226: DO YOU WANT TO . . .?

DO YOU WANT TO . . .?

2"Leave you? Who told you that dad?" Ingrid confusedly asked.

"You won't? You mean that you'll accept my offer?"

Out of excitement, John coughed successively.

"Take it easy, dad." She smiled while touching her father's back.

"You can't blame me, dear. But, does your husband know about this?"

Ingrid nodded.

John looked at her daughter but he sees no trace of sadness, no indecision of sort, no doubt whatsoever in her eyes, but purely determination matched with affection to her father. He suddenly felt guilty,

"Oh dear, am I being too selfish?" John suddenly blurted out his thoughts. His daughter gave him a surprised look.

"What are you saying, dad? Taking care of my father and accepting a responsibility from a parent isn't selfishness on your part, daddy. It's an honor for me and my husband as well."

The two fell into silence, each of them were weighing what to say next.

"What's your arrangement regarding this?" regardless of the positive response from his daughter, John couldn't help but to feel worried at the same time upon thinking that his precious daughter will be separated from her newly wedded husband.

The woman's gaze turned from her father, and then she sat on the chair beside the bed.

"Don't worry about it, daddy, Clifford and I talked about it already while you're still unconscious days ago…"

"And could you please tell me the detail of your talk?"

"Okay, this is what we've come into agreement. . ."

. . .

Days ago, Clifford and Ingrid were the ones who watched over while the old man was still unconscious.

Noticeably, Ingrid always fell into deep thinking every time her gaze went to her father whose lying unconsciously on the bed.

Her train of thoughts were always anxious and there were moments that she couldn't help but to almost give in and succumbed to the challenge set before her: the need to accomplish filial obedience to her parents, more than ever, to her father.

However, the abiding love and submission to her husband and the undivided attention she should give to her son have the same weight in her heart.

She felt like being torn between two lovers.

These two weighty situations are so tricky that she needed time to think and breathe.

Little did she know that her husband was just around the corner, frequently checking and observing her with curious gaze in his eyes.

When Clifford could not take it anymore, it was him who made the first move and suggested something out of the blue.

"Love, I think we needed some day off. What do you think?"

Ingrid then looked up to her husband and paused to think.

"Ye-yeah, I think so but why the sudden suggestion, lovey?"

"Well… for days I've been watching over you, your gloominess never slip pass from my scrutiny. So I thought you and I needed to break free from this situation we're in and maybe we could come up some great decision while we're away."

"So, you're checking on me, all this time?"

"I couldn't help it. I-I just can't endure looking at my precious wife so down and worried. What's the use of me being your husband if don't something about it, right?"

He then cupped her face and solemnly said, "Love…I vowed to always protect you not just from harm but your emotions as well and to stand and stay with you against your troubles. I'm your helpmate and help-meet."

Without warning, his wife kissed him on the lips and they were both gasping for air when they pulled away.

"OOOHHH I miss that, lovey…" Clifford teased.

"Since you suggested a time off, I just know the place."

Ingrid remembered a certain place where she always go and hide away.

At once, the couple went to the family's vacation villa when Rose took over to watch for John. It was the very same villa where Ingrid and Liane spent their weekend when she knew of Sheldon's evil scheme.

When they arrived, they were greeted by the caretakers who were loyal to the family ever since.

"This is nice! I love it here…"

Clifford loved the serenity of the place. His mind and body immediately became at ease with the place. The house is big but not flashy compared to their other villas, but it does still have the state of the art quality.

"This is my family's simplest villa, but over the years, my father gave it to me as my 'secret' hideout. I remembered that it's the only place where Liane and I escapes every time we face setbacks, or just randomly feeling down. These walls were the eavesdroppers of our conversations. If these walls could play our naughtiness to frame me, they've got tons of it." she chuckled.

Touching the walls, Ingrid softly muttered, "I miss this place."

"Do you want to be here, live here again, I mean in Vienna?"

Immediately, Ingrid looked back at her husband whose head and left shoulder leaned on the door with his arms crossed on his abdomen.

"Ha? What do you mean?"

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