“So she said yes?” asked Heer, wiggling her eyebrows as she looked at her son’s flushed face through the screen of the laptop in front of her. Her question earned her a small smile from Christian from the other side while his sister sitting next to his mother could only chuckle under her breath while palming her mouth. “Yes,” he answered, nodding his head. And suddenly that piece passed from his memory in which finally the beauty of his dreams had said yes to him in reply. That moment was no less than a festival for him. “Aw, just look at your face! You’re blushing hard!” Abigail revealed as she laughed loudly, hiding her face behind her palm. Christian just shook his head lightly as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Mom, stop her!” He complained, glaring at Abigail, whose eyes widened when she heard her brother. “What’s wrong I did?” She gasped, dramatically palming her chest. “You teased me!” He pointed out, his eyes squinting automatically. “Oh, and you’re complaining ab
“Don’t cry anymore, okay?” Hazel asked once again, caressing Irene’s hair as she gave her a small nod in response. “Good. Now I’m going back.” She got up with a small sigh. After explaining for a long time, Irene understood as Hazel was trying to remove the guilt from her mind which was eating her up inside. Irene finally realized what she did was wrong.“Yes, you should rest now. I’ll take care of her,” Kevin assured her as he sat right beside Irene’s head, massaging her scalps. Due to crying for a long time, it was inevitable to have a headache. Kevin had given her the medicine, now it was just a matter of waiting till morning. “Yeah,” Hazel nodded before she walked out of their room after turning the lights off and closing the door behind her. Coming out of the room, she took a deep breath and realized that Christian and Adam must have been asleep by now. She was there too late. Marcus had also slept in the guest room. She walked through the quiet corridor towards her room and
“When my father arranged my marriage with Natalia without my consent, I was very angry with his decision. The marriage of our four brothers was decided like this, but like my other brothers, I could not put my life in his decision. I was the youngest, hence the most rebellious.” The old man shrugged with a small and weak smile. Although his lips were chapped and quivering because of weakness in his body, his smile was very young and charming. It still had the power to lure anyone. There was no doubt that he was handsome in his youth but illness had taken away his strength and now he could not move from this bed without any help. His sons were always ready for him but he had the highest desire for his daughter, like Judah to Joseph and Benjamin. And that daughter was not always with him. She had met him today, when she had turned into a young woman of twenty-three. The old man sighed as he looked down at his lap. Tears brimmed his eyes when a memory flashed before his head as he sai
“So why did she distance herself from you?” He asked once again while Reuben stayed silent. He was watching this all silently, standing in a corner of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded on his broad chest. He did not want to say anything in the midst of all this because he already knew all these things. His father had already told him about his past because Reuben wanted to know about the reason behind his deteriorating health and the truth seemed bitter to him. That truth was so bitter and astringent that it was difficult to get it out of the mouth. At the same time, that truth could have caused a rift in family relationships. Because that truth was related to his real mother Natalia. “Because she was pregnant with my child. And she didn’t want to spoil my reputation because someone lied to her that I was married. Had that truth come out in the middle of my marriage, my name and fame could have sunk.” He smiled at the end but that smile was fake. It carried the
“I’m glad to know,” he said, “And I’m even more pleased to have my kids with me right now.” He spread his arm over Hazel’s shoulder and his eldest son’s shoulder as he pulled them for a hug. They hugged him back, just to be joined by Rueben and his brother with their wives. Christian watched the family with a smile before he ran his eyes around the spacious room. That room was like a king’s room and that bed was also huge. The entire wall behind the bed was covered with several picture frames. There were also pictures of his wedding. His wife Natalia, his three sons and his daughter-in-laws and their children. It was as if he had photographs of every stage of his life for memory. In those pictures, he also saw Natalia who was no longer alive. She passed away four years ago due to some never-ending illness. It was dementia that took her away from her husband. She was not very old at the time of her death because, in the last picture of her, she was holding her eldest son’s daughter i
“And you thought that he was some man who was trying to impress me…” Hazel laughed, throwing her head back as she remembered the morning she saw his jealous side. It was indeed a sight to behold by her. He was indeed a protective man of hers. Christian, who was washing the dishes after he had dinner, could not help but sigh when he heard her laughing. Though he loved the pleasant sound, it was the twenty-eighth time she was teasing him. After coming back from the Samuel mansion, he had gone out for some work. And then he came straight back at nine o’clock at night while Adam was asleep. Hazel was the first to cook and serve him food. After that, he insisted on washing the dishes himself. And since the incident of the morning had cropped up in their normal conversation, Hazel had found an opportunity to tease him over and over again. “You’re teasing me nonstop, Haze,” he murmured, putting a dish away before he went to dry his hands with a towel. Hazel, after she held her hands behi
“My family’s coming tomorrow.” That gained her quick attention. “We’ll go to pick them up,” he revealed further, “They’re eager to meet you.” She did not pull away, breathing in the same air. “I thought we were going there,” she mumbled in confusion when she remembered the time he told her that his mother wanted them to marry in Rajasthan. The place was opposite where she lived. He let go of her neck as he held her waist. “We will, baby.” The nickname made her heart skip a beat. She swallowed, not wishing to react awkwardly because of that. He noticed it and continued with a small smile, “But I also want to invite your family to our wedding. In such a condition, it’d be difficult for dad to travel, so I thought that we should get married here. We can hold the ceremony there.” She smiled instantly at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you so—,” and she was shushed by his mouth as he kissed her once again. He pulled back and gave an answer to her puzzlement, “No thank you and all. They’re my
“He’s really excited,” said Hazel as she looked down at her kid who was jumping with joy. He was holding her hand and jogging in his place, eagerly waiting for the guests to arrive. “He really is,” said Christian with a small smile on his lips which was slightly hidden behind his beard. “He said he’ll drive them home,” he continued, looking in his front. Many people were arriving by the large gates but their family was not behind those people. He wondered what made them so late. She chuckled when she heard him. Adam was unable to hide his happiness. “They’re coming,” the words that escaped his mouth got Hazel’s quick attention as she quickly raised her head and found the family coming to them. Her eyes slightly widened when she eyed each one of them, suddenly feeling nervous. Sanam and his wife were walking together. His hand was on her lower back as he guided them ahead. He was wearing a brown suit, looking so formal and high class, while his wife was wearing a simple white knee-