PART 42.
Xyrel's POV
I had no idea what my husband was up to today because he had me put on a formal dress and had a makeup artist fix me up. While I was being groomed, he waited downstairs, and what's annoying is that he kept coming back and forth, seemingly disturbing me to prolong the grooming process. After a few minutes, he returned to the room.
"Wife, have you found my tie?" he asked, so I let out a sigh and stood up from my seat to look for his tie.
"What design are you looking for?" I asked while rummaging through his cabinet.
"I don't know, maybe the blue one?" he replied uncertainly, so I sighed and rolled my eyes. He had been like this the whole time, ordering me around even though he wasn't sure.
"Hades!" I said irritably, turning to him and giving him a stern look. His brow furrowed, and he innocently stared back at me.
"Why, Wife?" he asked innocently, pressing a button on his cellphone.
"Don't annoy me, Hades," I warned as I glared at him. He sighed and put his cellphone in his pocket.
"I'm sorry, Wife," he said. "I was actually preparing the venue in your garden. The two people I instructed to do the job haven't finished the design yet, so I was doing this to delay things."
I secretly smiled upon learning what he was planning to do.
"Alright," I sighed, pretending not to be pleased. "How much time do they need?"
He scratched his neck before answering, "About 45 minutes?" He wasn't sure of his answer.
"Okay, let's give them an hour," I said, lying down on the bed and scrolling through Facebook. Hades sat on the bed and held my left hand.
"It was supposedly a secret," he said, looking so disappointed.
I smiled and let go of my phone on the bedside table. I took his hand that was holding mine and said, "It's alright, Hades. And thank you for doing that for me."
"Welcome, wife. You deserve everything in the world," he replied warmly, and I felt a surge of gratitude and love. His words made me feel appreciated and cherished, and I knew that I could always count on his support and assistance.
He gave me a warm hug, wrapping his strong arms around me and pulling me close. I could feel his chest rise and fall as he held me, and his comforting embrace made me feel safe and loved.
Tyler's POV
"What is it, Tyler?! Hurry up!" Ayesha exclaimed in frustration as we were designing here in Fortolejo's Garden.
"I am, Ayesha," I replied while rushing to move as well. Hades texted us that he would give us another hour to finish the scavenger hunt surprise for his wife.
"Tyler!" Ayesha shouted again, so I scratched my head while holding the banner. I looked at her with a furrowed brow.
"Why?" I asked, trying to hold back a smile.
"Don't 'why' me! I've been annoyed with you since earlier! I swear, I'll poke your eyes, you'll see!" she angrily retorted while holding the other end of the banner I was holding.
"Well, why then?" I asked with a furrowed brow, pretending not to know what she was referring to.
"Do you have a lazy eye or something?! It's a simple task, just tie it to the second branch, and you can't even do it right?!" she shouted in anger.
"Well, where's the second branch here?" I asked, still with a furrowed brow, looking at the tree where I was supposed to tie the banner. I couldn't see any branch except for the ones that were sequenced upwards towards its top. I noticed her walking towards me, and without hesitation, she slapped me on the arm and pinched me.
"Ouch, Ayesha," I complained while rubbing my injured arm.
"You've been like this since earlier! Seriously," she said through gritted teeth. One annoyed person again, and I secretly smiled at her face with eyebrows furrowed and what seemed like a venomous look. It's as if she wanted to drown me with her intense gaze.
But on second thought, I couldn't help but stare at her face. It was only now that I noticed the beauty of the woman. From her slightly thick, arched eyebrows to her small but straight nose, leading to her slightly slanted eyes that were intensely looking at me, and then my gaze landed on her thin, reddish lips that she had been biting frequently since earlier due to the intensity of her annoyance towards me. I admit, she's beautiful, and I'm tempted to kiss those lips she's currently biting. What does that taste like?
"What are you looking at? Start working, hurry up," she snapped, pinching me again, but this time on my side, and it hurt more than her first pinch earlier.
"Ouch, Ayesha. Ouch," I said, grabbing her hand to remove her pinch.
"Hurry up, Tyler! It's so annoying!" she complained, so I quickly moved. I secretly laughed while she went back to tying the other end of the banner she was holding. I couldn't contain the smile on my lips as I tied the banner to the tree. When we finished, we looked to see if our ties were even, but Ayesha just gave me an angry look because my tie was lower than hers.
"You know what? You're so annoying!" she said, pulling at her hair. She then grabbed the ladder she had used earlier to tie the banner and placed it against the tree where my banner was tied. She climbed the ladder and adjusted the banner to make it even.
As she was coming down, the ladder moved, and she almost fell. Luckily, I caught her. I smiled at her while holding her from behind.
"See? I have superpowers," I boasted in front of her but she just glared at me and pushed me. Startled, I let her go and my eyes widened as I tried to catch her, but it was too late. We both fell onto the soft grass and, to my surprise, my lips brushed against hers in a fleeting moment of intimacy. My heart raced as I pulled away, unsure of what to say or do next. The air between us was charged with an electric tension, and I couldn't help but wonder if the kiss had meant something more than just an accident.
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Xyrel's POV
As Hades and I stroll through Fortolejo's Garden, I can't help but feel a sense of peace and tranquility wash over me. This garden has always been a special place for me, a sanctuary where I can escape from the world and connect with nature.
As we approach the courtyard of the Garden, I notice that my parents and Hades' parents are holding a small envelope. My heart begins to race as my mom hands me the envelope.
"We're so excited for you, Xyrel," she says with a smile. "Hades has planned something truly special for you."
I can hardly contain my excitement as I open the envelope and reveal the first clue for the scavenger hunt, which was Hades surprise for me.
"Where we first met, in a place full of hustle and bustle, where you planned and organized a successful event, our journey together began. Look for the place where our paths first crossed." I read aloud, feeling a thrill of anticipation.
I take a moment to think, trying to remember where our paths first crossed. And then it hits me. "The promotion event!" I exclaim, Hades just laugh as he leads me towards the event hall section of the garden.
As we arrived, memories of the successful event I had planned and organized in the past flooded my mind. The hall was adorned with beautiful flowers and colorful balloons. I turned to Hades, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.
"I can't believe you remembered," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. Because the truth is, it was during that promotion event that we first met, not in the hospital, and definitely not on the rooftop. That promotion event became the reason why we are married today.
"Of course," he replied and squeezed the hand he was holding.
"See that corner over there? That's where you were sitting before, and that's where I kept bothering you," I said to him, while tears streamed down my face. "I kept trying to get your attention during the whole event, but you kept ignoring me," I added.
He smiled and wiped my face. "I didn't know back then that I had already found the one who would complete my life. I was a fool for completely ignoring you. I'm sorry, my dear wife, I was so focused on Angela that I was blinded to the fact that the one for me was right before my eyes."
"Thank you too, Hades. Because you returned the love I have for you. I thought back then that there was no hope at all. You hurt me, and I hurt you too. We've been through so much," I said, tears streaming down my face. He chuckled at my state and gently wiped my cheeks.
"Shh, don't cry just yet," he said as he took my hand and led me towards the next clue, a smile on his face. "We're just getting started," he added.
We continued on the scavenger hunt, following the clues that led us to the Japanese-inspired garden and the small pavilion where we had our first gathering and where the announcement of our wedding had been made. I smiled as I remembered the shock on his face when he found out about our engagement. I could still see the anger in his expression when he ran out of options, and his parents made the decision to marry him off to me.
"Remember this place?" He asked and I nodded.
"Of course, this is where our second encounter took place. I still remember the expression on your face back then," I said with a laugh. "It made me wonder, am I ugly? Why does he react like that? But I was really immature and spoiled at that time. I was used to getting everything I wanted. So, at that time, I became desperate," I told him as I drifted back into that memory.
"I think you made the right decision. If you hadn't made that choice, you wouldn't have such a handsome husband now," he boasted, and I playfully slapped his arm. We both laughed as we reminisced about the announcement of our engagement. After a while, we found another clue.
"The place we tied the knot," I read from the small paper for the next clue.
"Wait, there's one more," Hades said as he found another piece of paper.
"Walter Nate is waiting for you at the Shade Garden," Hades read the clue he found. "Follow him to find your final surprise," he added with a smile.
"You even involved our son!" I chuckled as I gladly accepted his outstretched hand.
"Yeah, he was really happy about it," he said as we walked towards the Shade Garden.
"What's the surprise, though?" I asked him, glancing at his direction.
"We call it a surprise for a reason," he replied, leaving me curious and unable to contain my excitement about whatever surprise awaited me.
We rushed to the Shade Garden, where we found Walter Nate waiting with a small box.
"Mommy, this is for you!" my son happily exclaimed, handing me the box he was holding. I opened it and found a ring inside. The ring was a stunning piece of jewelry with a sparkling diamond at its center.
I was taken aback by Hades suddenly kneeling in front of me.
"What's happening? Why are you kneeling?" I couldn't help but cry. Was this really happening? Is he proposing to me right now?
"Xyrel, thank you for completing my life. Thank you for marrying me and starting a life with me. I would like to apologize for those three years when I treated you poorly, coldly, and neglected you. But despite my hurtful behavior, you stayed by my side. You were always there for me, especially when I needed you the most. Thank you so much for giving birth to our son, who made my life even more wonderful. Thank you for coming into my life and giving it meaning and purpose," he said. "I can't imagine a single day without you. Will you marry me again?"
Without hesitation, tears streaming down my face, I said yes, and we embraced in a loving hug. Our entire family gathered around to celebrate, and we were all happy and teary-eyed, including my parents, his parents, and even Tyler and Ayesha.
"Thanks, Wife. I love you so much," he said, crying, and hugged me tightly.
"No, thank you, my dear husband. You've made me so happy," I replied, hugging him back. "I love you more," I added.
"Can I join too?" Walter, our adorable son, said.
"Of course," we both said almost simultaneously before Hades lifted Walter and we had a tight family hug.
"I love you, Mom," Walter said, planting a kiss on my cheek. "I love you, Dad," he added, kissing Hades on the cheek as well.
I hope this joy never ends.