23 A marriage built on sand

Was it okay for her to go out and meet her friend?

Was that even a question?

Dominic had never stopped Heaven from doing whatever she wanted. He didn't even ask her to stop her career. It was Heaven's decision to stop her acting and stay indoors all day, every day. The only thing he asked of her was to be a mother to their child.

To suddenly hear her ask for his approval sounded strange.

"You do not need to pick me up as well," Heaven said, getting out of the car once it stopped moving. She then picked up her small purse and studied its contents after she closed the door behind her. Heaven waited as she stood under the heat of the afternoon sun.

Dominic kept his eye on the tinted window, observing Heaven as she checked her purse.

'What is she doing?' he wondered. He watched her go through the contents of her small purse as if she couldn't find what she was searching for. It was such a small purse, and it was impossible for her not to see whatever she was looking for.

'Man,' Heaven thought in frustration, biting her bottom lip, eyes glued to her purse. 'For some reason, my anxiety is rising because I got nothing on me.'

Her eyes might be focused on her purse as if she was missing a wallet or phone. The reality was far from that. The current Heaven never went out all alone. Even if she would on the most rare occasion, she would be armed.

In other words, going outside with only her phone and wallet had somehow made her anxious.

'It's not like I will kill someone or have to defend myself,' she told herself, giving herself some courage and reminding herself of the perks of this new life. 'That's right. Well. Even if something happened, I can easily turn things around as I had always done.'

Just as Heaven mentally nodded, the window wound down. It was also only then did she realized the car hadn't left.

"What are you doing?" Dominic coldly asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Well," Heaven replied as she casually bent over, resting her arms on the window to look at him. "I don't have cash."

"You have a card," Dominic said in a deadpan voice.

"I can use them?"

"They're yours."

"Oh… alright." Heaven pushed herself away from the car, only to turn around and pose back to her initial stance. "By the way, do you want anything? I will try to get it on the way home."

There was a moment of stillness the minute Heaven uttered those words. Dominic and Heaven blinked, as there was a sudden quietness between them.

What did she say?

"Hmm?" Her brows rose, cocking her head to the side. "Did you hear me?"

"No. I want nothing. I'll ask someone to pick you up later," Dominic said.

"It's okay. Paula will drive me back home. Are you sure you don't want anything? Ice cream? Dumplings? Maybe some cookies?" Heaven asked in a sweet voice. 

"No," Dominic firmly said. 

"Alright." Heaven tapped on the inside of the door as if to tell the driver to get going. "See you later, then."

Heaven casually walked away from the car, sauntering to the city mall, where she told Paula to meet. She looked back and saw that the car had never left its spot from where they had stopped. It was like Dominic was waiting for her to get in.

'He's probably shocked,' she thought, looking ahead. 'I don't care anymore. We agreed to postpone the divorce, but that doesn't mean I can be complacent. If I want a higher credit limit, the only way is to gain my husband's favor.'

A cunning smile turned up on her face as she giggled. She was in a good mood to go shopping and to try the kinds of food she hadn't eaten before. Pressing on Paula's buttons would be a bonus. 

Dominic kept his eyes in her direction when she was already inside the mall. No one could guess what was going on in his mind at the moment, but for sure, the two people in the front seat were obviously surprised. The driver and Dominic's assistant looked at each other, both wearing shocked looks on their faces.

Did the young Madam and the master have a conversation just now?

They've been working for Dominic even before he got married. They were fully aware of the boss' terrible marriage. Every time Heaven and Dominic would be in the same car, the journey would be total silence, to the point it was suffocating. Not only that, but they never saw Heaven and Dominic speak to one another with more than twenty words.

What was even more surprising was that Heaven was the one who started it!

So, what did they witness?

"Ahem, Master." Dominic's assistant cleared his throat after shaking his head, recomposing himself from what he just witnessed. When he looked back, Dominic was still staring at where Heaven had disappeared. "Should we go? Or do you want to cancel your appointment to join the Madam?"

"I don't remember being invited," he muttered, peeling his eyes away from the direction he had been staring. "Let's go."

The assistant pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. He then gave the driver a small nod to indicate to start the car. The driver returned the gesture and slowly drove away from the mall. 

'What is she doing?' Dominic wondered on his way to his meeting. 'Why does she suddenly feel… different?'

Dominic shut his eyes as he was, deep in thought at his wife's strange behavior. His expression turned stoic once more, not a bit pleased at the questions in his head.

'Heaven Liu… you better keep your word,' Dominic thought, his nostrils flaring in annoyance with the thoughts going on inside his head. 'If I find out you're up to something bad, I won't be lenient anymore.'

Even though Dominic had no expectations of his wife, he was afraid she was up to something. Whatever plans that may be, Heaven should make sure it wouldn't hurt their son. Because if this resulted in hurting Sebastian, Dominic would do everything in his power so she wouldn't show up in front of them again.

Their marriage stood on an eggshell.

One wrong move would result in a disaster.

No one's to blame but Heaven, though. Dominic's lack of trust and confidence in her was due to the five years of negligence from her. Hoping and trusting her would only hurt and disappoint him.