"Did he agree?" Serenity asked."He did," Clara replied."Well… Anyway, good luck." Serenity gave her blessings."Thanks. I hope things will go well too," Clara said.Meanwhile, Lisa still had not recovered from the initial shock. She was in a daze until Clara started waving her hand in front of Lisa's face. Clara shouted at Lisa and finally snapped her back to her senses."Oh, well… I'll have to get you a wedding present." After Lisa blurted that out, she quickly realized she had said something wrong. Clara and Wilson were not getting married out of love, after all.Sure enough, Clara refused. "No need. This marriage is just a temporary solution." Clara glanced at Lisa's belly and asked, "How have you been lately? Are you still experiencing strong fetal movement like last time?""Not really," Lisa said. "But speaking of which… Something felt really weird. Remember how that little boy touched my belly and made the fetal movements calm down immediately? And that little boy was so
There was someone who had helped Clara a lot while she was in prison. Clara wondered if she would ever be able to return the favor, and the thought saddened her. She did not have the person's contact information, after all. Besides, it had been so many years, so the hope of finding that person had become even slimmer.-A few days later, Clara and Wilson arrived at the county clerk's office.Clara looked at the signs hanging on the entrance emotionally. Once upon a time, she used to look forward to coming to this place with Wilson after he proposed to her. Later, Clara went to prison and stopped thinking about this. She thought she would not marry in this lifetime. She never thought she would ever come here, but this time, she had come here to marry Wilson."Shall we?" Wilson's voice rang from beside her."Let's go," Clara said, taking a deep breath. She took a step forward, but every step felt so heavy.The two of them entered the office and received a queue number. Then, they s
Wilson was displeased. "What? Must we be in love to get married?""You both don't seem to be in love. Even if you get married, you'll get divorced sooner or later," the woman remarked, but she immediately felt a chill up her spine. The man was giving her a death stare with a touch of hostility in his eyes.The woman did not dare to say anything, but Clara knew Wilson was angry."She's just a stranger." Clara could not help but remind him. After all, this woman was a victim in her marriage, and it was just a casual conversation, so there was no need for Wilson to get angry at a stranger's comment.Wilson shifted his gaze to Clara and slowly regained control of his emotions. The hostility in his eyes started to fade until he eventually returned to his usual coldness.Wilson almost lost control and let his anger overtake him. Just because the woman had said Clara and him would have to get a divorce sooner or later.Wilson knew Clara was using their marriage as a temporary solution,
Clara's voice was faint and flat throughout the whole recitation of marriage vows. She was just following along like a robot. Wilson focused his gaze on Clara as he recited the vows. To Clara, these vows had no meaning, but for Wilson, these vows were his lifelong vows. Wilson wondered if Clara knew how grateful he was when she agreed to keep the baby. Did she know that this was the marriage of a lifetime for him? Maybe they would end up getting a divorce in the future, but at least when he was old, he could tell himself that she had been his wife in his lifetime and lay in his grave without regrets. It was already a great honor for him to be her husband, even if only in name. Even though this was not a marriage out of love and he was just a tool to her. Even so, he should be content, Wilson thought to himself.-Wilson and Clara left the county clerk's office, each with a red book in their hands. Before leaving, Wilson said, "I'll take you home.""No need. I'll take the publi
"Is that so? Will she forgive me..." Wilson murmured."She will. Women are very soft-hearted," said the photographer.Something flashed in Wilson's eyes, and he said nothing more.Indeed, Clara used to be very soft-hearted once upon a time. Even if she was angry, she would be fine with just a little coaxing. At present, Clara might be soft-hearted to countless people, but not with him.Wilson stared down at the red book in his hand as he walked out of the county clerk's office. Anyway, she was finally legally his wife, and he was her husband.-Mrs. Wells was surprised to see her daughter alone when she returned to the store. Curious as to why Wilson was not with Clara, Mrs. Wells asked, "Where's Wilson? Uh, did you get the marriage procedure done with him?""Yeah, we did. We separated in front of the county clerk's office. I came back by bus," Clara explained. She did not tell anyone about her marriage today and just informed her mother about it last night. Mrs. Wells was sur
The neighbors widened their smiles as they received the candies. Everyone began crowding at Clara's store to congratulate her."Oh, Clara! You're so lucky to have such a good husband. He must be ridiculously rich.""Congratulations! I heard from your husband that you two were separated for many years because of an accident. He kept saying how sorry he was for you and Yanny. You've struggled so much raising Yanny alone for years, but now, you'll finally have a good life." "What a handsome groom. No wonder Yanny is so good-looking. He's just like his father." Clara could only manage a smile at the neighbor's congratulations. Mrs. Wells was smiling too, but she did not have to force a smile. With Wilson's effort, the gossip about them would gradually lessen in the neighborhood.By the time the candies were distributed and finished, it was time for the elementary school to end. When Yannick left the school, he saw Dad standing in front of Mom's store, and many of their neighbors wer
Mrs. Wells was the one who cooked dinner. The Wells family had four dishes and one soup for the night, which was pretty good.The small square dining table seemed to be more crowded than usual because of Wilson's presence.Mrs. Wells spoke to Wilson during dinner. "Thanks to what you've done today, everyone in the neighborhood knows you're married, but please don't do it again. Also, Clara's unborn baby will take Clara's last name. Is that okay?"Wilson's eyes glinted, and he tightened his hands slightly. Would the baby take the family name 'Wells'?"No problem," Wilson said."Also, have you told your family about your marriage?" Mrs. Wells asked again."I can decide on my own marriage. I'll find a time to talk to my family," Wilson said."Well, then. I don't want your family to object and cause trouble for my daughter later," Mrs. Wells said.Wilson nodded. "I won't let my family cause trouble for Clara."After dinner, Wilson took the initiative to clear the table. Mrs. Wells
Life went on after the marriage, but Clara could clearly feel a change in the neighbors' perception of her, especially after the exaggerated display Wilson did to announce their marriage.Maybe that was just the way people were. Clara planned to divorce Wilson after the baby was born and one year old. Maybe she would move to another place when Yanny got into middle school.Although a divorced woman with two kids would have a better reputation than an unmarried woman with two kids, she still found it ridiculous. Clara did not really care about what people thought of her, but she had to do something because of the reality of the situation.While Clara was thinking about what she could do for a living after her son's elementary school graduation, a black Maybach pulled up in front of her store.Soon, a woman in an elegant dress got out of the car. It was an elderly woman, probably in her sixties. She wore a coat over her dress, her hair tied up neatly, and her face with delicate makeu