Chapter 353: That Would Be Lovely
"Everything alright, dear?" Ashley snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Liza’s voice.
She blinked and looked across the table at the woman seated opposite her.
"Ah, yes, Auntie." She forced a smile. "I’m just... thinking about something. Sorry."
Liza raised a brow and leaned forward slightly. The gentle smile on her face softened.
"What is it?" she asked. "What’s bothering you?"
Ashley clasped her hands in her lap and studied the concern in Liza’s eyes.
A moment later, she let out a defeated sigh.
Truthfully, there had been a lot on her mind lately.
Aside from Lucian’s treatment, she couldn’t stop wondering who had sent Lucian’s medical records to Raka’s doorstep. Then there were the documents she had reviewed earlier, some of which contained deals she found concerning.
And now Marshal was adding to the growing pile.
Still, she couldn’t unload all of that onto Liza.
The woman had only just arrived in the country to visit her and attend the grand opening.
"I’m just thinking..." Ashley lowered her gaze to the table. Hesitation gnawed at her.
After a moment, she looked back up with a wry smile.
"...about my husband."
Liza listened quietly.
"Lucian makes me happy," Ashley continued. "He goes above and beyond to make me feel loved. But even when I know he’s mine, I can’t help worrying that because he’s Lucian... someone might try to take what’s mine."
It wasn’t a lie.
It simply wasn’t the biggest thing weighing on her mind.
Ashley sighed. "But what scares me the most is the thought that he might end up falling for someone else."
Liza listened carefully before letting out a small chuckle.
"I’m sorry." She waved a hand. "I’m not laughing at you."
Ashley frowned. "Auntie, did that sound shallow?"
"Of course not, dear." Liza shook her head. "I think everyone who’s truly in love worries about something like that at least once."
When her amusement faded, she studied Ashley with a thoughtful smile.
Ashley had always been beautiful. Yet lately, there was something different about her.
Something brighter.
Something that seemed to glow from within.
"Ashley," Liza said gently, "didn’t I tell you before that your Uncle Tom and I had a lot of misunderstandings?"
Ashley nodded.
Liza had mentioned it before, though only in passing. Usually, she and Tommy would laugh about it and call themselves foolish.
This was the first time Liza seemed willing to share the details.
"Our relationship started with misunderstandings," Liza continued. "And somehow, they followed us for years."
Her smile turned faint. "Even after we opened our hearts to each other and resolved some of them, new misunderstandings kept appearing."
Ashley listened attentively.
"There was a time when I was ready to ask him for a divorce."
Ashley’s eyes widened. "Really?"
Liza nodded.
"I reached a point where I questioned his love, his sincerity, and even his faithfulness." A brief silence followed, and she continued. "At one point, I convinced myself he loved his work more than he loved me."
Her gaze softened with old memories.
"Our marriage became a battlefield. Every day felt like another fight we had to survive." A shallow breath escaped her. "But do you know what was worse than the arguments? Worse than the screaming? Worse than the slamming doors?"
Ashley quietly shook her head.
"It’s watching the person you love become someone you resent." Liza’s voice lowered. "It’s waking up and realizing the future you once dreamed about together has become a life where you feel miserable, lonely, and isolated."
Ashley furrowed her brows.
The marriage she had witnessed between Tommy and Liza was nothing like what she was hearing now.
In her eyes, they were the picture of a perfect couple.
A devoted husband.
A loving wife.
A partnership anyone would envy.
"Do you know what’s funny?" Liza asked softly.
Ashley looked up.
"Almost all of it came from misunderstandings." Liza chuckled lightly. "Things we never communicated. Things we swept under the rug and hoped would disappear on their own."
Her smile widened. "We brought out the best in each other."
Then she laughed.
"And unfortunately, we also brought out the worst."
Ashley leaned forward slightly. She had become far more invested in the story than she expected.
"Auntie," she asked quietly, "if things were that bad, how did you fix it?"
Liza’s answer came immediately.
"We chose to trust."
Ashley blinked.
"We chose to communicate," Liza continued. "To understand. To forgive. And most importantly, to keep choosing each other."
She smiled.
"In our best moments." Then her smile softened. "And especially in our worst."
"Ashley. My dear Ashley." Liza reached across the table and gently took Ashley’s hands between both of hers.
Her eyes were full of affection.
No one needed to question her intentions.
Everything about her conveyed warmth and sincerity.
"The world Tommy and Lucian live in is dangerous." A trace of worry entered her voice. "If your husband loves you, says it, shows it, and makes you feel it, then learn from my mistakes."
She squeezed Ashley’s hands.
"It won’t always be easy. But choose to trust him." Her gaze remained steady. "Even when the situation seems obvious."
"Even when everyone around you is shouting so loudly that you can’t hear your own judgment anymore."
Liza shook her head.
"Choose to trust the love you’ve built together."
She paused before continuing.
"Tommy and I were in a similar position to yours." A small sigh escaped her. "Although yours may be even harder. Dominion is... Dominion."
Ashley smiled.
"Whether intentionally or not, people and circumstances will try to tear your marriage apart." Liza’s expression grew serious. "Don’t let them."
She nodded firmly. "Because the moment you do, your foundation weakens. And once that happens, breaking him becomes much easier."
Liza knew that better than anyone.
If she had allowed those misunderstandings to win, Tommy would have been gone from her life long ago. Or perhaps she would have walked away first.
Either way, they would have lost each other.
And from what she had seen, Lucian wasn’t much different from Tommy. If anything, he was even more intense.
One only had to look at the way he looked at Ashley to understand that nothing else in the world mattered to him when she was in his line of sight.
"Heh." A small laugh escaped Ashley.
What she had told Liza wasn’t even her biggest concern.
Yet somehow, the advice was exactly what she needed.
After all, she had spent half the day getting angry over something that hadn’t even happened in this lifetime. Something she resolved with blood in the previous one.
"Auntie." Ashley squeezed Liza’s hands.
A bright smile spread across her face.
"If I get another life..." Her voice softened. "I hope you’ll be my mom."
For a moment, Liza froze.
Emotion swelled in her chest as her eyes shimmered. Slowly, she reached out and brushed Ashley’s cheek with her knuckles.
"Me too, my dear." She nodded, her voice thick with affection. "That would be lovely."
