Chapter 433

Tammy was chubby, fair-skinned, and full of life. She laughed loudly and cried just as fiercely, her tiny voice piercing through the room. The first time Shelmaine breastfed Tammy, the pain was unbearable—she felt as if she might die. The worst part was when the nurse guided her to pump milk. Samuel, sitting nearby, stared intently. She thought he was concerned for her. But as soon as the nurse left, he leaned in eagerly, lowering his voice. "How about I try it first for Tammy?" "Get out!" Shelmaine's face turned red with embarrassment as she pushed his head away. She had underestimated Samuel's shamelessness. He maintained a serious expression. "I'm not trying to take advantage of you; I just don't want you to suffer." "Oh, thank you so much for your kindness," Shelmaine answered sarcastically, pulling her clothes tighter around her. She wasn't about to humor him, no matter what he said. But Samuel didn't give up, his gaze growing bolder. The nurse's earlier attempts to help had been awkward enough, and Samuel had refused to leave the room. When Shelmaine asked him to step out, he insisted, "What haven't I already seen? We have a child together. Why act so distant?" Even the nurse couldn't help but laugh at their exchange. For a time after giving birth, they had to abstain from intimacy. Yet Samuel found every opportunity to get close to Shelmaine, sneaking up while she fed Tammy to help finish what Tammy left. Once or twice, he succeeded. After that, Shelmaine started locking the door whenever she breastfed Tammy. But no matter how cautious she was, Samuel always managed to find a way in. Frustrated, Shelmaine stopped talking to him for a while. After hitting a wall, Samuel finally toned down his antics and focused on taking care of the baby. Samuel's work was still centered in Aurich, but he avoided traveling back whenever possible, handling everything online instead. When Samson came to urge him to return and oversee operations, Samuel brushed him off, saying he needed to care for his child. Samson showed up at Samuel's doorstep with gifts, but Samuel blocked him at the door. "You're seriously not letting me in? I came all this way to see Shelmaine and Tamisha. What's the problem?" "You're not coming in. You're not exactly popular," Samuel replied firmly. He wasn't sure if Shelmaine liked his friends, especially after everything with Luke—he couldn't take any chances. "Who doesn't like me? Shelmaine? That's impossible. I've barely met her a couple of times, and I've never done anything to offend her." Samuel still refused. "Doesn't matter. You're not coming in." "I came all this way, and you won't even give me a glass of water? Samuel, that's seriously low!" Samuel responded with absolute confidence, "When it comes to Shelmaine and Tamisha, nothing else matters—not even you." With that, Samuel shut the door in Samson's face without hesitation. Shelmaine had just woken up and walked into the living room, rubbing her eyes. Seeing Samuel step inside after closing the door, she asked, "Who was that?" "Someone selling stuff door-to-door." "Selling what?" she asked casually. She had been living here for quite some time and had never encountered any door-to-door salespeople. "Health supplements." She muttered to herself but didn't press further. Turning around, she went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of honey tea. Her throat felt scratchy and dry, leaving her a bit uncomfortable. "Is your throat bothering you?" Samuel followed her into the kitchen, his expression full of concern. "Yeah, it feels a little dry." Samuel went to the fridge, grabbed a ripped pear, and washed it thoroughly. He placed it in a pot and added a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, and some honey for sweetness. After bringing the mixture to a boil, he let it simmer on low heat for over half an hour. Once it cooled slightly, he poured the warm spiced pear infusion into a mug and brought it out for Shelmaine to drink.