I did write the love letters."
Hearing this, a wave of joy immediately washed over Clara Jacobs.
But then, Aiden Sinclair’s cold voice cut in again.
"But I was merely copying those words at someone else’s behest. I don’t even remember what you look like. How could I possibly like you?"
Clara Jacobs was stunned once more, her heart twisting as if pierced by a knife. After a long, painful silence—
"Aiden Sinclair, you will pay for this. You trampled on my love, so don’t you dare think you’ll get a happy ending!"
With that parting shot, Clara Jacobs turned and ran out of the Aethel Group headquarters.
Aiden Sinclair seemed completely unconcerned by Clara Jacobs’s comings and goings. He glanced at the time. It was almost 11:00 AM; Nina Walsh should be awake by now.
He picked up his phone and called Mrs. Lane.
Mrs. Lane answered, "Sir, she’s awake, but she won’t come out of her room or eat anything."
"Got it. I’m on my way back now."
Aiden Sinclair hung up, left a mountain of work on his desk, and walked out of the office.
He had no sooner left than Sophia Sawyer stormed into Aethel headquarters.
Jay Keane stepped forward to greet her. "Mrs. Sawyer, are you here to see Mr. Sinclair? He isn’t in the office today."
Sophia Sawyer didn’t believe him and shoved the door to Aiden Sinclair’s office open. No one dared to stop her.
Seeing that the office was indeed empty, she turned back to Jay Keane. "If he’s not here, where did he go?"
Jay Keane clasped his hands respectfully. "Mr. Sinclair instructed us not to disturb him while he’s resting. We don’t know his whereabouts. My apologies, Mrs. Sawyer."
Jay Keane was telling the truth; he genuinely didn’t know where Aiden Sinclair had gone.
Sophia Sawyer pulled her phone from her purse and dialed Aiden Sinclair’s number. It rang twice before the call was abruptly ended.
Sophia Sawyer’s face was livid, her chest heaving with rage. "How dare he hang up on me! Has he lost his mind?!"
’Aiden Sinclair had never once defied her his entire life. But now he dared to go against her wishes, time and again, even going behind her back to marry some other woman! She would not let him off the hook so easily!’
...
「Cloudcrest Manor.」
Aiden Sinclair opened the door quietly. Nina Walsh was asleep on the bed. ’They say pregnant women sleep much more than usual.’
He tiptoed closer and lay down behind her.
Nina Walsh was lying on her side, and as he settled in behind her, she was now nestled in his embrace. Her soft hair fell across her face, obscuring most of it, leaving only her delicate nose and mouth visible.
Her already fair skin had an unhealthy pallor. He recalled hearing her sobs in her sleep the night before, and his heart clenched.
Aiden Sinclair leaned in, pressing a kiss into her hair. He carefully slid his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her stomach.
The corners of Aiden Sinclair’s mouth turned up in a smile at the thought of the two little lives inside her. ’It feels like my greatest accomplishment,’ he thought, a sense of pride and happiness swelling within him.
Just as his hand settled on her stomach, a small, delicate hand covered his, gently squeezing his fingers.
Aiden Sinclair was overjoyed by this small response.
"Second Brother Grant..." Nina Walsh murmured in her sleep, her eyes still closed.
Aiden Sinclair’s entire body went rigid, and his hand instinctively clenched tight.
Nina Walsh’s eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep. She was a light sleeper and had woken the moment Aiden Sinclair came into the room.
With her eyes shut, her sense of touch felt magnified.
She felt the hand on her stomach tighten for a second before it quickly relaxed, stroking her gently as if to soothe a baby.
Then, Aiden Sinclair drew his hand back. His long fingers threaded into her hair, and he began to slowly, rhythmically massage her scalp.
The motion reminded her of her mother lulling her to sleep as a child, first patting her tummy, then stroking her head.
Nina Walsh involuntarily relaxed, and before long, she had truly fallen asleep.
Behind her, Aiden Sinclair noticed her breathing deepen and even out. Only then did he stop his massage. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
"I know I’ve made an unforgivable mistake," he whispered, "but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life making up for it."
...
When Nina Walsh opened her eyes again, two more hours had passed. Having not eaten all day, she was starting to feel hungry.
"You’re awake? I picked out an outfit for you. Get changed, and we can go downstairs for a meal."
As if sensing she was awake, Aiden Sinclair looked up from his laptop. He stood up and came over with a hazy-blue dress. It was made of a comfortable fabric with a loose-fitting design, and the color was one Nina Walsh was fond of.
Nina Walsh remained impassive, her expression cold as she stared at him.
’Since I can’t escape, I’ll just have to give him the silent treatment. Sooner or later, he’ll get annoyed. He’ll grow tired of me.’
"Do you want me to help you change?"
Aiden Sinclair approached with the dress, and Nina Walsh backed away. "I don’t need your help. Get out."
"Alright."
Aiden Sinclair did as she asked and left, closing the door behind him. He didn’t go downstairs, however. After waiting a few minutes, he knocked and re-entered the room.
Nina Walsh had already changed. The blue suited her perfectly, but she still looked a little too thin.
"Come on, let’s go downstairs and eat."
Aiden Sinclair strode forward and scooped her into his arms.
’If he waited for her to slowly drag her feet and argue her way downstairs, it would take forever. It was simpler to just carry her.’
"Put me down. I can walk on my own," Nina Walsh protested.
"What are you worried about? That I can’t carry you? That I’ll drop you?"
Aiden Sinclair carried her with swift, steady steps down the stairs, through the living room, and out to the back garden.
"Have you forgotten? The first time we went to the amusement park, I was the one who carried you."
That time, after they got off the Ferris wheel, Nina Walsh had been so scared she cried. To comfort her, Aiden Sinclair had carried her on a lap around the entire park. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"I haven’t forgotten," Nina Walsh said coldly. "Just a short while ago, you made me relive the Ferris wheel experience. How could I forget?"
Aiden Sinclair’s steps faltered for a beat. He continued on and gently set her down under a trellis of flowering vines in the garden.
The staff had already arranged a table and chairs, complete with place settings. The table was laden with dishes like sweet and sour fish, hot and sour spare ribs, and various other meals tailored to a pregnant woman’s palate.
The afternoon sun dappled through the vines, warm but not scorching. The faint scent of flowers mingled with the delicious aroma of the food, an appetizer in itself.
Aiden Sinclair had clearly gone to a lot of trouble, but Nina Walsh was unimpressed.
He had no choice but to try and coax her. "Eat a proper meal, and I’ll let you go out tomorrow."
Only then did Nina Walsh pick up her chopsticks and eat just enough to quiet her stomach.
...
The next day, Nina Walsh was up early, fully dressed and waiting downstairs.
Aiden Sinclair was pleased. He draped a wool shawl over her shoulders. "It’s autumn now, and the temperature swings can be drastic. Don’t catch a chill."
He took her by the hand and led her outside, where the driver was already pulling the car around.
Nina Walsh suddenly realized what he meant. When he’d said he would "let her go out," he meant he would be *taking* her out, not that she could go out by herself.
"Where would you like to go first?"
Nina Walsh got into the car and stared out the window, uninterested in their destination.
"Wherever."
Aiden Sinclair didn’t press her. He gave the driver a nod, and the car pulled away smoothly.
Forty minutes later, they arrived. Aiden Sinclair held Nina Walsh’s hand and slowly walked into the lobby of Aethel Tower.
A hush fell over the entire, sprawling lobby.
