347: [Bonus chapter] Life was truly a series of thousands of tiny miracles.

[Bonus chapter] Life was truly a series of thousands of tiny miracles.

[SHORT FLASHBACK]0

"I'm sorry, darling. Please don't cry anymore. I'm not worth it. I was bad, you know? If you know how bad I used to be, you will think this end is fitting. I'm not worth the tears, Dom. So, don't cry baby."

Hera slowly closed her eyes, unaware of the tears that pooled underneath her eyelids. 

Heaven watched Hera use her remaining time to comfort him with soft eyes. Seeing the two of them somehow brought this pain to her heart. 

"No, you are worth every tear," said Heaven quietly, marching toward the bed where the three (Hera, Dominic, and her body) were at. "Hera —"

"I said leave!" this time, Hera snapped at her as she growled. Her aggressiveness made Heaven's breath hitched, sensing the ominous aura seeping out of Hera's fiery eyes. 

But instead of backing away, Heaven mustered her courage to stay. 

"Hera —"

"One more time, Heaven Liu." Hera hissed, almost digging a hole into Heaven's hollow figure with her gaze. "One more time and —"

"Take care of me!" Heaven yelled with all the courage left in her, stopping Hera mid-sentence. She bit her lips, forcing a bitter smile as she took a step closer. "I won't deny that I was a little angry and jealous that you are living my life, but then again, this life… was not mine. The life you are living isn't my life, but the life you created. The only part I am in it is because of my body."

Heaven took a deep breath as she stood by the bed. It took a lot of guts to stop Hera from speaking, but she understood they were running out of time now. 

"So…" she breathed out heavily once again, only to smile softly at Hera. "Please take care of me, and thank you for making me happy."

The moment those words rolled out of Heaven's mouth, relief slowly took over her face. "You won the bet, so I now have to fulfill my end of the bargain," and immediately, Heaven pushed Hera's shoulder mildly. 

It was just a slight push, but this inexplicable force subsequently made Hera fall ever so slowly. Hera's irises slowly dilated as time slowed down, watching Heaven smile at her as she fall. 

"Don't forget," whispered Heaven. "Introduce Basti to my dad."

*

*

*

"Mhm…" Heaven moaned as her eyes underneath her eyelids flickered before they cracked open. She moved her stiff body, feeling a little sore as if they beat her until her bones were crushed. 

When she tried to stretch her hands and feet, her brow arched. Heaven turned to her right, only to see Sebastian sleeping beside her. Her eyes veered near her feet, and then caught Axel sleeping on the floor with his head resting over his arms on the bed she was lying on.

Her eyes softened at the sight of the two, about to raise her other hand to pat her son. However, a hand was holding her other hand. She turned her head, only to see Dominic sleeping. He was holding her hand, sitting on the chair beside the bed, head on the bed. 

'They should've just asked for an extra bed,' she told herself, squeezing Dominic's hand mildly. 

Her squeeze wasn't strong, more like a very faint movement. However, it was enough to wake up Dominic. He instantly moved his head up, almost in a panic. The second his eyes met Heaven's, looking back at him, relief surged in his heart. 

"Good morning," he greeted with a hoarse voice, cupping her face and caressing her cheek with his thumb. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm… my head hurts a bit."

Dominic perked up at her answer. "Wait. I'll call the doctor."

"No, it's fine." Heaven clasped his hand, stopping him from going. "I'm okay."

"But —"

"Just stay here for a while. I believe they will come when they do their rounds." Heaven smiled at him, watching his shoulders relax. She lifted her gaze back to his face, noticing that his eyes were still a bit swollen. 

Seeing the overall look on his still dashing face, she smiled subtly. Dominic seemed as though he barely had slept, his hair was slightly disheveled, his eyes swollen, dark bags underneath his eyes, and his lips a little dry. It differed from the usual look she would wake up to every morning, but that didn't matter. 

What mattered was that she woke up to see this face again. 

"How are you?" she asked. "You look a little tired."

"I'm fine." Dominic smiled, brushing her knuckles with his thumb while caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Do you want to rest more? Are you hungry?"

"Hmm… not really."

"Grandma said she will prepare nutritious foods for you… and some bread. She said you like eating bread."

Her smile stretched, moved that Grandma Zhu remembered such a small detail about her. "Then I will wait for it."

Dominic pressed his lips, still smiling. It was as though he lost words to say, staring at his wife in deep relief.

"I thought I lost you," he remarked after a prolonged silence, holding her hand to his cheek after planting a kiss on it. "You don't know how scared I was."

"Me too, Dom." Her voice was only above a whisper, feeling the warmth on his face. "I was scared too, Dom. Very much."

If only she could put the right words on how scared she was last night, she was certain an entire page was not enough. It was the first time she felt so scared in her life. Even in her time as Hera, she never felt that scared, even at gunpoint. 

Even when she was grown aware that her days were numbered, she didn't really mind it. Instead, she did what she could while she was alive, and then chose a day for her preferred death date instead of prolonging it. 

Last night was a life-changing and eye-opening experience. 

"I never felt this strong will to fight for my life more than ever," she whispered with a smile. "I can't leave you and Basti. Not now, not yet."

"Never," Dominic stressed. "You can never leave me. Don't. Hmm?"

She nodded, still smiling. "Never."

"Hmm…" Suddenly, Sebastian moaned and immediately sat up even before he could rub his eyes or stretch his arms. Panic was apparent on his face, looking at his mother as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. "Mommy!" 

"Basti, baby." Her smile stretched even wider, opening her arm, which Sebastian didn't hesitate to fall in. 

"Ugh, Basti. Don't be loud or sis will…" Axel scratched the back of his head as he woke up from the noises, straightening his back, only to jump from the floor as if realization struck him. "Sis! Are you alive?!" 

Axel gasped, still having an eye booger on the corner of his dilated eyes, hands on the edge of the bed. 

"Yes, Axel, miraculously." Heaven chuckled, hugging Sebastian while keeping her hand in Dominic's grip. 

"Really?" Axel darted his eyes between Sebastian, Heaven, and Dominic. "Let me hug too!" 

"Stay right there." Sebastian raised his foot, placing it on his uncle's chest. "My mommy is still recovering, Uncle. Why are you jumping on her?"

"Then why are you on her?!"

"I'm small."

Heaven chuckled as she leaned her head against her son's, glancing at Dominic. The latter was just looking at her, smiling gently, before both of them shifted their attention to Axel. Even though Axel was once again throwing a huge fit for not getting enough space on the bed, their hearts were just beyond grateful for another day together. 

Life was truly a series of thousands of tiny miracles.

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