"What hardships had he been through when he was young?" Abigail only knew Nathan had a grandmother. He had never mentioned his parents to her. She did not ask him about it either.Just like her, she had never mentioned anyone in her family to Nathan other than her grandmother.Nathan did not talk about his family. So, Abigail thought his parents might not be around anymore, just like her. She thought that was the reason why he was raised by Margaret."Shortly after his mother gave birth to him, his father had another child with his mistress. After that, his mother started to fool around too. Not long after, she had another child with another man. Nathan has a sister from the same parents. She was conceived when their parents were drunk in their hometown. Their parents didn't love her as she was an unwanted child. So, Nathan took care of her instead. When he was slightly older, he took on all the responsibilities of the family when he was a teenager." Esther was sad when she talked a
"Xander," Jane pleaded, "I know I neglected yours and Essy's feelings in the past. I was wrong, and now I want to make up for my mistakes. Please, give me one more chance."A cold chuckle escaped Xander. "Do you really think you deserve another chance?""Even if you don't want to forgive me," Jane persisted, "you should at least let Abigail meet her mother-in-law. You two have been legally married for nearly two years and she hasn't officially met your family. Are you still leaving room for doubt by not formally introducing her to our kin?""Jane, don't even think about messing with Abigail. She's not someone you can handle." Xander's voice darkened, his grip on the phone tightening. "Don't forget, there are people you care about.""I sought out Abigail last time because I heard rumors she was cheating. I wanted to defend your honor," Jane admitted. "I now see my error. I promise to treat her well in the future.""My wife, I'll look after her just fine. I don't need your false sen
Abigail texted back swiftly.Abigail: [Of course, when we meet, I'll let you hold me.]Staring at the reply, Xander was not sure how to respond. Given his current relationship with Abigail as Xander, there was no chance she would let him hold her. As for when he could face her as Nathan, he did not know how much longer that would take. The wait for an open, honest embrace seemed indefinite. Maybe a month, maybe a year, maybe even longer. But he did not want to wait another moment. He yearned to hold her now.His fingers tapped the screen swiftly, and he sent another message.Xander: [Abigail, I want to hold you right now.]Abigail promptly sent back a few "hug" emojis.Xander: [What I want is a real hug, not emoji hugs.]Abigail: [Ah, we're thousands of miles apart, how can we hug?]Xander: [Right now, we can't. But remember, you owe me a hug. When we meet, I'll claim it back twofold.]Standing at the entrance to the kitchen, Xander looked at Abigail's slender figure. He knew
Abigail mulled over the probability of her assumption and promptly made a decision. "Essy, I have a favor to ask.""Abigail, you know you can ask me anything. There's no need for formalities.""About Nathan's parents," Abigail began. "I don't want you to mention them to anyone anymore.""You can trust me, Abigail. Not just anyone is privy to Nathan's affairs."Abigail's tone turned serious. "Today, you shared this information with me. I need you to keep it to yourself and not to let him know."Esther blinked, confused. "But why?"Abigail offered an explanation. "When you told me about his past, was it because you hoped I'd be kinder to him?"Esther's face registered confusion. "He had such a difficult childhood. What's wrong with wanting you to be a bit gentler with him after knowing that?"Abigail gently tousled Esther's hair. "Essy, your intentions are good, but did you consider that maybe Nathan doesn't need our sympathy?""And what does he need then?" Esther asked.Abigai
It was no secret that Abigail's first thought in any situation was inevitably Xander. Esther playfully protested, "Abigail, that's unfair. We all made the ravioli together, why does my brother get the first taste?"Abigail replied with a laugh, "Because Mr. Zane is my boss, and in my world, he always comes first. Everyone else has to step aside."Esther promptly asked, "So, what if it's between my brother and Nathan? Who would come first in your heart?""How can you compare?" Abigail asked, a woman who always kept her work and personal life separate. With her straightforward nature, she was not afraid to voice her thoughts. "Nathan is my husband, my closest companion. If all goes well, we'll be spending decades together. In my personal life, my first thoughts might be of Nathan, or perhaps my grandmother or my two close childhood friends, Felix and Melody. As for Mr. Zane, he's my superior, my employer, and someone I deeply respect. In matters related to work, he'd certainly be my f
Abigail could not discern anything from his expression and mistook his tolerance for preference, preparing to cook another batch of ravioli. "Mr. Zane, if you enjoy them, we can have some more."Xander nodded. "Sure."While Abigail went into the kitchen to prepare more ravioli, Esther turned to Xander, speaking softly, "Brother, if you don't like it, don't force yourself. You don't want to upset your stomach.""Do you think I, Xander, would force myself to eat something I don't like?" he countered."You don't seem to be far from that right now," Esther retorted. "You remind me of our old husky back home."Xander shot her a sharp glance. "What would you know?"His wife's handiwork filled his plate. His wife had minced the meat, made the ravioli, cooked them, even prepared the dipping sauce. No matter his preference, he was committed to eating, and not just a few bites. He was prepared to go the extra mile."Brother, I recall you saying that love is the most illusionary thing. You
The more Abigail kept mum about this, the more Esther wanted to know her stand on love. "Say something, Abigail. There are only the three of us today, so you can freely say what you think about love.""Everyone has their own view on romantic relationships, my view is but my opinion alone and doesn't amount to much," said Abigail as she looked at Xander who was sitting at the same table. Him not looking at her made her feel like he was not interested in her opinion at all."We just want to know your opinion on this, especially my brother." Esther tugged at Xander's sleeves. "Stop stuffing yourself full of ravioli and say something, Brother."Xander raised his head. He obviously cared about Abigail's view, but he acted indifferent. "Well, we're both married individuals, and should occasionally discuss how we manage our marriage so we can make our married life more fulfilling."Abigail immediately felt the mood change from a dinner on Easter night to a meeting where she was asked to s
"Were you suffering from a previous relationship, Abigail? Why don't you believe in love when you're still so young?" asked Esther directly."There was certainly some effect, though not to the extent of being hurt," said Abigail as the image of that person appeared in her mind, and she recalled what that person had said to her. Her disbelief in love may be due to the influence of that person, but it was not solely because of that person's influence.The prerequisite for a lot of marriages nowadays was to see how many physical possessions the other party had. Men looked for rich women so they could have a carefree life while women looked for rich men, so they did not have to worry about spending. Having seen many such cases, Abigail felt that marriage nowadays was more of a business deal than solely just a marriage. Couples did not marry to have a married life, but to live with more material possessions, akin to co-living with another person without love.Esther asked, "Does that mea