37 You

Not many people knew that wanting someone dead sometimes just doesn't come from grudges or hatred. There were cases it was the opposite. That sometimes, someone out there, loved and cared so much it kills.

The underground world was not called the underground for no reason. It was a place where all the most twisted people and sickening reasoning would appear. It was a place people could unload the darkness within; a place where they could be as jet-black as much as they want and unleash the spark of madness in them.

"What happened?"

Heaven snapped her eyes as Dominic's voice brought her back to the current lapse. "Huh?"

"Your face," he pointed out, glancing at her slightly swollen cheek and the crack on the side of her lips. "What happened to your face?"

"Ah? This?" Heaven touched her face, still a little distraught. "It's nothing. Someone slapped me. That's all."

"Who?"

"Hmm?"

"Who hurt you?"

"..."

Heaven blinked until she recovered from what had distracted her. Only then did she realize she told him the truth about her cheek, making her open and close her mouth, but her voice was stuck in her throat.

"Me — me." Heaven cleared her throat, mentally shaking herself to focus on the current situation. She was already too distracted and didn't know how she arrived at the dining, but what she remembered was Dominic was already there when she arrived.

"You?"

"Mhm. I slapped myself to wake myself up. Don't worry, I'm alright." She laughed awkwardly, moving her face slightly to the side to hide her cheek. "Anyway, how was your day?"

Dominic didn't answer, staring at her quietly. 'Liar,' he thought, not pleased she would lie about something so small. 'Did her friend do it?'

If he remembered correctly, Heaven met up with Paula Shen this afternoon. Although she somehow ended up bumping into Axel, Dominic was confident enough that his brother wouldn't hurt Heaven.

Was Heaven covering up for her friend? Why would the two fight, anyway?

There were too many questions in Dominic's mind, but he couldn't speak his mind. He didn't want to argue with her. What Dominic wanted was to know what she was up to and why she suddenly proposed to dine with him. A dinner with just the two of them; something that happened only once or twice. He could remember the first and second ones since that was the time they agreed to hold a wedding.

"Hmm?" Heaven hummed, snapping him back to reality. "Haven't you decided whether to ask if Paula did it or simply let it go?"

"How did you know that's in my mind?"

"It was written all over your face."

"Is that so?" His brows rose, confused. Was it too obvious?

Of course, it wasn't. The only reason Heaven guessed accurately was thanks to her years of experience in reading people. The world she grew up in was full of guessing games and revelation. One must be trained and prepared for all of these if one wanted to protect their heart.

"She didn't do it, alright?" Heaven smiled, shrugging. "She's too smart to lay a finger on me. It was someone else."

"I thought you said it was your own doing?"

"I was lying, thinking you'd buy it. Obviously, you're not that stupid to buy such a lame excuse."

"..." Dominic was almost rendered speechless at everything that had flown out of her mouth. "You're too honest."

"When I proposed to postpone the divorce, I made a lot of thinking." Heaven drew a deep breath, smacking her lips as she rested her arms against the edge of the table. "If I want to change, I should be honest with my husband. It doesn't matter if the truth will hurt you… since the painful truth was always better than a comforting lie."

She cocked her head to the side. "Will that save this marriage?"

"What do you want?" his expression turned icy as if he was facing a powerful opponent. He appreciated her honesty but at the same time, he couldn't simply consider it as Heaven changing for good. There must be something, he thought. There must be something that was forcing her to do this.

And Dominic was correct.

There was something that was pushing Heaven to hasten her plans.

'I don't trust anyone in this house,' was what she wanted to say while maintaining a plain expression. 'I don't like this feeling… this familiar feeling called danger lurking around the corners of this house.'

"You." Her answer caused deep lines between his brows. "What I want is you, Dominic Zhu. There's your answer."

Dominic stared at her in silence, a little taken aback by the answer she had given him. He thought of many things she could say — even her refusal to give him a proper answer. This type of answer didn't cross him until they slipped past her lips.

He studied her face but was unable to detect the slightest hint she was joking.

"Hah…" he scoffed, leaning forward while holding her gaze. "Do you want another child again?"

"I mean…" Heaven trailed off as her unchanging countenance cracked. 'Eh?'

She blinked, cocking her head to the side. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Dominic peeled his gaze from her, acting as if his question was something he shouldn't be embarrassed about. To be fair, it was a slip of the tongue. It was a question to test her — maybe, an attempt to trigger her to see if she would come back to how she used to be.

Dominic was aware going so far was not right. However, it was better to see through her facade early on before trusting her.

'I think he just asked me if I want another baby.' Heaven peeked at him, watching him pick up the cutlery to eat. 'Dominic Zhu… oho! You are still a man, after all. I guess this won't be as hard as I thought it'll be.'

When Dominic sliced the steak and put it in his mouth, his brows rose upon sensing her gaze. He looked at her, only to see her smiling.

"Is it good?" she asked. "I was the one who made that. Did you like it?"