497: [Bonus chapter] 8 months later

[Bonus chapter] 8 months later

Days, weeks, and months passed by in a blink of an eye. All those times Axel's and Heaven's lives centered on the daily routine of going back and forth to the hospital and the hotel. Ria Zhu continuously recovered until she could look after her husband. Axel would mostly stay with her, and just after a month, Lionel finally regained consciousness.  1

Lionel had been everyone's worry. Although his vitals stabilized, he barely showed signs of consciousness. That was until Ria Zhu started taking care of him, talking to him even when he was in a coma. And when he finally opened his eyes, everyone just shed tears of joy. Even Grandma Zhu rushed back to the hospital to embrace her son. 

Sebastian, on the other hand, was also doing better. His injuries were healing up well — faster than everyone expected. Heaven took special care of him, showering him with nothing but love and affection. The only time he felt emotional again was when his grandfather, whom he considered his hero, woke up from a long slumber. 

The family rejoiced, and it seemed everything started falling into its rightful place. 

Dominic had also managed to adjust to his new schedule, learning things every single day. And Riley and the kid's family eventually became one of their friends. Though the family still believed it was their fault Sebastian was dragged into such a mess. 

Everything was going well until the point where the incidents in the past felt like it was just a bad dream. Of course, they would never forget what happened. However, they eventually made peace with it and moved forward.

Ria and Lionel were discharged just a month after he regained consciousness, but they still had to do therapy. Three months later, Sebastian could finally go home. But just like his grandparents, he still needed to do therapy so he could walk normally again. 

And before they all knew it, it was already been eight months since the abduction took place.

"Is everything ready?" Heaven snapped her eyes at the woman sitting across from her. "Your water might break anytime soon. Shouldn't you be in the hospital in case?"

"Tomorrow," said Heaven, flashing Ivy a smile. "We plan on going to the hospital tomorrow."

"Ahh..." Ivy rocked her head, glancing at the black panther running around the huge garden in the north wing of the old residence. 

Currently, Ivy and Heaven were idling in the pavilion. The latter said she liked the ambiance here.

"I'm surprised that you and Mercy were getting along," Ivy remarked, setting her eyes back to Heaven. "How am I supposed to carry you if your water broke today?"

"Don't worry about that." Heaven winked at her, lifting a small button from the side of the table. "Butler Fu gave this to me in case I needed help."

"But not everyone can come close if Mercy is roaming around the garden."

"Mercy makes me feel safe." Heaven shrugged as she turned her head, searching for the big, black, sassy cat. She immediately caught Mercy running around, making her smile. "Also, I missed her so much. I heard she had been very lonely. We were gone for how many months, after all."

Ivy cupped her face, smiling genuinely at her friend. Her eyes swirled with relief, seeing that Heaven was doing perfectly fine. When her gaze fell on the bulging stomach underneath her maxi dress, she couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Gosh... time surely flies, huh?" Ivy watched Heaven return her gaze. "I can't believe it's almost nine months since that time in the Hunter's Zone."

"I know, right?"

"I still can't forget how you confronted me."

"Well, thanks to my dauntlessness and your honesty, we turned out to be good friends." The two women chuckled at the thought, recalling that time when they became friends. 

That time reminded them of how fast the past several months had been. It only took a few minutes and words before they shook hands, casually agreeing to be each other's friends. And because of that, Ivy had to incessantly apologize for failing Heaven in visiting her months ago. It was not her fault, though. Dominic forbade everyone from approaching his family except the authorized people.

She tried to make up to her friend once everyone was discharged, though. There wasn't a day in a week Ivy wouldn't visit Heaven. And now that Heaven's due date was just around the corner, her visits also turned frequent.

"So? Are you nervous?" Ivy inquired after sharing a few good laughs with her friend. "I know this isn't your first time, but I heard it can still be a little nerve-wracking."

"I won't deny that I'm a little nervous, but I'm more excited." Heaven's eyes softened as she placed her hand on her big stomach, smiling. "I'm excited to meet her."

She flinched when she felt a kick in the place she put her hand. "She seems to agree."

"I'm so glad." Ivy smiled warmly, nodding at her encouragingly. "I bet everyone is just as excited as you."

"They are, especially Basti. How about you?" Heaven narrowed her eyes. "Still no progress with this guy you'd been stalking?"

"Stalking? Heaven Liu, isn't that a little too much to describe my admiration?"

"Isn't following the guy around, watching his blind dates from afar, and such not called stalking?"

"I was curious!"

"Whoever this guy is must be a godsend." Heaven shook her head, getting more astonished by Ivy Wei's crazy journey for love. "I'm slowly seeing you in a different light now."

Ivy just chuckled, not taking everything to heart. After all, there was a reason Heaven found her weird to chase after a guy. Most especially when this guy blatantly rejected Ivy more than a hundred times. There was even a time she mentioned in passing that they (Ivy and this man she loved) only met eyes, but the guy immediately said, "No," even before she could say anything.

"Heaven, I'm curious." Ivy waited for Heaven to look back at her once again. "I've been telling you about this same guy since we became friends. However, you never asked who he was. I wonder why?"

Heaven rubbed her chin before she grinned. "Because if I know, there will be two women stalking him."

"Hahaha!" 

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