Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law-Chapter 541_1

Julia's face turned an unnatural shade of red.

Deep, measured footsteps approached from behind her.

Julia quickly stuffed the nightgown back into the bag.

Glades Horne had already entered the room. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, laughing as he asked, "Honey, how is it? Have you seen the gift?"

Pushing his hand away, Julia turned and stepped out of his embrace. She shot him a glare, then tossed the bag back into his hands, complaining, "Why would you give me this now? My figure..."

Before she could finish, she walked into the inner chamber and sat down on the bed, a hint of dejection in her posture.

Lowering her gaze, she looked at her slightly protruding belly. At seventeen weeks, her belly was quite noticeable when she wore less clothing. Her once slim and flat stomach now looked as if it had been inflated, and her trim waistline had also changed with the pregnancy.

Suddenly, Julia felt unattractive.

Glades followed her inside and saw her sitting on the bed, looking a bit downcast. He leaned against the doorway of the inner chamber, watching her with an amused expression, but didn't immediately move to comfort her. Feeling somewhat self-conscious under his gaze, Julia looked up and shot him an irritated glance. "What are you looking at?" she huffed. "My figure is all wrong now, I'm not attractive. Pregnant women aren't pretty with their big bellies. And they get pregnancy spots on their faces too." Alright, she didn't actually have any pregnancy spots. Aside from her face looking a little rounder, there weren't any other changes. Her belly had swollen, yes, but her figure was still good—in fact, her bust was much fuller than before her pregnancy.

Usually, she was busy, and combined with Glades' obvious delight about the baby, she generally felt pregnancy was a happy experience.

It was only now, seeing the sexy nightgown, that she suddenly realized her figure was no longer as curvaceous as it had been before pregnancy. If she wore that nightgown now, with her belly protruding, it definitely wouldn't look good.

Everyone wants to feel beautiful.

Julia was no exception.

Especially in front of the man she loved, she wanted to present her most beautiful self.

Yet her current feelings were typical of many pregnant women.

Glades chuckled softly.

Leaving the doorway, he walked over to the bed with the sexy nightgown and sat down beside her. He affectionately tapped her nose and chuckled. "Pregnant women often think they look their worst, but in their husbands' eyes, a pregnant wife is the most beautiful."

Julia looked at him, her dejection easing considerably. Her almond-shaped eyes brightened as she asked, "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"I would never lie to you. I always tell you the truth." Glades sensed she wasn't truly angry, just being a little coquettish.

Sinking into Glades' embrace, they lay on the bed together. Julia murmured, "Women's bodies always change after childbirth. Glades, I'm only just realizing this. Do you think my figure will be ruined after the baby comes? Will I look awful?"

"Silly girl, of course not. Look how many women maintain a gorgeous figure even after having children."

Julia fell silent. Her earlier dismay was just a fleeting thought. After a moment, her spirits lifted.

Glades turned on the heating.

The temperature in the room rose quickly.

"I'm going to take a shower first." Julia sat up. She glanced at the sexy nightgown, hesitated for a moment, then picked it up anyway.

James Horne was driving back from the Horne family estate, his car speeding along the winding concrete road.

Once he left Golden Kirin Garden, he had no idea where to go next.

Back to his own little sanctuary?

It was just him there, enveloped in his own solitude. Stuffy, oppressive—he didn't want to go back, at least not right now.

Go to a pub for a drink?

Since the last time he got drunk at the Blue Moon Pub and spilled his true feelings, he hadn't gone back there to drink. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Alcohol can numb a person temporarily, but it can never numb the heart.

And his love for Julia was something he couldn't reveal. If he drank again and accidentally let the truth slip while drunk, it would undoubtedly affect his brother and sister-in-law's relationship. That was the absolute last thing he wanted to happen.

He slowed down, letting the car glide slowly forward.

It wasn't until he saw the large apartment complex in the Coastal District that a destination came to mind: he decided to visit his mother.

So, he turned the car and headed for the Coastal District.

James parked his car some distance from Pheobe Rogers' apartment building, not in the small parking area directly in front of it.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; rather, he had spotted an unfamiliar sedan parked in front of his mother's apartment.

Whose car was that?

Why was it parked in front of his mother's apartment?

Was someone visiting his mother?

A friend of hers?

Several questions flashed through James' mind at once.

The bond between mother and son ran deep, yet he knew little about his mother's private life. He didn't even know if she had any friends.

Getting out of the car, he strode quickly toward the apartment building.

As he ascended the steps, he was startled to hear a man's voice coming from inside.

A man?

There was a man in his mother's apartment?

James' handsome face darkened ominously. Even though his mother was technically a mistress, she had been with his father for so many years. Subconsciously, he felt that as long as her relationship with his father wasn't completely over, she shouldn't get involved with other men.