After the festive holidays, it was time for Damian to start preschool.
Although Clarissa was busy with work, the thought that he was going to kindergarten now made her feel melancholic. After all, he would be spending most of his time in school going forward.
On his very first day, she and Matthew brought him there. Matthew had chosen the school despite the fact that the school fees cost a fortune. Hence, Clarissa pretended not to know as her heart would ache every time she thought about how expensive it was.
Meanwhile, they spent the whole morning at the preschool, just in case Damian had any issues settling in.
However, much to Clarissa’s disappointment, Damian didn’t cry for his parents at all. In fact, he seemed to have forgotten about them.
Given that he had made many friends, he was simply lost in the excitement.
When school ended, he even felt reluctant to leave his friends and promised to come back bearing gifts the next day…
Back at home, the first thing Damian wished for was for the night to end quickly so that he could be back to school the next day.
Consequently, Clarissa felt dejected.
She finally saw how independent he was. In the past, others commented about how reliant Damian was on her. In truth, she was the one that was dependent on him.
And yet, this is just preschool. What about when he goes to primary school, high school, and then university? When he finds a girlfriend and gets married…
As the images flashed across her mind, Clarissa could feel her heart tighten.
What am I going to do? There is only a three-year gap between the time he was born to his first day of school. I only had his full attention for three years, isn’t it just too short?
Feeling upset, she threw herself into Matthew’s embrace in search of comfort.
“Hubby, why does having children feel this way? The time he spent with us is just too short. It makes me really sad…”
Given the mood Clarissa was in, there was no way Matthew could tell her how secretly happy he was.
In truth, children would leave the nest sooner or later, boys especially would do so at a younger age.
Hence, the only one who could stay by her side throughout the years would be her husband.
Unable to speak candidly, Matthew could only convey it in a roundabout manner.
“Clare, children grow up sooner or later, so don’t feel sad over it. If they stay by your side forever and don’t grow up, then you should be worried instead. All that matters is that he grows up to be a kind person with steadfast principles. That would make you feel proud, wouldn’t it?”
Clarissa’s silence meant that she implicitly agreed with him.
Matthew seized upon the opportunity to add, “Actually, when our son grows up, he will have his friends, teachers, and classmates by his side. Following that, he would have a girlfriend who would later become his wife. Didn’t you go through the same thing? Right now, the only person who will always be with you is me.”
Lifting her gaze to look at Matthew thoughtfully, Clarissa was moved by his words. Tightening her hug, she rubbed her head on his shoulders.
Wrapped in her husband’s arms, Clarissa felt as if she had turned into a little girl.
“Uncle Matthew… you cannot leave this world before I do. I will die of loneliness.”
Matthew was amused at how the topic took such a grim turn.
He stroked Clarissa’s head and promised, “Alright, I’ll try my best.”
“Your best isn’t good enough. You must make it happen.”
With a stubborn look on her face, she was so adamant that she almost got Matthew to swear on it.
Matthew nodded at once. “Of course, I will definitely do it. Look, I’m even working out every day. By maintaining my health, I will close the ten-year gap between us. Consequently, I won’t die before you do.”
“Since you promised, you definitely have to make it happen.”
“I definitely will.”
Smiling, Matthew leaned in for a gentle kiss. However, Clarissa pushed him away suddenly.
With a stern expression, she scrutinized him. “You can’t look too young either. Girls nowadays love rich middle-aged men. If you look young at forty, you will end up being a temptation to them. No, I can’t have that. You can work out at home. But in public, you have to look older and uglier, alright?”
Women. They really can be self-contradicting.
No matter how feasible or strange the request was, Matthew knew he had to agree to it no matter what.
“Sure, Clare. I know what to do.”
Only then did Clarissa feel relieved. Reaching out her hand, she pinched his cheeks and ears before breaking into a smile.
Turning around, she rode on him as if she was his queen.
“Matthew…”
Clarissa called out his name with a sensual tone. Reaching out a finger, she teased him by brushing it across his chin.
At the same time, Matthew reciprocated with a smile.
“I’m here. Darling, what are you planning to do?”
Clarissa let out a mischievous smile.
“Call me your queen!”
“My queen!”
“Hahaha…”
She couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Dropping the dominatrix act, she lay down on Matthew’s body and started kissing his cheeks, lips, forehead, nose…
She kissed him everywhere to express the overwhelming affection she had for him.
Holding her waist, Matthew smiled gently and relished in her kisses.
Obviously, he was delighted by her raging passion, especially since she was now in a sober state.
It was a rare occasion for her to behave with such dominance without the influence of alcohol.
Matthew felt as if they had gone back in time to when they first got together. Back then, she would alternate between being bashful, assertive, alluring, and adorable…
“Hubby… Uncle Matthew… I love you. I love you more than you can imagine…”
Matthew felt his heart tighten. Ah, glorious love!
He didn’t reply. However, Clarissa continued with a sparkle in her eye.
“Hubby, I know that I have many flaws and upset you at times. However, you have always been patient with me and treated me very well. When I was bullied and ridiculed on the internet back then, you were the first one who backed me up. I can clearly remember the impression I had of you then. You were like the knight in shining armor that came to my rescue. I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”
Feeling nostalgic, she gave Matthew another kiss.
“After all this time, you have always been behind me, providing your unwavering support. However, I have been too caught up with moving forward that I forgot to stop and appreciate what you have done. Sometimes, I even resent you and flare my temper at you. Will you blame me for it? Remember, the last time when I threw my tantrum and you kept admitting your fault…”
Given how he had always acquiesced to her, anyone who was aware of that would definitely accuse her of being melodramatic.
Matthew shook his head. “Clare, I’m happy to have done what I did as you are the love of my life. Comforting and submitting to you is the right thing to do. I’m sure you don’t want us flaring our tempers at each other. To me, loving you also means respecting you.”
Clarissa could feel the warmth from his words permeate her entire being. In his arms, Clarissa felt like a hot spring had enveloped her whole body.
As his love for her continued to warm her heart, she let herself immerse in it within his embrace.
“Matthew, what have I done to deserve you?”
When they exchanged smiling glances, Clarissa added, “I know I have many flaws and can be very stubborn. In fact, I’m sure we still have many conflicts ahead of us. However, you are my husband, and I will never let you go. Even if you no longer love me, I will hold on tightly to you. After all, I would be a fool to break up with someone as amazing as you. Therefore, Matthew, spoil me a little and I will throw fewer tantrums. Even though I may not be perfect, please stay by my side and grow old with me. When the time comes, we will leave this world together, alright?”
With his deep voice, Matthew replied with conviction.
“Of course. We will grow old together. Clare…”
Clarissa smiled in innocent satisfaction, just like a kid who had just received candy.
Meanwhile, Matthew sat up and leaned close to her. After kissing her on her dimple, he moved to kiss her lips.
Happiness is made up of moments like this where the love we have for each other is everlasting.
The next day, Clarissa was in a jovial mood when she sent Damian off to school.
The moment she opened her eyes in the morning, she saw Matthew’s handsome silhouette dressed in a sharp black suit.
After receiving a morning kiss from him, she went to wash up and got Damian out of bed for breakfast.
When they were ready, Matthew drove both of them out. One to school, and the other to work. Everything was perfect.
When she arrived at her office, her staff were all smiling as they greeted her warmly.
Clarissa thought to herself about how wonderful it was if every day was just as perfect as today.
Unfortunately, good times never lasted.
Before she even settled down for the day, Yael brought her some grim news.
“Someone impersonated our crew to call for auditions and slept with a few young ladies. And now, those ladies have banded up and are trying to sue us.”
Clarissa furrowed her eyebrows. “What? This is a scam. Why are they suing us? They should be suing the scammer instead.”
“No, the scammer is indeed a member of our crew.”
“What?”
Clarissa’s heart sank.
“All we know now is that we are being sued. For further details, we will need to investigate further. However, the issue now isn’t about whether we are innocent or not. Given that the scammer is a member of our crew, he has caused us significant reputational damage. It will be terrible for our movie to be embroiled in such controversy before filming even started. Therefore, we need to do some damage control from a public relations standpoint.”
