novelThe Past
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When Douglas first put forward a proposal to marry Debbie to Carlos. Artie, who had heard of Carlos before, agreed to the proposal without hesitation.
Debbie had just broken up with Hayden back then. And she couldn't bear to turn down her father, who was terminally ill. She had been so mad at Hayden that she had agreed to marry Carlos in a fit of pique. Their marriage certificate had been issued on her birthday that year.
The reason why Carlos had agreed to marry Debbie was that he respected his grandfather's advice. From Carlos' childhood, Douglas had dedicated his time and money to his grandson's education.
When weak, frail and advanced in age Douglas sat Carlos down and recommended Debbie for a wife, it made sense.
At that time, Carlos was a workaholic with virtually no time for anything else.
Shortly after, Douglas had been hospitalized, in a coma, before he could let anyone in on his grandson's marriage. It didn't help that Carlos was overextended in time. So much that he hurtled from meeting to meeting, place to place, the world over for business. Until gradually, he had completely forgotten about his wife.
Debbie didn't know the story behind this. She and Carlos had been married for three years, yet had barely known each other until several months ago.
"Your grandpa is still in a coma. When your dad gets to know this, I'm pretty sure he'll throw a tantrum, " said Tabitha in a worried voice. That was a real source of concern for her. If there was one thing that Tabitha didn't like in James, it was his quick temper. Over the years, she had learnt to wisely avoid unnecessary strife with her husband. But it wasn't lost on her that if triggered, he could be unreasonable.
And there was no way to tell how he'd receive his son's marriage to Debbie.
Sensing that his mom was worried, Carlos stood up from his seat, walked up to Tabitha and assured in a calm tone, "Mom, just leave it to me. There's no need to fret."
He didn't want her to be blamed for the decision. If anything, his grandpa's word was enough. The only problem was that chances of Douglas ever making it safely at the hospital were infinitesimal.
Eventually, Tabitha agreed to stay her calm, and hoped that James would be rational enough not to throw a hissy fit when Carlos finally got to introduce Debbie as his wife.
"Well, then, when are you going to take Debbie to see the rest of our family?" Tabitha asked. A couple of years back, the Huo and Li families had all moved abroad, which meant Carlos would need good planning of his otherwise busy schedule to take Debbie for introductions.
"I think it won't take long. It's time to visit Grandpa and Grandma, " answered Carlos. It had been three months since he had last visited them. And the Spring Festival was drawing near. Carlos planned to take Debbie to see his fa live happily together. Couples need to learn to give and take, right?"
Debbie could understand Tabitha. She held her hands and answered, "Mom, rest assured please. Carlos treats me well. I'm living a happy life with him. Please don't worry about us." Debbie swore to herself that she would start to be nicer to Carlos.
"Thank you so much, Debbie. Now I can rest assured. I've urged Carlos to take you to meet our family as soon as possible. You're a good girl, and I believe other family members will be fond of you as well."
"Mom..." Moved by the motherly compassion and unable to hold her emotions anymore, Debbie threw herself into Tabitha's arms.
Tabitha was so caring, Debbie felt lucky to have a mother-in-law like her. 'Maybe my own mother wouldn't have been nicer to me than Tabitha if she hadn't been taken away from me, ' she thought to herself.
When Carlos finally came back home, it was almost midnight.
Debbie was ashamed of sleeping in when Tabitha was here. So she had gotten up very early this morning and gone for a run. After a shopping spree with Tabitha, she then went to meet her friends. She was exhausted and went to bed early this evening.
By the time Carlos came back, she was dead asleep. Quietly, he entered the bedroom, careful not to rudely awake her. He approached her stealthily and kissed her on the forehead before he went to the bathroom.
When he walked out of the bathroom, Debbie was sitting on the bed, wrapped by the quilt, playing on her phone. On seeing him, she put the phone away, spread her arms, and invited him with a sweet smile, "Honey, give me a hug."
Although he had come in worn out, the bright smile on her face instantly revived him.
He strode towards her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her affectionately on the lips. After a moment, he let go of her and asked in a hoarse voice, "Did I wake you up?"
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