âMaybe they were right, maybe we really did marry too youngâ
Synopsis: When you married Zayne. You two were young that the elders had always told you two were bound to get overwhelmed with the idea of forever. And maybe that was the case when his childhood friend's condition turned critical that made him become her primary care physician and youâ carrying his deepest secret, used it against him in resentment.
Until you too received your karma.
Married!AU, Zayne x NonMC Reader
Self-doubt, flawed characters, and impulsive thinking.
âTo have and to hold from this day forwardâ
They say that marrying young was a mistake. You were starting to think that maybe marrying Zayne when you had recently turned 27 wasn't the right choice. However, you couldn't dare admit that to Zayne.Â
The elders told you both that one day, you two would get overwhelmed at the idea of forever and that will be the end of your marriage.
Maybe that was the case with Zayne. He got tired of the idea of forever with you.Â
You knew that marrying a surgeon like Zayne Li was not easy, and you also knew it'd be so selfish of you to demand his time when he should be saving lives.
But not when his childhood friend and knowing first love was admitted into the ER that he became her attending physician.Â
âI just want to overlook her conditionâ is what he told you. Truth is, you don't doubt that. The problem is, the way he's so dedicated that it takes his time off your marriage.
Not when he comes home tired and the first thing he does is look for you as he debriefs on what happened at work today. Until that too, he stopped doing and you were left to wonder and ponder in your own thoughts.Â
Here you two were, acting less like a married couple and more like two unfortunate people who live together.Â
It had also been a couple weeks since you two last talked face to face.
Because every time you two encounter each other, it'll only end in hurtful words you two can't take back.
It all started a few weeks ago when Zayne received an emergency call from the hospital that left him frantic. He usually wasn't the type to rush nor lose composure so it must've been important.
Or one of his biggest fears had happened.
Marrying Zayne, he had always been watchful about your health, making sure you were getting your checkups and your vaccines were up to date, because his biggest fear above all isâ
Getting an emergency call that one of his loved ones is hurt.
And seeing him frantically rush out the door you can only assume that it was Emcee, his childhood friend and first love. When you and Zayne were still in an undefined situation, you knew of his childhood friend, but one drunken nightâ he confessed something that you still carried till this day.Â
âZayne? You're drunkâ you tried to pry the shot glass off his hands, he promised he would drink only enough to make him feel sleepy but after twoâ he was already losing grip on reality.
ââm notâŚâ he murmured, eyes closed, grip on the glass heavy. You shook your head as he had finally let go of the glass. âGeez, how did you get through all those gatherings by being a lightweightâ
Zayne only hummed as his phone buzzed, revealing a text message from Emcee. âEmcee textedâ you told him, he forced his eyes open as he clumsily tried to text her back, panicking when he couldn't get his spelling right.
âWhat's up with you and Emcee anyway?â
He sighed in relief once he had sent her his âperfectâ message, glancing back at you with his drunken expression. You weren't stupid. You knew Emcee was probably more than just a childhood friend, to Zayne at least.
âI loveâ no, I loved her. She was my first loveâ he drunkenly confessed, putting his arms over the table and laying there while he closed his eyes, âFor years, and she never knewâ
And for years, you kept that secret hidden from Zayne. You waited for him to return home that night, seeking the answers to a question you had already concluded for yourself.
When he came home, it was already dawn. He saw you, sitting on the bed where he left you, scrolling on your phone. He carefully approached you as he kissed you in the forehead and whispered, âIt's Emcee. Her condition is worse than it seemedâ
âBut she's on the top of the donor listâ He sighed in both regret and exhaustion as he carefully tried not to lean on the bed since you didn't like it when he lay on the bed in his hospital clothes. âThat's until the family decided to back down the last minute and sheââ
He shook his head, standing up and making his way towards your shared bathroom âI took over as her primary care physicianâ
So, it really was that serious You thought to yourself. Zayne had carefully slammed the bathroom door and a few minutes later, heard faint sobs.
Zayne wasn't the type to cry, instead, he'd rather conceal his emotions.
You got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom door and gently knocked, âZayne?â you called out, you didnât hear a response at first, a few seconds later, the door was opened slightly as you quickly gave Zayne a hug. He quickly reciprocated it, hugging you tightly. âI canât lose her againâŚâ
âI know ZayneâŚâ You knew.Â
A couple of weeks had gone by like that, Zayne coming home late as his own mental state deteriorated which reflected on his Emceeâs failing condition. You had come to visit her once, out of respect, and to not look petty; she smiled at you and told you just how annoyingly considerate your husband was.
Too considerate, You thought to yourself.
You knew it was wrong to spew jealousy at a sick person. So, you turned towards someone you can blame instead, your husband. It was wrong, but to you, he seemed like the easiest target to lash out on.
You sat there, listening as Emcee shared the times where Zayne refused to leave her side till she was in stable condition and even joked about having a separate pager just for herâ that really ticked you off.
Deep inside, something immature, impulsive, and really stupid haunted you.
Was Zayne cheating on you?
It made sense really, first, she was his first love; second, from what Emcee had been tellingâ the two were mostly together.
So, after a couple more times of this situation, you had enough.
Zayne had come home late last night, later than most nights. Nevertheless, it was the time where it was morning and the sun was about to rise. âYouâre home lateâ You told him, sitting on the bed, refusing to look at him. âItâs Emceeââ Of course it was âWe finally received aââ
âWhy is it always about her?!â
âExcuse me?â
You raised your head to look at him, with a grim expression on your face âEmcee this and Emcee thatâ do you only go to work just to see her?!â
âIs it because you have this savior complex orââ Before you could finish your sentence, Zayne had already rushed over next to you and held both of your shoulders tightly. âWhere did this come from?âÂ
âIs it because you still love her?â
He completely froze up, letting go of his grip on you as you continued on without even considering him or thinking twice of the things that were spewing out of your mouth, you just needed to get it out of your system. âYou come home late and always talk about her condition, you also told me you used to love her a lot. Now tell me, does that justify my reasoning?â It wasnât but the silence from Zayne you received made sense of your stupid justification. âYou grew up with her, Zayne, loved her too, wonât it make sense if thereâs still a part of you that still loves her?!â
âYou know that thatâs not true! I wouldnât have married you otherwise!â
âMaybe you did marry me otherwiseâŚâ
âI swear that this was all just so she could still be alive in time for a donor and then Iâll pass her down to someone elseâ He explained, looking at you with fear written on his face. âAnd what if she turns critical again? Then will this entire situation repeat itself?â
âI loved her, loved⌠Why canât you understand that?â
âBecause love can make you stupidâ You blurted out loud, wanting to win the argument, âBecause love has blinded us just like how we got marriedâ
You and Zayne had only been married for less than a year. Started dating at 26, got married at 27. Most people in your life had thought you two had gotten married too young. Only dated a year and still in your twenties. Both of your careers alike had just reached its pinnacle, many came to disrespectfully assume that you were pregnantâ others thought you wanted health insurance.
It didnât feel like it anymore.
You had only been together for maybe two years tops. maybe that wasnât enough to know the other better.
Zayne hasnât said a single word since, as you stood up and left the room, you turned around to face him one last time and as he told you, âMaybe we really did marry too youngâ
Back to the present, you sat in your bed in the guest room that was once a storage room of you guysâ wreck havoc as you received a text message from one of your friends that read:
Are u busy tonight? Do u wanna go to a club that js opened uptown?
Oh wait nvm forgot abt ur husband
You havenât really told anyone, including your friends, about the situation you have with Zayne. To them, it seemed like you two were perfectly fine. In reality, you two only argued at the sight of each other.
It had gotten to a point where you didnât take back what you said and threw hurtful words towards Zayne who had thrown the same hurtful remarks back.
âWhy did we even get married? It couldâve been herâ
Those words from last nightâs argument rang back inside your head as the anger built up inside you again. You quickly typed "I'll goâ and sent it to your friend as you got ready to go out. Usually, if you were going to a place where you know youâd forget something important, you usually kept it in your pocket and never took it out. However, when getting ready, you glanced at the wedding ring that you never took offâ not onceâ throughout the entire storm thatâs been brewing between you two.
But tonightâ had its effect on you. You slid the ring off your finger and put it in the nightstand next to you as you got ready to leave. You saw Zayne in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee as it looked like he didnât sleep at all. You felt bad looking at his tired figure when you were just about to go outâ all dolled upâ to go clubbing with your friends.
âWhere are you going?â He asked softly, trying not to sound pissed. The last thing he wanted was another argument after last night.
âA party with friendsâ You answered curtly.
He took a look at you as he admired how you look, he looked down and immediately noticed the absent ring on your finger, he wanted to say something but he was too tired and you look resigned as well, so he shook his head and swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he pretended to not notice.
He played well, seeing as you didnât notice how tightly he was holding the coffee mug and the way he was constantly blinking.
âHave funâ was all that he could manage to say.
You didnât know just how much more he wanted to say.
The party wasnât fun for you. Being in a loud and chaotic place made you appreciate quiet moments in that suffocating house more and it made you miss the domestic moments you and Zayne had before the argument.
Before your impulsive thoughts took over reallyâŚ
As the partier got louder, your thoughts grew darker. You forced yourself onto the dance floor as you pretended to have fun with your friends. A couple of hours later, you were well into it and had almost completely forgotten about your husband.
You caught a dazed figure of someone who looked like your husband but you couldnât tell as you had bad eyesight and were too under the influence to thinkâ or even see what is actually there versus what is not.
A man came to approach you as he leaned closer to your ear and shouted âAre you single?â You looked up in surprise and laughed, âDo I look like it?â You asked, it was supposed to be a joke at first, wanting to express a reaction from the man then lead him on and leave him dry.
âYou donât have a ring and youâre in a club. So, can I assume that you are indeed?â
You giggled and wrapped your arms closer to the man. Just a little more, you thought to yourself. Until you felt your friends dragged you somewhere and basically throwing you into the arms of someone, hearing muffled words and someone dragging you outside.
The outside breeze immediately brought you to your senses as you regained your balance and looked at the person who was dragging you out.
You pushed him away as you glared at him and shouted in the middle of the parking lot, âWhat are you doing here?!â He looked back at you, shaking his head and reaching for your hand. âLetâs talk in the carâ You snatched his hand away, âWhy did you drag me out, Zayne?!â
He paused, eyes widening, looking at your hand that snatched his away and into your eyes. âLetâs go homeâ
âNoâ His expression didnât falter and you didnât move either. It was a battle of who gives in first, âpleaseââ
âZayne, we go home and we argue again is that what you really wantââ
âItâs better than people assuming youâre unmarriedâ He quickly interrupted, the anger boiled up in you as you turned around and started walking towards the street with Zayne quickly following you.
âJust go back Zayne!â
âYouâre wasted! I am not leaving my wife alone at night!â
âStop calling me your wife!â You turned around, facing him. Brows furrowed and frustration building up inside you, âYou still think of me as your wife even after all that? Even after blatantly admitting that youâre still in love with Emceeââ
âIt wasnât like that!â
âYeah it wasnât, because you married me to maybe prove yourself that you had gotten over herâ
âIt wasnât to prove anythingâ
âThen why do you still hesitate, Zayne? Why is it that I feel like you had married me to prove something and now that youâre getting hit with the realization that this was getting realâ the idea of forever is haunting youâ Tears welled up in your eyes as it took mostâ a lot out of you to say the next words, âDo you not see forever with me anymore?â
He quickly shook his head, keeping his hands to himself, afraid to reach out in fear that you will walk away and run away againâ maybe this time for good. âI took a vow in front of you and Astra, please do not think of youâ us this lightlyâ
âAll we ever do is fight and say things we or we donât mean to each other to prove something to each other. Is this whatâs going to be with us from now on? Forever? Maybe itâs not the idea of forever that you hateâ itâs the idea of whom youâre spending it withâ meâ
Silence passed by between the two of you for a moment. To catch your breaths and to let the weight of the words sink down, you looked at Zayne, trying not to cry. You opened your mouth as you shook with fear saying the next words to come out of your mouth.
âLetâs get a divorceâ
All of a sudden, you heard a car fast approaching you two, it was only a matter of seconds to think about what to do when suddenly, you never felt so much more awake and sureâ you pushed Zayne out of the way.
And in a matter of seconds, the car hit you instead.
The impact hit you in an instant as you stumbled onto the ground. Zayne ran and hugged you in between his arms. âNoâ noâŚâ He cried, you looked at him, vision blurring as you felt pain everywhere. You reached out to him, to soothe him a little, tell him youâre alright but you couldnât do any of it.
You fought every instinct of your life to try and keep consciousness because you didnât want Zayne to lose you no, in your last moments, you were still as selfish as ever.
âPlease, stay awake for meâŚâ He cried, hugging you tighter in his arms. Even a doctor like him would end up a fool in moments where the one he truly ever loved was possibly dying in his arms.
Because Zayne loves you, for the better and worse.
You looked around the gardens, carefully avoiding your family relatives in order not to get caught as you escaped your bedroom. You walked deeper into the gardens and saw the decorated altar, it made you involuntarily smile knowing that tomorrow, you will be Zayneâs wife.
You walked towards the aisle as if he stood in front of you, smiling brightly till you heard a chuckle from behind. You turned around, panicked, settling in before dissipating to see your future husband instead.
Your eyes widened as you ran into his arms and him catching you in the nick of time as always.
âZayne!â You greeted him with that smile that always made his expression go soft. âHi there my love, what are you doing awake?â You giggled and hugged him tighter. âI could ask you the same question. What are you doing awake?â He hummed and tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear.
âWell, I would assume for the same reasons as meâ
âI was imagining that I want for us to get married right nowâ You gasped dramatically, âAre you saying you want to give our families a heart attack and get married right now?â He shrugged, âWhatâs the difference between getting married now and 12 hours later?â
âThe difference isââ you lightly smacked him on the chest, âwe donât give anyone a heart attackâ He chuckled, kissing your forehead and murmuring âThey can handle it, this wonât be the first time weâll surprise themâ
You smacked him on the chest âZayne Li!â
âI will love you and honor you all the days of my lifeâ
âDo you love her?â Your father had asked, Zayne looked up and said sincerely, âI do, so muchâ with so much determination in his eyes. Your father was taken aback and so was the rest of your family. He was asking your family for their blessing as he was planning on proposing to you soon. You two had only been dating for a year but he was already seeing forever in you.
Because you taught him that love was more than the first time.
And he wanted to keep you for the rest of his life.
âBut you guys are still young and youâve only been dating for a yearâ Your mother interrupted, your father looking resigned, almost convinced of his reasoning till your mother stepped in. âI know that we are still young and inexperienced but I promise to provide for your daughter for the rest of her life and love her till my last breathâ
Your parents both looked at each other with uncertainty, your father looking at your mother as he shook his head and smiled at his wife saying âTimes have changed dear. We were once like them too, Iâm sure they wonât make the same mistakes we didâ He looked back at Zayne as he shook his head, âMake sure you treat our daughter rightâ
âOf course, Iâll love her even if the universe says otherwiseâ
Zayne had received a call that night, his body froze and his mind went on autopilot. He had no idea how he was able to drive all the way to Akso hospital without getting a speeding ticket. Nevertheless, the moment he saw Emcee strapped onto the stretcher he panicked.
Because heâs scared that it might be you.
He knows you donât have protocore syndrome like Emcee nor your job required you to be in the front lines however, seeing Emceeâs deteriorating state made him more scared than he ever was in his life. He loves Emcee, platonically, like how an older brother cares for a sisterâ nothing more than that.
He loved Emcee for years at one point, romantically. But ever since you stepped into his life and showed love can start over againâ he learned of his infatuation with Emcee was love in shackles disguised as unrequited love.
Because he never really learned what it meant to love till you.
He swore he would only be her primary care physician until she finds another suitable donor. For now, his mere focus was stabilizing her condition.Â
And with the demands as a young doctor from his peers and the declining health of his childhood friendâ Zayne was slowly dying on the inside.
Because left and right, he was bombarded with demands and expectations that left him no room to breathe as his one and only solace wasâ you.
Zayne tried to be cool headed in front of youâ he really did. His battle wasn't yours to share because, to him, his burdens are not heavy enough to be carried for two.
And in those times, Zayne forgot one thing when he said his vows in front of you.
âŚto be true in good times and bad.
Zayne wasn't being honest in those times noâ in those times, he was battling both internally in his suffering mind and externally, from the pressure he'd receive from the hospital.
He was depressed to say the least, running on days that dragged on inside a body that felt like it wasn't his, he prayed that each passing day would be over and ease up at home with you.
Until one day, Emceeâs condition finally turned stable. The entire room was a mess, with a bunch of resuscitation machines and Zayne performing CPR on Emcee for twenty minutes, trying to find a faint heartbeatâ the monitor started to beep.
And beep again till her condition stabilised and everyone felt like they could breathe again.
Zayne left the room and a nurse came by looking for him, he was handed over a chart, looking over and seeing the donor list.
They had found a suitable match and she was the first on the list.
Zayne was overjoyed that day, it wasn't evident in his expression but Greyson, who stood next him could tell the slight curve of his lips reading the chart.
He quickly clocked off as soon as he could and drove straight home in excitement.
âI loved her, loved⌠Why canât you understand that?â
âBecause love can make you stupidâ You blurted out loud.
âBecause love has blinded us just like how we got marriedâ
With those words out loud, sent Zayne deeper into a spiral of despair. Which made him blurt out words he didn't mean but said in the heat of the moment to win in the argument.
âLetâs get a divorceâ
Zayne knew you didnât mean it. He wanted you to say that you didnât mean it. He wished that youâd take it back and say that the idea of divorce didnât properly cross your mind but the way you hesitated and said it anyway made him truly believe you meant it.
You didnât see forever anymore.
The drive to the hospital felt like a blur to Zayne, he didn't care if he got oneâ multiple speed tickets. All he cared about was reaching to where you wereâ The ER at Akso hospital. The ambulance took your body as they told him to meet them in the ER, once arriving, one of the nurses recognized him. He approached them and said, âWhere is my wife?â
It wasnât a secret that Dr. Zayne Li had a wife, she visited several times and knew how much he adored his wife. The only person who couldnât see thatâ was you.
The nurses guided him to where the medics were quick to check on your condition. The doctors there all recognized him as one stepped aside to talk to Zayne. âShe got hit on her left side as severe bruises are starting to show. She appears to be conscious but we are taking her to get a CT and X-ray scan to see if there are any internal damages. We promise to take care of your wife Dr. Zayne so please, get some restâ
Zayne felt like he could breathe a little easier, knowing that you were in the hospitalâ the same one he worked at. He wanted to let his emotions out however, it felt unprofessional to do it in the ER and he didnât want to burden Emcee tonight, not when she had already been passed to a different doctor and her transplant surgery is this weekend.
So, he went back home and went straight to âhisâ room. With the adrenaline and shock that had happened the entire night, he couldnât sleep. And when the adrenaline died down, he cried all night and for the first timeâ since he almost lost Emceeâ he prayed for you to wake up. He was never good at begging, never was the time to demand something because he knows just how cruel fate can be and he had always been good at accepting fate if itâs obvious he canât fight it otherwise but thisâ this was you. And heâd defy anything guaranteed just so you could wake up.
By a miracle, you woke up exactly three days later.
Because you were a fighter, and he was always the coward.
And during those three agonizing days waiting for you to wake up, he decided to look for his wedding ring that he abandoned. To find a distraction while waiting for you to wake up and to also finally be true to his vows.
âFor better or worseâ
He had been failing in uplifting his promise before you but he wasnât going to anymore. This time, it will be different and this time, no more blaming each other for marrying too young.
Because the love he carried for you wasnât enough to bring you two out of this misery but it was enough for him to at least try to win you back.
He found the wedding ring inside the closet, hidden beneath his collection of watches that you always joked around being the âonly expensive hobbyâ he had. You never complained of this hobby of his because it made you smile seeing that he enjoyed some luxuries in his life.
You knew Zayne had always grown up to be humble and was always willingly sacrificing himself.
He wore it as he promised to never take it off from this day forward.
When news broke out that you were gaining consciousness, he rushed back to your room to catch you just in time sitting up from the hospital bed.
The relief he felt was shorthand when you woke up as you stared at him with a scowl on your face. He swallowed it and kept an indifferent expression as he drove both of you home, even if it was slowly killing him on the inside that you despised him so much that heâd rather hear spiteful words out of your mouth than give him the silent treatment.
Your silent words were like shooting bullets inside him.
However, he swallowed his own grievance in order to nurse you to recovery because even if you were his wifeâ you were still a patient. He mentally prepared himself for whatever you were going to throw in his face the moment you got home instead, it was met with more unending silence.
You slowly walked back to your room as he knocked on your door and asked, âDo you want to eat anything?â
And yet, you didnât answer.
He swallowed the lump in his throat as he went to the kitchen to make you guys a light meal, mad as you were, he knew that you would eat and he would make sure you wouldâ one way or another.Â
Luckily, it didnât take much to convince you to eat. Sitting in awkward silence, trying to keep the farthest distance from each other. âDonât think this erases all of itâ You told him, glaring up at him, he avoided eye contact, only nodding saying âI knowâ
The next few days consisted of Zayne taking care of you and you being unable to say a word. You would try to get him to talk but he would avoid conversation with you, saying that you needed to recover.
At this moment, he saw you as a weak person attempting to recover and it frustrated you.
Once you gained the ability to walk again without crutches, you cornered Zayne when he came home that day. âSo now youâre avoiding me.â
âWaitââ
âFirst, I woke up from my car accident and you avoided me. We get back home and youâre still avoiding meâ You said. You were sitting on the couch as Zayne walked closer to talk to you face to face.
âIs this another redemption from your pride? Because if it isââ
âThis isnât a matter of pride anymore!â
Your eyes widened, he raised his left hand enough for you to see the ring on his finger. The same wedding ring you put in his hand as you vowed to be his wifeâ was on his finger.
The same ring that disappeared somewhere in the middle of the hurricane between you two.
âWhen you were asleep for three days. I didnât know what to do. At first, finding the ring proved to be a distraction while waiting for you to wake up but the more I looked for itâ I realized that even if you woke up and demanded for a divorce that instantâ I wouldnât let you go without a fight.â
âThat I will try to fix this even if your heart has hardened and you wouldnât even look my way. I wanted to apologize, take back everything I had said, and if Astra permits, start anew with youâ He explained, voice shaking and tears falling down from his eyes.
âI regret saying all those words to you. We didnât marry too young or too immature. We married at the right time, I truly believed that. Because when I asked for your parents' blessingâ I told myself that I wanted to keep you for the rest of my life. No matter how long it takesâ
âRemember what I had told you the day I proposed to you? When you told me that it was too soon? I said thatââ
âI wanted to marry you the moment you took my handâ Â The two of you said at the same time.
âYou rememberedâŚâ He said, you shook your head. âHow could I not?â
âPlease, donât go forward with the divorceâŚâ He pleaded, begged on his knees for you. Zayne was never the type to beg for anything, he had always let nature decide its course but this moment right now? He would willingly trade anything in order for you not to go with the divorce.
âI never wanted a divorce, I only said that to spite youâ You cried admittedly in front of him. Right now, this wasnât a matter of pride, it was a matter of clearing up misunderstandings and attempting to fix what is left between you two.
âIâm sorry⌠Iâm so sorryâŚâ You cried.Â
âWhy are you trying to fix thisâ us?â You asked, voice quivering. âWe hurt each other. So much that most of it canât be taken backâ
âBecause Iâd rather be haunted by the past and wake up to see you there than to not see you at allâ He answered, âI know we can still fix this so please, if I still have room in your heart, will you allow me the privilege of mending things with you? The right way this timeâ
You took another look at the ring on his finger and back at him. You cried harder, nodding your head which made the heaviness and angst inside Zayneâs heart quickly dissipate. He smiled softly, reaching for your hand and kissed it. âIâm so⌠so sorry Zayne, I shouldnât have said any of itâÂ
He cupped your face and wiped the tears falling from your eyes. âI know itâll take a while but weâll make it work. Weâll be okayâŚâ He whispered only for you to hear. It was an assurance to both him and you, that the two of you, from now on, will make it work out.
Because Zayne loves you so much heâll fight for the both of you and you love him enough to let it happen.
Your eyes met him clearly for the first time in a long time. And it took you back to the day that you also took a vow in front of Astra: âUntil death do us partâ Â you promised.
âUntil death do us partâŚâ You whispered, he smiled at you, pressing a kiss to your temple. âAnd I will love you, for better or worseâ He continued.
Zayne truly believed that you two got over the worst. That whatever bad happens between you two past this will just be futile, fleeting, and you two will be strong enough to get over it. And in the days to come, there will only be happy endings.
With Zayne, it was worth the try.
âUntil death do us partâ
You tried so hard not to laugh when Zayne looked at his daughter with the most distraught look on his face and your daughter blinking back at him innocently. âLiaââ
âBut daddy, I love himâ Your daughter answered back, not knowing the meaning and depths behind those words.
Iliana Li, your daughter. Zayne had always told you that he got your personality and she looked exactly like him. You didnât deny because it was evident in the way that Zayne was in the middle of an existential crisis and trying to reason his five year old daughter out.
âYouâre only five sweetheartâ He said, trying to sound as calm as possible and eyeing you a look when you accidentally let out a laugh.
âBut you and mom married when you were young tooâŚâ She said, giving Zayne an innocent look and those eyes that mostly lets her get what she wants from her dad.
Zayne turned and looked at you, gesturing for you to help him out. You tried to hold back a laugh and crouched in front of your daughter. âBut this is different, my love. Your dad and I married when weâre already grown upâ
âThen Iâll marry him once I grow up!â
You couldnât take it anymore and started laughing so hard that you almost lost your balance if Zayne didnât catch you at the right moment. He shook his head, giving up asking you for your help. âYouâre not in love sweetheart, youâre just confuâ what the hell am I sayingâŚâ
âLanguageâ You and your daughter said at the same time.
Your daughter huffed and walked away from the room disappointed in her father. He sighed and sat down on the couch as you came to approach him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. âIs this what your dad felt when I asked for their blessing?â You giggled in amusement. âMost likely my love. I think he grew a few grey hairs just from that conversationâ
He shook his head, âI love our daughter so much that I donât want to give him away to someâ kindergartenerâŚâ He reasoned out, you shook your head. âSheâs only five honâŚâ
âDid you also want to marry someone when you were in kindergarten?â You nodded your head, âYeah, we ended up dating until third grade I think? He broke up with me when I stole one of his trading cards that I really likedâ
You glanced at him, his face was covered to hide his shame. âSheâll get over it. Who knows? She may wake up tomorrow and decides she wants to be with her daddy foreverââ
He looked up at you and kissed you on the forehead, âI pray to Astra she doesâ
Suddenly, both of you heard your daughter calling you two in the distance, you glanced at Zayne and smiled at him as he smiled back at you, taking your hand, âThank you ZayneâŚâ
He looked at you with a confused look on his face, âFor what?â
âFor this, for fighting for the both of us and being given this privilege of a lifeâŚâÂ
âJust⌠for everythingâ He smiled and kissed you on the lips.Â
âI know, I love you tooâ
