“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Alexander expressed incredulously.

Stunned, he stared at his wife. However, Felicity was too excited, lost in her thoughts, probably planning the supposed wedding in her mind already. She didn’t notice how Alexander’s eyes widened in disbelief or how he pursed his lips both in displeasure and disapproval.

“Oh, I’m going to love my days ahead, wedding shopping with her and all. I can’t wait, and I’ll personally design their rings,” Felicity announced, sharing her ideas about all the details she would add to their custom-made wedding rings.

Alexander was thankful for the red signal and slammed his foot on the brakes. He would have pulled it to the side anyway. Felicity was so ahead in her plans she certainly wouldn’t have paid heed to his word of disagreement. It was required of him to face her when he spoke to her. That way, it would be easier to put some sense into her foggy brain.

“Felci, did you hear yourself? You sound so ridiculously absurd right now. How conveniently you forgot what you pointed out a few minutes ago,” Alexander said, which sounded more like scolding, and Felicity didn’t like his tone.

“That little girl is not even an adult yet. They’re still in high school, for God’s sake, Felci, and you’re planning their wedding,” Alexander pointed out, his voice a bit harsher than he intended. Resting his hands on the steering wheel, he stared at Felicity to find her at the loss of words as what he said registered in her brain.

A few seconds later, Felicity laughed, nervous and almost timid, trying to conceal her blunder. She looked away as if the view in the window suddenly became fascinating and shook her head. Alexander knew her inside and out, so he could see when she masked her real emotions before plastering a fake smile across her face, a cover-up for her slip.

“God, Alexander, chill. I was,” Felicity paused to take a deep breath and licked her lips, “Jesting. It was a joke.” She laughed again to emphasise her statement. “Your face, you look so pale,” she said, giggling when she finally faced him. Alexander obviously didn’t find the humour in her feigned laughter. He tilted his head and fixed her with a hard stare.

Felicity sighed, annoyed that he didn’t buy her lies and defeated that he so transparently saw through her. Scowling, she crossed her arms, probably to appear more defiant, Alexander guessed.

“Huh, you’re no fun,” Felicity huffed and instantly added, “And so boring.”

Alexander only stared harder in return. She peeked through her lashes to see his glare intensifying and rolled her eyes. “All work and no play has made you dull,” she declared. “Stop frowning so much. The lines on your forehead make you look old and ugly,” she snapped, irked at his lack of response.

The signal turned green, and Alexander resumed his driving. He bit his lip but failed to tame the smile that fought its way out. Felicity caught him smiling and grinned, relieved that the tension eased from his handsome face.

“You’re old but not ugly at all,” Felicity amended her earlier statement. “You’re still the most handsome, gorgeous man I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” she declared, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“Handsomer than your little troublemaker?” Alexander asked, a teasing lilt to his tone. Felicity laughed, kissing his cheek again. “He’s not here to know, so can say yes,” he proposed.

“Don’t push your luck too much, Alexander,” Felicity pretended to reprimand, despite her delighted laughter that followed after, and Alexander was too enchanted by her gorgeous laughter to care about her negative response.

Eyes trained on the road ahead, Alexander took her hand and brought it to his lips to place a soft kiss on the back of her hand. Felicity’s gaze never wavered from his face. She smiled, her heart-shaped, full lips stretching into a wide grin. When her husband glanced at her, she widened her eyes and arched her brows. Alexander heard the silent “What?” written over her face.

“My angel, I know you’re excited to meet our boy’s girl, but let the poor girl breathe, okay? You’ll scare her away if you don’t stop with this madness,” Alexander said in a softer tone, his gaze full of affection.

Felicity nodded her agreement, seemingly thoughtful.

“I do know, Alexander. I was so eager to have her in my life and cherish her I got carried away. I’m sorry,” Felicity smiled, but it had a tinge of sadness underneath it. She promptly looked away, avoiding Alexander’s eyes.

Alexander still had her hand in his. Clasping their fingers together, he let their joined hands rest on his lap. He thoughtfully let the silence linger for a few seconds more to give her the time to gather her overwhelming emotions.

“I’m here for you, angel,” Alexander spoke, drawing Felicity’s attention back to him. He squeezed her hand gently, thumb rubbing over her knuckles. “I know it wasn’t a joke to you. Now tell me the real reason behind your lie,” he easily coerced her to open up. He knew it when her small smile reached her eyes.

“I mean, what are you truly feeling right now? I know something is bothering you,” Alexander stated the obvious, patiently waiting for her confession.

Felicity lifted their intertwined hands, bringing them close to her, only to keep Alexander’s hand sandwiched between hers. She kissed his hand before hugging it to her chest.

She frowned, her brows furrowed as if suddenly noticing something crucial. “Please tell me when you need your hand to shift the gears,” Felicity said, her tone half-joking and half-serious. It was a lame attempt at a joke to lighten up her tense shoulders. Alexander laughed nevertheless, the deep rich sound soothing her nerves.

However, when Felicity spoke again, Alexander’s smile instantly died down.

“My wish to have a daughter never came true, Alexander,” she voiced in a low whisper, sadness dripping from her voice.

Alexander listened to her confessions, word by word, while it shattered his heart. He couldn’t disagree with anything she expressed. It was all true. Their every dream and every happiness seemed meaningless without their beloved daughter by their side. Their happy family was always incomplete without Hera.

“Our wedding anniversaries, the birthday parties we hosted, every Christmas and new year, and every joyful celebration all felt empty without Hera, Alexander,” Felicity confessed. Alexander could only nod. His throat constricted painfully, and he couldn’t speak, afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop his tears, whereas Felicity kept shedding her tears freely.

When tears blurred his vision, Alexander stopped the car, parking at the corner of a random road. His phone rang in the next two seconds, and his security in charge, Norman, the second in command after Mathew, spoke, asking if anything was wrong. Alexander uttered a firm no into the phone before ending the call. He took off his seatbelt and moved closer to pull Felicity into his arms.

“I was ecstatic when you said my boy is bringing a girl home. I was short of words to express my happiness,” Felicity admitted, sniffing into his chest. She had no shame in accepting she was selfish and greedy. She would welcome any tiny possibility of having a daughter in any way or form. “A daughter-in-law is also a daughter, right? I was ready to accept and cherish her presence in our life,” she conceded, looking into Alexander’s eyes.

Alexander nodded in understanding, tightening his arms around her. Resting her head on Alexander’s chest, Felicity wept in silence, mourning all their dreams which never turned into reality.

The sudden movements outside caught her attention as she noticed the guards pacing back and forth around their car. She frowned after realising what was happening. Since Alexander had parked the car on the wrong side, the guards were cautiously ensuring no other vehicles passing by crashed into theirs.

“Alexander, I think we’re causing inconvenience to people. We should move,” Felicity said, still surveying the situation outside. “It’s okay. You don’t have to worry. It doesn’t matter,” she heard Alexander say indifferently, his tone dismissive.

She laughed at his unconcerned response, too pleased because it only conveyed how much Alexander treasured her. Nothing else mattered to him except her.

“My very whipped husband, I appreciate the concern but drive now. I’m fine,” Felicity commanded, her voice of tone firm yet fond.

“In a while. I need a moment,” said Alexander, surprising Felicity. That was when she lifted her face to look at him and saw the unshed tears brimming in his eyes. He looked so vulnerable and broken that Felicity’s heart constricted in guilt. She was so busy basking in the warmth of his arms while he consoled her miserable heart that she forgot they were in the same sinking boat and Alexander had suffered as much as she did.

Tilting her chin up, Felicity moved to kiss Alexander’s eyelids one after the other. Tears rolled down his cheeks just like the way raindrops left on the leaves or flower petals would when they were blown away by a gust of wind after the rain. Alexander took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in his throat. Cupping his face in her palms, Felicity wiped his tears before kissing him on the mouth, swallowing his whimpers.

Behind their closed eyelids, they both envisioned the same dream coming true, where they saw their son and daughter growing up together, bickering one moment and adoring each other the next moment. It crushed their hearts to remember their little, happy family, their paradise that Johnathan Castellanos had destroyed so mercilessly.