Try Begging - Chapter 167.2
She chose well.
She imagined the child, currently sitting on her lap and looking around curiously, becoming a part of this perfect family—seeing this unfamiliar place as home and these strangers as parents.
“We always wanted a daughter, but we only have two sons, and we can no longer have more children…”
The woman’s eyes remained fixed on the baby, who was sucking on Grace’s finger instead of the pacifier, even as she explained the story behind adopting a girl.
“Would you like to hold her?”
Grace handed over the baby while silently urging inside.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Smile pretty.
Fortunately, the baby didn’t cry in the unfamiliar woman’s arms. The woman skillfully soothed the baby, marveling at her. While the little girl was looking around, rolling her big eyes.
“What a beautiful child. Truly, a little angel.”
At that moment, Grace nearly choked on her tart.
“Does the baby have a name…?”
The woman asked, and Grace shook her head, indicating there was no name.
“Ah…”
The woman bit her lower lip as if regretting asking the question and quickly changed the subject.
“But such beautiful blonde hair.”
The woman repeatedly admired the baby’s smooth and shiny blonde hair, brushing it with her hand.
Yes, I was enchanted by that blonde hair too.
Sixteen years ago.
Grace set down her dessert plate with a bittersweet smile. Such bright blonde hair was rare. If one parent’s hair was dark, it was even more unlikely to be passed on. Yet the baby had inherited this rare shade of blonde instead of her dark brown hair.
“It’s not easy to get such a bright color.”
The man, looking down at the baby, seemed to read Grace’s thoughts and glanced at her. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then hesitated, closing it and scratching his head awkwardly.
Grace could guess what the man had been about to say. Recently, she hadn’t had time to re-dye her hair, so it had returned to its natural dark brown, so it was only natural for him to think such things.
The man had almost said, “The baby’s father must be blonde.”
The reason the man didn’t say that was because Grace had fabricated her story.
She had said that her husband had died in an accident during her pregnancy. She wanted to raise the baby, but with two other children already, she couldn’t manage alone. That was the sad story she’d told.
“How could such a baby be so beautiful?”
The woman gazed at Grace’s child with eyes full of affection. Grace tried to wash away the bitter taste in her mouth with the iced tea and forced a smile.
Yes, it was probably better for the baby to have a mother who looks at her with such love.
The woman, who was playing with the little girl’s belly, looked at Grace with an expression of sheer adoration.
“In fact, while looking into adoption, I’ve seen many children. But I’ve never seen such a doll-like baby before.”
“When she grows up, she’ll be a tremendous beauty.”
“Well, if her mother is a great beauty, it’s only natural.”
The woman, as a fellow mother, seemed to feel a bit sorry for Grace, giving her a sympathetic yet flattering smile. Grace, forcing a nonchalant laugh, inwardly lamented.
It’s not me but the baby’s father who is the great beauty.
The child resembled the man in every way. From the color of her hair to her facial features and even her temperament, she took after her father—the man Grace detested. If only her eyes had resembled something other than his.
Grace stared at the baby’s deep blue eyes as the child sat on the lap of another woman, and the baby looked back at her with a beaming smile.
“Isn’t it a waste to give away such a beautiful baby?”
A maid who came daily to help with the laundry had once said that. It was true. The baby was difficult and demanding, but moments like these, when the child smiled so sweetly, brought a peculiar sense of satisfaction.
But there’s no way she would want a child who resembles that man. She couldn’t want such a thing.
As Grace and the baby continued to gaze at each other, the child’s eyes grew rounder, and the sunshine-like smile slowly faded.
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