"After all, I didn't vow to spend the rest of my life with you, but to him. Isn't that right, Hubby?"
Dominic let out a hiss of astonishment as he closed his eyes, recalling Heaven's strange remarks. Axel stopped complaining at some point, and the rest of their meal was eaten in silence. Axel did not linger in the manor afterward. He left the minute he finished eating, leaving the two of them. Dominic let him leave, acting like nothing had happened.
'What a strange thing to say,' he thought, reopening his eyes. He cast a glance at the woman sitting in the back seat with him.
Heaven's elbow was resting on the window with the bottom of her palm propped against her chin. She was quietly looking out of the window, making him wonder what she was thinking.
'She's been acting really strange recently,' he told himself. Recalling her past actions for the past few days. It was out of character for her. 'What is she planning to do this time?'
It never occurred to Dominic's mind that his wife was sincerely determined to fix their broken marriage. All he could think about was her strange actions and what kind of plan she had up on her sleeve. A plan he was certain that would reach him soon enough.
'She isn't a patient person, after all,' he thought, looking out at the window on his side of the car. 'I just hope she sticks to her words and she'll be nice to Basti. He is also her son, after all.'
What Dominic didn't know was that while he had lost hope and expectations from his wife, Heaven's thoughts were rather different from what one would expect.
'Wow. I didn't appreciate it earlier, but now I could. We're driving without any worry that someone might ambush me,' Heaven thought, a slight smile turned up on her face. Who knew that this day would come? 'What a peaceful life, Heaven.'
Heaven's eyes fell on the button that controls the car's window. Her brows rose as an idea popped into her head. 'Is it okay to open the window?' she wondered, checking the cars outside.
'Well,' she mentally shrugged, excitement bubbling in her heart. 'I wouldn't live freely if I didn't take risks, right?'
As the only princess in the organization, the current Heaven didn't enjoy the simplest things in life. Her life was always in danger, not knowing when or how her family's enemies would attack her. Even in the comfort of her home, she had to be careful and alert in case a sniper was ready to pull the trigger to put a hole in her head.
The value of having a second life as someone who had zero connection in the world she came from was like a breath of fresh air. The problems the original Heaven passed on to her were simply a small price to pay in exchange for a comfortable, danger-free life.
Heaven stole a glance at Dominic and sneakily pressed the button of the window and let it slowly roll down. The man beside her noticed what she was doing and couldn't help but arch a brow and look in her direction.
The moment his eyes landed on her, a slight amazement showed up on his handsome face. 'She is smiling?' he couldn't help but ask himself.
Heaven breathed in the afternoon air with a smile. She could finally look outside in peace. She was actually tempted to stick her hand out. Her smile widened when she felt the air blowing past her. It gave Heaven the feeling she truly broke free from the prison she came from.
'Freedom,' she whispered. Her heart felt like it was about to burst with happiness. 'I've always known death is the only escape from that life, but I didn't know the escape would be as sweet as this.'
Heaven giggled like a schoolgirl. She never thought that she would be able to do simple things without getting killed. Alas, her senses were still sharp as ever, even in her new body, she knew the eyes of the man seated beside her were fixed on hers. She turned to face him, but her breath caught in her throat as a pair of tantalizing eyes caught hers.
Dominic was too handsome. She could feel her face heating up with the way he was looking at her. 'Can't you feel the temperature rising? Close that window right this instant,' she guessed of what could be in his head right now.
"Ah," Heaven cleared her throat, being caught doing such childish things. She pursed her lips as she moved her finger to the button so that the window would close.
"Keep it open if that is what you want," Dominic offhandedly said.
"Huh?"
"Open all the windows. I think she's dizzy," Dominic ordered the driver, and as ordered, all the windows wound down.
Heaven blinked several times, confused by his order. 'How the hell did he get to that conclusion?' she asked herself.
She cleared her throat once again and looked around the vehicle. Dominic had stopped looking at her, his expression back to its usual stoic look.
'Why do I suddenly feel bad?' her face twitched, scratching her temple with her pinky out of habit. A habit that only happens when she feels bad. Soon, she realized why she felt that way.
The air conditioner in the car gave them the comfort of traveling with ease. It was scorching outside and with all the windows open, she noticed the beads of sweat that gradually formed on Dominic's forehead. However, he didn't complain. Dominic simply wiped his sweat with a white handkerchief.
'This man,' Heaven thought, thinking of his gesture to her. She bit her inner bottom lip. 'He is so nice. My fragile heart can't! All the men I've met in my life were so — never mind. It's no use recalling those barbaric bastards.'
"I'm okay now. Please close the window. It's hot outside," Heaven politely said as she gazed at the window and nodded. "Thank you."
The driver glanced in the rear mirror as if to check if the person talking to him was his boss's wife. There was no mistaking it. It was her, but the way she spoke made him doubt if it was really her.
How strange.
The driver closed the windows and turned on the air conditioner without saying a word. Although, he was not the only person in the car to have trouble believing in his ears. Dominic gave her a quick glance, making sure that the person seated beside him was not a ghost or anything.
It wasn't her request that both of them find strange, but the fact that she spoke to them was. Even though the young madam and their boss had been married for five years, the people around them could only count the words she spoke to everyone in the house. No matter how uncomfortable she felt or even if these men asked her a few questions regarding her comfort, she would either ignore or only say, 'It's ok.'
'Why does the air suddenly feel awkward?' She asked when she noticed how silent it had become inside the car. 'Well, whatever. I'm probably just being sensitive.'
Heaven shrugged off the strange sensation and returned her attention to the road outside. She wanted to enjoy this moment and set aside the worry about her current problems later. Her divorce was postponed, after all. No pressure.
Her peaceful moments were cut short when she felt her small purse vibrate on her lap. Her brows rose, and she fished out her phone, only to see countless messages from her best friend, Paula.
[From: Paula
Heaven, where are you? I came to pick you up in the hospital, but you weren't there! Did something happen? Did you fight with Mister Zhu? Do you need my help? Tell me where you are and I will come to get you!]
'Right,' Heaven read the messages and skimmed through the rest of them. 'I told her I'd stay in her place to torment her, but plans changed.'
Heaven smacked her lips and faced Dominic. "Can you drop me off somewhere?"
"Hmm?"
"I forgot I made plans with Paula," Heaven said nonchalantly, looking bored and uninterested all of a sudden. "I'm not in the mood anymore, but I already gave my word to her. Is that okay?"
Was it okay for her to go out and meet her friend?
Was that even a question?
Dominic had never stopped Heaven from doing whatever she wanted. He didn't even ask her to stop her career. It was Heaven's decision to stop her acting and stay indoors all day, every day. The only thing he asked of her was to be a mother to their child.
To suddenly hear her ask for his approval sounded strange.
"You do not need to pick me up as well," Heaven said, getting out of the car once it stopped moving. She then picked up her small purse and studied its contents after she closed the door behind her. Heaven waited as she stood under the heat of the afternoon sun.
Dominic kept his eye on the tinted window, observing Heaven as she checked her purse.
'What is she doing?' he wondered. He watched her go through the contents of her small purse as if she couldn't find what she was searching for. It was such a small purse, and it was impossible for her not to see whatever she was looking for.
'Man,' Heaven thought in frustration, biting her bottom lip, eyes glued to her purse. 'For some reason, my anxiety is rising because I got nothing on me.'
Her eyes might be focused on her purse as if she was missing a wallet or phone. The reality was far from that. The current Heaven never went out all alone. Even if she would on the most rare occasion, she would be armed.
In other words, going outside with only her phone and wallet had somehow made her anxious.
'It's not like I will kill someone or have to defend myself,' she told herself, giving herself some courage and reminding herself of the perks of this new life. 'That's right. Well. Even if something happened, I can easily turn things around as I had always done.'
Just as Heaven mentally nodded, the window wound down. It was also only then did she realized the car hadn't left.
"What are you doing?" Dominic coldly asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"Well," Heaven replied as she casually bent over, resting her arms on the window to look at him. "I don't have cash."
"You have a card," Dominic said in a deadpan voice.
"I can use them?"
"They're yours."
"Oh… alright." Heaven pushed herself away from the car, only to turn around and pose back to her initial stance. "By the way, do you want anything? I will try to get it on the way home."
There was a moment of stillness the minute Heaven uttered those words. Dominic and Heaven blinked, as there was a sudden quietness between them.
What did she say?
"Hmm?" Her brows rose, cocking her head to the side. "Did you hear me?"
"No. I want nothing. I'll ask someone to pick you up later," Dominic said.
"It's okay. Paula will drive me back home. Are you sure you don't want anything? Ice cream? Dumplings? Maybe some cookies?" Heaven asked in a sweet voice.
"No," Dominic firmly said.
"Alright." Heaven tapped on the inside of the door as if to tell the driver to get going. "See you later, then."
Heaven casually walked away from the car, sauntering to the city mall, where she told Paula to meet. She looked back and saw that the car had never left its spot from where they had stopped. It was like Dominic was waiting for her to get in.
'He's probably shocked,' she thought, looking ahead. 'I don't care anymore. We agreed to postpone the divorce, but that doesn't mean I can be complacent. If I want a higher credit limit, the only way is to gain my husband's favor.'
A cunning smile turned up on her face as she giggled. She was in a good mood to go shopping and to try the kinds of food she hadn't eaten before. Pressing on Paula's buttons would be a bonus.
Dominic kept his eyes in her direction when she was already inside the mall. No one could guess what was going on in his mind at the moment, but for sure, the two people in the front seat were obviously surprised. The driver and Dominic's assistant looked at each other, both wearing shocked looks on their faces.
Did the young Madam and the master have a conversation just now?
They've been working for Dominic even before he got married. They were fully aware of the boss' terrible marriage. Every time Heaven and Dominic would be in the same car, the journey would be total silence, to the point it was suffocating. Not only that, but they never saw Heaven and Dominic speak to one another with more than twenty words.
What was even more surprising was that Heaven was the one who started it!
So, what did they witness?
"Ahem, Master." Dominic's assistant cleared his throat after shaking his head, recomposing himself from what he just witnessed. When he looked back, Dominic was still staring at where Heaven had disappeared. "Should we go? Or do you want to cancel your appointment to join the Madam?"
"I don't remember being invited," he muttered, peeling his eyes away from the direction he had been staring. "Let's go."
The assistant pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. He then gave the driver a small nod to indicate to start the car. The driver returned the gesture and slowly drove away from the mall.
'What is she doing?' Dominic wondered on his way to his meeting. 'Why does she suddenly feel… different?'
Dominic shut his eyes as he was, deep in thought at his wife's strange behavior. His expression turned stoic once more, not a bit pleased at the questions in his head.
'Heaven Liu… you better keep your word,' Dominic thought, his nostrils flaring in annoyance with the thoughts going on inside his head. 'If I find out you're up to something bad, I won't be lenient anymore.'
Even though Dominic had no expectations of his wife, he was afraid she was up to something. Whatever plans that may be, Heaven should make sure it wouldn't hurt their son. Because if this resulted in hurting Sebastian, Dominic would do everything in his power so she wouldn't show up in front of them again.
Their marriage stood on an eggshell.
One wrong move would result in a disaster.
No one's to blame but Heaven, though. Dominic's lack of trust and confidence in her was due to the five years of negligence from her. Hoping and trusting her would only hurt and disappoint him.
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