Chapter 231: It’s Stronger Than I Imagined
Chapter 231: Chapter 231: It’s Stronger Than I Imagined
Lucas looked at her husband, who had just stepped out of the shower. "Honey..."
"Honey, why are you crying?" Lucas’s husband, toweling his hair dry, saw her tear-filled eyes and rushed over. "What’s wrong?"
Lucas choked back a sob. "If I tell you, will you help me?"
"Silly girl, you’re my wife. If I don’t help you, who will?" Her husband pulled out a tissue and dabbed at her tears. "Tell me what’s going on."
[And now for the million-dollar question: when his wife and his mom are fighting, whose side will the husband take?]
[OMG, why is this suddenly so sweet?]
Lucas sniffled, her voice full of grievance. "But... it’s about your mom."
"My mom?" Her husband frowned. "What is it?"
Tears started welling up in Lucas’s eyes again. "Remember when your mom was walking the dogs and Maya went missing? I just found out... Maya didn’t run away. Your mom sold her."
Her husband’s eyebrows knitted together. He stopped drying his hair and pressed his lips into a thin line, silent for a long moment.
Lucas wiped her tears away, staring at him without blinking. "Honey, did you know about this?"
"I didn’t know." He shook his head, his voice grave. "How did you find out?"
"You know that streamer I always watch?" Lucas explained. "I was just on her live stream. She communicated with Gigi and found out what happened."
A flicker of astonishment crossed her husband’s eyes. "Can that streamer really communicate with Gigi?"
"I believe her," Lucas said earnestly. "Gigi was asking her for help. He said your mom doesn’t want me to have pets because she thinks it’s a waste of money and is worried it’ll be bad for when we have kids. Gigi is terrified he’ll be sold off just like Maya was."
Gigi, nestled in her lap, let out a soft woof. "Daddy, believe Mommy!"
[Does Lucas’s husband not believe her?]
[This guy is definitely going to say there’s no proof and they can’t wrongly accuse his mom.]
[Yup, most guys always side with their own mothers.]
Her husband tossed the towel onto the desk, his gaze falling to meet the two pairs of eyes—one big, one small—staring up at him.
He reached out to pat Gigi’s head, then wrapped an arm around Lucas’s shoulder, his voice gentle. "Then I believe you."
[Holy shit (‵o′)凸, I actually guessed wrong this time.]
[Lucas’s husband, you’re a good one.]
[I salute you, sir! You’re a real man!]
"Honey, thank you." Lucas let out a sigh of relief. "Can you help me ask your mom where she sold Maya? I miss her so much. Now that there’s a chance to get her back, I don’t want to give up."
"Come on, let’s go talk to Mom," he said, taking her hand.
"Can I bring my phone?" Lucas asked. "I’ll make sure your mom isn’t on camera."
"Okay."
Lucas set Gigi down, holding her phone in one hand while her husband held the other.
They walked to his mother’s bedroom door, and her husband raised a hand to knock.
There was no sound from inside. He knocked again.
After about ten seconds, the door opened from within. A middle-aged woman with curly, wine-red hair yawned. "It’s eleven o’clock. Why aren’t you in bed? Do you need something?"
Her husband nodded. "Mom, we need to ask you something."
"Can’t it wait until morning?" she asked, yawning again.
His voice was somber. "Mom, did you sell Maya?"
The mother-in-law’s expression faltered. Her eyes darted around guiltily before she retorted, "Ian, what nonsense are you spouting? Maya ran away on her own. It had nothing to do with me."
"Mom, I need you to tell me the truth," he said, his expression stern.
The mother-in-law glared at her daughter-in-law, a flash of resentment in her eyes. "Has your wife been filling your head with nonsense?"
"This has nothing to do with my wife," her husband said. "Just tell me who you sold Maya to. I’ll go buy her back."
"Are you stupid? Why would you buy her back when she’s already been sold?" In her agitation, she let the truth slip.
Realizing what she’d said, she turned her head away in frustration.
Lucas asked frantically, "Mom, where is Maya now?"
At this, the mother-in-law looked to her son instead.
Her husband frowned. "Don’t look at me. You were wrong to do this. Maya is my wife’s dog, a living creature. To her, she’s like a child. How would you react if someone sold off your child?"
The mother-in-law averted her face, refusing to look at them. "Why are you making it sound so serious?" she grumbled. "I was just worried! Worried that when you have kids, they’ll have allergies. One of my old friends, her grandson ended up in the ICU because of that!"
"But we don’t have kids yet, do we?" Her husband sounded exasperated. "You can’t worry about things that haven’t even happened."
"I..." The mother-in-law huffed in anger. "Fine! I’ll go get Maya back tomorrow."
With that, she slammed the door shut.
Lucas’s voice was thick with tears of relief. "Honey, thank you! This is wonderful! I’ll be able to see Maya tomorrow."
"I’m sorry," her husband said, pulling her into a hug. "My mom was in the wrong."
Lucas was very satisfied with how he had handled things. She shook her head gently. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Are you still live?" her husband asked. "Let’s go back to our room. We shouldn’t keep the streamer and her audience waiting."
Lucas nodded. "Okay."
She went back to their room, phone in hand.
Seeing their door close, her husband turned and knocked on his mother’s door again.
"Renee, thank you for helping me get Maya back," Lucas said, overjoyed. "I really never thought I’d see her again."
Renee Jennings smiled. "It just goes to show how deep your bond with Maya is."
Lucas said wistfully, "I actually rescued Maya. It was pouring rain that day, and she was a newborn, not even as big as the palm of my hand. Just a tiny little thing, lying in a puddle, on the verge of death. I didn’t have much hope when I took her to the vet, but she turned out to be much stronger than I ever imagined..."
[So touching! Lucas is such a kind girl!]
[Lucas’s husband is amazing too. You’re both such great people!]
[Things went so smoothly because her husband played a huge part.]
[Exactly. The mother-in-law only caved because she saw her son was siding with his wife.]
[This makes me think of WorryFree from this morning, whose sister-in-law stole her gold jewelry. The contrast is huge. I wonder how she’s doing now.]
Unexpectedly, WorryFree happened to be in the live stream at that very moment. Seeing someone mention her, she posted a comment.
[Thanks for the concern, everyone. I took a high-speed train and left this afternoon. Seeing a husband defend his wife like this actually makes me feel better, not sadder. A man like my husband belongs in the trash!]