402: [Bonus chapter] that's him?

[Bonus chapter] that's him?

There was never a memory Heaven could remember having with her mother-in-law alone. Although Ria Zhu had always been kind and welcoming to her, she was always careful. Not to mention, with how timid and uninterested the original Heaven was, it was hard to have a perfect time to bond with her.  2

Therefore, after months of observing Heaven, Ria mustered enough courage to ask for some time with her daughter-in-law. Heaven wasn't as unwelcoming as before, after all. 

"I never knew that..." Heaven let out an awkward chuckle. "Dominic didn't mention."

"It's alright." Ria covered her lips with the back of her hand. "We don't talk about that anymore since what's important is the present. However, I did mention it, so you know that I understand marriage isn't as easy as it sounds."

She placed her hand down to her lap, eyes still on Heaven. "Dominic isn't easy to get along with, and I'm always worried about you two. But after some time, I'm glad that your marriage is doing well."

"Thanks to him." Heaven shrugged. "If he wasn't patient with me, then... I don't know."

"No." Ria instinctively reached for Heaven's hand that was on the latter's lap. "Marriage is about the two people in it. It will never work if you don't want to work on it together. So, it's thanks to both of you that you chose to stay and work on things and compromise."

She squeezed Heaven's hand before retrieving her hand. "Your father-in-law and I had a horrible start. We didn't know each other until our engagement. At that time, I wasn't ready for marriage and Lionel wasn't really my type. He has a horrible personality, after all. The total opposite of what I like in men, but now I'm thankful he is my husband."

"There were many couples out there who still followed the traditional ways and still arrange marriage, but most of them led a miserable life," she continued, but her tone didn't sound like she was mocking other people's failed marriages. "That is why we didn't want to apply that to our children. It worked for me and their father, but I'm scared we'll make them miserable."

'That was why you didn't stop Dominic when he said he will get married?' Heaven mentally rocked her head, understanding this discovery that she didn't really care much about until now. 

"Seeing that Dom is very happy with his marriage, I can only thank you." Ria flashed Heaven a grateful and affectionate smile. "Thank you for coming into our lives and loving my son. I'm sorry that I'm only saying this now, but your family has always been in my prayers."

"Mother, you're making me feel shy." 

Ria laughed. "I'm just afraid if I keep hesitating, it might take another five years before I can even thank you."

"Mom, even if you don't say it, I always feel your care for us," Heaven remarked, stressing each word so her mother-in-law could feel her sincerity. "And I'm always grateful to you and Father."

Both women stared at each other, bearing gentle smiles and appreciation in their eyes. 

"I'm glad that I took the courage to find you tonight," Ria confessed, letting out a brief chuckle. "Do you want to take a look at some of our family photos? You might find some things you can use against Dominic and Axel."

"Huh?"

Ria stretched over to the coffee table, turning her head to Heaven as she reached for a photo album on the level underneath the table. "One of the reasons no one comes in here is that those two didn't want to show people some of their photos."

"Haha. That sounds like something Axel and Dom will do."

"Yes." Ria laughed as she picked up a thick photo album. When she straightened her back in her seat, Heaven scoot over to her. "This is a photo album of their teens... I think?"

When Ria opened the photo album, the first set of photos Heaven saw was the younger version of Dominic and Axel. Dominic seemed to be in college while Axel was in high school, but they were just as good-looking as today. 

"They look so young," she muttered, darting her eyes between both guys. "Haha. Axel's hair was still as messy, though."

"That boy dislikes others touching his hair when he has a terrible choice of hairdo," Ria replied playfully. "Here is the time we went abroad on a family trip. I remember Axel having diarrhea in the hotel."

They checked each photo, sharing giggles and laughter, while Ria would tell Heaven a brief story about each one. Heaven enjoyed every minute of every photo and story, imagining the situation in her mind. They were engrossed with the photo album and after reaching the end, Ria took out more. 

This time, Ria pulled out not just one but a few on the table. Just like the first one, they checked the second. There were some funny photos taken, like that one photo where Axel was sitting on the bed without any expression, as if he had just woken up. 

"This looks funny. I didn't know Axel is so petite back then," Heaven remarked while laughing and Ria laughed as well. 

"But he really eats well. Although he's still a little petite now, working out helped him gain some muscles." Ria leaned closer to Heaven as she whispered, "Though he always complains that no matter what he does, he wouldn't get the abs he so wanted."

Heaven burst out in laughter as she could imagine Axel stressing out for not having that beach body he wanted. Ria shook her head, placing the photo album on the side of the table, only to pick up a new one. 

"Oh, this one is a lot older," she said, resting the photo album on her lap. "I mean, I think it's their childhood."

Ria's eyes softened as she opened the photo album, revealing a photo of her in the garden with two boys with her. One was a child she was carrying, and the other was a young, chubby boy. 

The moment Heaven's eyes fell on the photo, she narrowed her eyes and lowered her head. 

"Mom?" she called, pointing at the chubby boy next to her. "This is…?"

"Dominic. He used to be chubby and wears very thick glasses." Ria's lips stretched, reminiscing about the past when her boys were still young. "How time passed. I can still remember how they run around the garden, but now Dom has a family of his own…"

She trailed off when she turned her head, only to see Heaven staring at the photo with shock. "Heaven, are you alright?"

"Mom, can I check some of his childhood photos?" Heaven snapped her eyes up.

"Uh… of course."

Heaven immediately snatched the photo album, flipping the pages almost aggressively. She flipped the pages until Dominic looked a bit older than the previous ones. His glasses also changed into a thicker one, and his cheeks were chubbier. He didn't look like the current Dominic, but this face... was something she would never forget.

"He…" she breathed out, heart thudding against her chest while her head throbbed, wide-eyed. 'You got to be kidding me. That kid is him?'

pqdm.com