Free Web NovelChapter 463: Chapter 259: I Told You Two to Stop Eating!
"Yes, liberation," Emily affirmed.
"Is the current structure of one legal spouse and one partner without a name truly perfect?"
"No, it’s not fair to me legally, and emotionally, isn’t it also a continuous burden on you?"
"And Scoot’s plan, though it turns us from having simultaneously to having sequentially in form, also makes me his wife once under the laws of the United States."
"At the same time," she looked at Lin Yu’an again, "it also gives you a chance to fulfill a complete, legally effective marriage promise to both of us."
"It separates us in form, but at the level of commitment, it allows the three of us to achieve unprecedented equality."
Emily came over, sat at the bedside, and held Aliya’s hand.
She looked into Aliya’s eyes and said sincerely, "Darling, I don’t care about that piece of paper. Our happiness doesn’t need to be defined by a legal document."
"But our future does need the smartest, safest structure to protect us, and it can even shield our children from gossip."
"Shield from gossip..."
Those last four words struck like lightning, instantly piercing the softest, most painful part inside Aliya’s heart!
Her body trembled almost imperceptibly.
A childhood memory she had deliberately sealed away for so long, unwilling to touch again, surged up like a tide.
She remembered when she was in elementary school, because her family belonged to a branch of Mormonism that had long left the mainstream, she was ostracized by classmates.
Those kids, using the most innocent yet cruel language, whispered behind her back, saying she was a child of demons, a soulless hybrid.
Although her four brothers would always beat up those classmates who slandered her, it could not heal her childhood scars.
She remembered in high school, to avoid being seen as an outcast, she concealed her family’s secrets.
She learned to lie, to disguise herself, and to silently bow her head in all discussions about family topics.
That loneliness and fear were like a poisonous thorn, deeply rooted in her youth.
Even in college, when she went to the University of Texas, apart from her boyfriend Lin Yu’an, she had never fully recounted that shadow-filled past to anyone.
She didn’t want...she absolutely didn’t want! For her Olivia, her Ethan, to experience even a fraction of such pain in the future!
Aliya couldn’t imagine when her children grew up and started school, how their classmates would talk about their family.
She couldn’t bear her children being labeled as part of a cult or freaks because of their family’s unique structure and being ostracized and bullied!
And Scoot’s public relations plan, at this moment, was like a light piercing through the darkness, illuminating a viable path for her to minimize all those future risks.
"A great man, to take good care of the ex-wife and current wife who bore his children..."
This story might be seen as gossip, might invite controversy.
But it would never be labeled as part of a cult! It can provide the children with the most dignified, solid explanation when facing external curiosity and skepticism.
Lin quietly watched all of this.
From Aliya’s momentarily changing eyes, he understood her inner turmoil and instantly grasped the unspoken pain of her past.
He felt an infinite tenderness and love surging within and could only hold her tighter.
Aliya was silent for a long time.
Finally, she slowly raised her head, her pale green eyes cleared of all complexity and hesitation, replaced with a sense of determination.
She looked at Lin Yu’an, then at Emily, and solemnly nodded.
"I agree," she said softly, her voice carrying a faint tremor of relief, "for Olivia and Ethan, I agree."
"And also," Aliya’s face, amidst the tears, forced out a smile, "next time I get married, I insist the maid of honor must be me."
Emily smiled too, she held Aliya’s hand tightly in return, "Of course, my chief maid of honor."
Then, Emily leaned down and planted a firm kiss on Aliya’s cheek. That intensity seemed to say, "Don’t be afraid, I’m with you."
Emily’s kiss instantly dispelled the gloom in Aliya’s mind, and she burst into laughter, gently punching Emily’s shoulder.
Then, Emily sat upright, her expression becoming extremely serious. She looked at Aliya and Lin Yu’an, making a statement that took them both by surprise.
"Darling, once Lin and I have been married long enough to prove our commitment to the outside world, maybe a few months or a year, then we will also divorce."
"Then, Lin can marry you again, making you his legal wife once more."
"Emily!" Aliya said somewhat unexpectedly, "But..."
"No buts, dear." Emily smiled, interrupting her, and that smile carried with it a sense of ease and sincerity.
"That position was originally yours, you were the first to accompany him through those darkest times."
Her gaze turned to Lin Yu’an, and her eyes became gentle and profound, "I am originally a thorough non-believer in marriage, that piece of paper has never meant anything to me."
"Although an accident dramatically tied the fates of the three of us together, I truly enjoy the life now, and am very grateful to you for inviting me into this family."
"So," once again she grasped Aliya’s hand, speaking word by word, "the title of Lin Yu’an’s wife is something I’m only temporarily safeguarding for you."
"I use it to announce my existence to the world, to protect our children. But eventually, it has to return to whoever it belongs."
Aliya looked at the sincere and carefree good sister before her and suddenly burst into laughter, like a rainbow appearing after the rain.
Wiping away a tear, she, half-joking and half-serious, proposed a plan that was shocking yet filled with ultimate equality:
"Then, how about we just take turns?"
"Yes, we could go to city hall every few years to change the certificate. When in a good mood, you can be Mrs. Lin, and after a few years, when in a good mood, it’s my turn again."
"Let’s treat it as the most unique game in the world, just for the three of us."
After making this proposal, even Aliya paused for a moment, then laughed even harder.
Emily was startled at first, then broke out into a crisp laugh too.
"Great idea!" She clapped in approval, "I love this game! We could even have an internal family election! See who contributes the most to the family in those years!"
Watching these two women leaning back and forth with laughter as if discussing a campaign plan, Lin Yu’an was initially immersed in immense emotion.
But quickly, he too was infected by the joyful and absurd atmosphere and couldn’t help but laugh out loud!
"Haha...hahahahaha!"
A huge crisis that could stir up any family violently disappeared into nothing within the laughter of these three crazy people.
Lin Yu’an laughed, laughed, looking at the two women in front of him whom he would protect with his life, his heart filled with endless gratitude and love.
"Waaah--!"
In this solemn and warm moment, from the two side-by-side baby cribs nearby, simultaneously came loud and penetrating cries.
The three of them, who were just immersed in the complex emotions of the adult world, were instantly brought back to reality as if hearing the highest command.
"Oh, our little darling is awake." Aliya immediately released Lin Yu’an and skillfully flipped off the bed.
She quickly walked to Olivia’s bedside, gently picked up the little one, and soothingly cooed, "Don’t cry, mommy’s here, are you hungry?"
"Ethan is awake too; these two little ones always have telepathy." Emily followed closely, picking up another little one waving his tiny fists, Ethan.
Aliya glanced somewhat resentfully at Lin Yu’an and Emily, saying, "Told you two not to eat, now there’s nothing left! Hurry and make the formula, two servings, 180 ml, 45 degrees."
Emily pretended not to hear while holding Ethan, but a smile crept at the corners of her mouth. Lin Yu’an smiled awkwardly, quickly got up, and said, "At your command, dear wife!"
The three people who were just discussing contracts worth millions of US dollars, Hollywood public relations strategies, and extraordinary marriage modes had now completely assumed the roles of parents.
The room was left with only the sound of babies crying, the gentle humming of mothers, and the hurried footsteps of Lin Yu’an running to the living room to prepare the formula.
A few minutes later, Lin Yu’an returned with two warmed bottles. In the bedroom, Aliya and Emily sat side by side on the bed edge, each holding a child.
Their posture was almost identical, holding the babies’ little heads in the crook of their arms, looking at them tenderly.
Lin Yu’an handed the bottles to them, Aliya took one, expertly tested the temperature, and then put it into Olivia’s little mouth. Emily did the same for Ethan.
The two little ones immediately stopped crying, making satisfied gurgling sucking sounds.
The bedroom suddenly became quiet, leaving only those subtle and soothing sounds.
Lin Yu’an didn’t speak, just leaned against the doorframe, quietly watching this scene in front of him.
Outside the window was the bitter cold of minus forty degrees and the wilderness, inside the house was the warm light.
The two women he loves deeply were feeding their shared children. Their profiles appeared incredibly gentle in the light, with none of the heaviness from their earlier serious discussion, only the pure tenderness and serenity of being mothers.
At this moment, CAAs, Archaeopteryx, millions of US Dollars, Hollywood’s rule game—all of these things seemed distant and unreal.
This scene before him was the entire meaning of his life. It was the starting point of all his struggles, and also the final destination he must forever guard!
Emily seemed to sense his gaze, looked up, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and winked playfully at him, silently mouthing, "What are you looking at? Come and help burp."
Lin Yu’an smiled. Now, it was the time belonging to a father.
