Jinhai said, “And we will fake the contract?”
Xiang Wei said, “Yes. We will create a fake contract and put it on top of the divorce papers. This way, it won’t be a problem even if she reads the first some pages. I know Huian won’t fully go through it. She is too eager to win. She is impatient now. She anyhow wants this matter to be settled in her favor. But just in case we’ll take precautions if she does decide to read it thoroughly.”
Silence.
“After she signs, Xin will immediately head to the court to settle the divorce, and once it’s done, Jinhai and Nana can go Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage.”
Liu Hai said, “Huian will go crazy once she comes to know the truth. She can try to harm herself again.”
Xiang Qingge took a deep breath. “We know. But we will handle it. Last time it was all too sudden. But this time, we’ll be prepared to stop her.”
Jinhai said nothing. He was in deep thought.
Liu Hai asked gravely, “Are you sure about this Xiang Wei? She will hate you both for this deception.”
He sadly smiled. “We know, and we are ready for it. Sometimes parents have to be hard on their children if they become too blind to realize their own downfall. It will be too late till the time she realizes that Jinhai doesn’t love her. She will waste her whole life, trying to chase a dream that can never become a reality. And that time…she will curse herself that she didn’t realize it sooner.”
Silence.
“Huian will regret that if she had agreed to divorce, then she wouldn’t have lost the chance to be happy once again. She may have met another man who truly loves her. She would be heartbroken to know that she gave up so many years for a fruitless love. She wouldn’t have been able to bear that.”
Xiang Qingge’s eyes welled with tears.
“I can only hope that this time she comes out of her illusion.”
Liu Hai sighed and nodded.
Present.
Nana was stumped for any words. She couldn’t believe that Huian’s parents made this plan.
They must have felt terrible that they are hurting their daughter by doing this, but they remained firm. Knowing that she may hate them forever, they still didn’t budge from their decision.
Just how much courage that would have needed to stand against their daughter…
She started sniffling. Big drops of tears stained her cheeks wet.
Jinhai hugged her. “I know you are feeling bad for uncle and aunt Xiang, right?”
She nodded.
He patted her shoulders. “Don’t worry. They are strong. And Huian also loves them a lot. She will be angry for sure, but she will never hate them.”
She bit her lips.
He held her face and kissed her forehead. “She left us with no choice. That is also why we didn’t bring our papers at home. I didn’t want you to be in the dark. I wanted to explain everything and let you know that the papers you will be signing will be our marriage certificate.”
Jinhai’s phone buzzed. He saw the message from Xin.
‘It’s done.’
“Nana…” He pressed his forehead on hers. “It was Xin’s message just now. The divorce formalities are over now. Everything is settled in court. I’m…no longer married to Huian.”
Nana raised her head and looked into his eyes, where she could see her face reflecting in them.
The dream that she had locked somewhere tightly in her heart realized in front of her. She never even had the luxury of waiting for her love to become hers because it was endless. She could only helplessly see her love embracing another woman. That was the harsh reality of falling in love with a married man.
To her, Liu Jinhai was like the brightest star in the sky; that she could only see it’s brilliance from afar. She may stretch her hands to try to touch it, but it was always out of her reach.
Does that mean I can have my forever with Liu Jinhai? Is this true?
“Liu Jinhai…I’m scared. The consequences will be dire. What if we cannot control it?”
Jinhai said, “As long as I’m with you, you don’t have to worry about anything. Nana, I love you. I want to give you the right to be my wife. I love our child. I want to give him my name. After waiting for so long, I don’t want anything to come in between me and my happiness.”
Nana wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug.
“En.” She said softly.
“So, Nana…”
This was the first time when Jinhai was very nervous about something. He felt like a teenager confessing his crush to his love.
“I know this proposal is not the ideal one that I am giving you, but…will you marry me?”
Silence.
1 second…
2 seconds…
3 seconds…
His heart pounded loudly in his chest in anticipation.
Nana held his face in her hands. She stepped on her toes and kissed his lips. “Yes.”
He is right. As long they are together, Nana felt like every problem as big as a mountain seemed small in comparison. They will face whatever comes their way, hand in hand.
Jinhai was overjoyed. He picked Nana up and twirled her around.
She gasped in surprise. “Ah!”
He put her down and grinned widely. “I love you so much.” He couldn’t resist and shared a deep, romantic kiss with her. Nana responded with the same passion.
Jinhai asked, “Shall we?”
She smiled and nodded.
They went out and immediately completed the registration.
As it got over, Nana held a small red booklet that had Jinhai and her pictures and her name below.
Mrs. Liu Nana.
