Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 34

Trenton was reading a newspaper in the living room. He saw his wife coming downstairs with an uncontrollable smile on her face. He asked, puzzled, "What's making you so happy?"

Erica handed Trenton some watermelon juice, "Here, our daughter-in-law and son are too busy to drink it, so consider yourself lucky."

Trenton frowned, clearly not too pleased, "What are they so busy with this late? They don't even have time to drink juice."

Erica glared at Trenton, "Dummy. You're 50 years old and still so clueless. Of course, newlyweds are busy together."

Seeing Trenton still looking confused, Erica explained the situation again.

Trenton found it somewhat amusing, "What's the big deal? Look how happy you are."

Erica's eyes reddened slightly, "You don't understand. I'm finally at ease now. That kid has had such a tough time these past few years, and I've been suffering along with him as his mother. I've been waiting for him to finally open up and be willing to find someone to date. But then we heard about his shotgun wedding to a woman he only met once, and my heart was unsettled. I was afraid he just picked someone randomly to appease us, which wasn't our intention. But now I see them loving each other, and it doesn't seem like what I imagined. I can finally at ease."

"You worry too much. Ethan knows what he's doing. You and dad are just too controlling." Trenton said.

Erica snapped, "Don't give me that. I don't believe you haven't been anxious these past few years."

Trenton rubbed his chin and stopped talking.

"Drink the watermelon juice." Erica said.

Trenton frowned but obediently drank it. What could he do when his wife liked to fuss over such things?

"But I still feel like I've seen Izzy somewhere before. I just can't remember where." Erica said.

"Stop thinking too much. Anyway, Ethan is married now. If he doesn't want us to investigate Izzy, we'll respect his wishes." Trenton said.

The next day, Ines was awakened by the alarm clock. Ethan was already gone. Ines finished washing up and went downstairs, only to find Erica eating breakfast alone. She smiled and waved when she saw Ines.

Feeling a bit embarrassed about the previous night, Ines asked, "Where are Grandpa and Trenton?"

Erica was growing more and more fond of Ines and replied with a smile, "They've gone out for morning exercises."

Ines suddenly realized she had overslept, "I'm sorry, Erica. I slept in."

"Don't worry, we don't have that many rules in our house. Just sleep until you wake up naturally. You don't need to compare yourself to those men. They have very regular routines. They get up at six, rain or shine. Morning exercise is an indispensable part of their lives, with the same rhythm every day, no fun at all." Erica said.

Ines felt very relaxed seeing such an easy-going mother-in-law, "Is Ethan also a soldier?"

A trace of sadness flashed in Erica's eyes as she replied, "He's not a soldier. But his grandfather and father have always demanded him to meet military standards."

Just then, Ashley came downstairs yawning and greeted them sleepily.

"Good morning, Ashley," Ines smiled.

Erica looked at Ashley affectionately, "Why didn't you sleep in more?"

Ashley replied, "I didn't want to get up early either, but I have class this morning, and my dad ordered me not to skip. He's going to personally drop me off at school later."

"Your dad just wants what's best for you. Skipping class all the time doesn't look good." Erica also frowned when talking about Ashley's frequent skipping, as everyone had the same attitude about it. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"I know. Some college classes are just so boring." Ashley complained.

Ines smiled at Ashley's aggrieved look. She found that this family was nothing like she had imagined, and it was apparent that the members were very close.

"Izzy, did you and Ethan know each other before?" Erica knew her son very well. He wouldn't marry someone he had only met once.

Ines hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "No." According to Phoebe, her past self was just unrequited love, and Ethan didn't know her. There was no interaction between her and Ethan.

"Wow, how did you conquer my cousin then? He's like a woman-repellent. Ever since that woman..." Ashley said.

"Hmm..."

Hearing Erica's cough, Ashley quickly changed the subject, "My cousin is emotionally immune. All these years, people have introduced him to countless women, but he never even glanced at them.

Everyone was afraid of his dark face. If he didn't find a woman soon, I would've thought he had problems with a certain organ."

Ines could vaguely guess. Since everyone didn't want her to know, she didn't pursue the matter.

As for Ashley's question, Ines didn't know how to answer either. She had asked Ethan, and his answer was that she was suitable. This answer couldn't even convince her. At the time, her image wasn't good, but rather a bit harsh. She didn't know why he found her suitable, and she didn't know why she agreed to his marriage proposal out of the blue.

In short, their marriage could only be described as starting very chaotically.

"It was just a normal blind date, no different from anyone else." Ines said.

"Really? There must have been something that happened, right? Can you tell me some details? That way, I can trick boys in the future too." Ashley obviously didn't give up.

Erica also looked at her curiously. Ines blushed but still recounted the situation in detail.

Ashley burst into laughter, slapping the table, "So my cousin pretended to be poor to win you over? Saying he ran a small company and was barely making ends meet. That's quite the lie, not afraid someone would feel depressed hearing it."

Ines nodded in agreement. If she had known Ethan's identity at the time, she would never have messed with someone like him.