Ch. 5000: Married At First Sight Chapter 5000
Chapter 5000
Zachary grinned. “Looks like my wife is very satisfied with her husband’s performance.”
“Stop talking.” Serenity covered his mouth lightly, cutting off his teasing.
She sat back on the bed and gently lifted the blanket before lying down beside Belle. Looking at her daughter’s peaceful sleeping face, her expression softened instantly.
Zachary settled behind her, one hand propping himself up, the other reaching over to pinch Belle’s cheek.
Serenity swatted his hand away. “If you wake her up, she’s your responsibility.”
Zachary chuckled. “I barely touched her. How could she wake up?”
Belle was his precious little girl; Zachary would never pinch her hard enough to leave a mark. If he did, and his grandmother noticed, he’d be dead.
And when his parents returned from Eaglioncile, they’d scold him even more.
Growing up, his parents had rarely scolded him or his brothers. But once they became grandparents, they showed no mercy when it came to protecting the little ones. Even Tania occasionally slapped Zachary’s arm when she got angry over something involving her grandkids.
“Belle only wants you when she’s sleepy,” Zachary said with a hint of jealousy. “No matter how much I dote on her, she still prefers her mom.”
“Of course she does. I carried her for ten months, gave birth to her, and spend the most time with her. She’s naturally closer to me.”
Serenity leaned down and kissed Belle gently before settling again with her daughter in her arms.
“Most kids cling to their mothers when they’re young. A mother’s arms feel like home.”
Thinking about that made Serenity think of her own mother. Her parents had been gone for over twenty years. Even though she and Liberty were living well now, Serenity still felt a deep ache whenever she remembered them.
She regretted that her parents never got to see the happy lives their daughters eventually built. They never got the chance to be showered with the love and filial piety they deserved.
Whenever Serenity returned to her hometown with Liberty, she couldn’t help imagining how wonderful it would be if their parents were still alive—if they could come home for the holidays, call out “Mom, Dad,” and hear someone answer.
Getting married and having children only amplified that longing. Seeing other families return to their parents’ homes for celebrations made Serenity envious and quietly heartbroken.
Before, she still had Liberty’s home as her anchor. Now Liberty lived in Jensburg, busy with work, rarely returning to Wiltspoon for holidays. Serenity suddenly felt like she no longer had a parental home to go back to.
Her aunt Audrey loved her like a daughter, but an aunt—no matter how loving—could never replace a mother.
“What’s wrong?” Zachary kissed her cheek gently. “You look lost in thought.”
“I was thinking about my parents,” Serenity whispered. “I have a son and a daughter now. My life is so full and happy. If my parents were still alive, they would be so proud.”
She turned around and hugged him tightly. “Promise me we’ll live well. We’ll live to eighty or ninety. I want to see our children grow up, get married, and start their own families.”
Zachary held her close. “Okay. We’ll live to eighty, ninety—maybe even a hundred. Grandma lived a long life, and we’ve got her genes. We’ll grow old together, so don’t worry.”