Filed to story: Mr Williams Madame Is Dying Novel Free Online (Madison & Hunter)
Then, he let go of her and moved away. Madison was finally able to breathe fresh air again.
She said, “Alright.”
She sighed in relief. She thought he had wanted to do something to her.
Hunter moved out of the closet and said, “Breakfast is ready.”
“Okay, I’m coming.”
Madison waited for her face to stop blushing before she headed downstairs frantically for breakfast. She went out with Hunter after the meal.
Looking at the expensive car parked outside, Madison gulped and asked, “Is this your car?”
“It’s yours too.”
Madison got into the car nervously. It seemed like Hunter wasn’t after her money, or was the bankruptcy of her family faked?
She was in a daze as she stared at the cars driving past.
It snowed heavily last night, so the city was covered in snow. It made for a dreamy landscape. The car quickly arrived at a downtown area before stopping at an alleyway. There weren’t any skyscrapers in this area, mostly just single-story buildings.
“Does this place trigger your memory? You used to live here before you were married.”
Madison looked at the bustling streets with stalls and food trucks. Nothing came to mind, but she felt like everything was familiar.
She had mixed feelings when they arrived at the Evans residence.
“Let’s go in.” Hunter pushed the gate open. The place was frequently cleaned, so there weren’t any dead leaves or fallen branches. Even the snow on the paths had been swept away.
The plum tree in the yard was in full bloom. A white cat rushed out from a corner, scaring Madison.
The cat purred.
“Don’t be afraid. This is Snowball, the cat you grew up with.”
Madison crouched down, and Snowball jumped into her arms. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Snowball purred happily in Madison’s arms while rubbing her face on Madison’s head.
“I’ll show you what Dad left you.”
“Okay.”
Hunter brought her to a room filled with wooden items. There was a crib, rocking horse, rattle toy, and wooden sword.
“These are…”
“These are the things Dad made for our babies before he passed. Sadly, he didn’t get to see them.”
Each of these items was filled with Jeff’s love.
Madison suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of sadness coming over her. For a moment, she thought of a frail man slowly carving some wood with a carving knife.
The dragon on the wooden sword looked especially life-like, but it wasn’t finished. There was a part of it left uncarved.
Madison’s tears started to flow as she said, “He must’ve spent a lot of time on these, right?”
“Yeah. Fate played a cruel joke on him.”
Hunter gently wiped her tears away. “Don’t cry, Madie. It’s all behind us now. You still have me.”
Madison buried her head on his shoulder, and her tears dripped down to his collar.
She sobbed, saying, “Why do I feel so sad even though I can’t remember anything? Hunter, did I forget something I shouldn’t have?”
Hunter patted her head lightly. “Madie, it’s all just pain and suffering. It’s better to forget about them. Dad would’ve wanted you to live happily too. He wouldn’t want you to wallow in grief every day.”
What happened was completely different from what Madison had thought. The things her father left her were indeed priceless to her, but they didn’t really have any actual monetary value.
So, the comments on her post were wrong. Hunter wasn’t after her money. In that case, what could she have that a man like Hunter would covet?
They stayed at the Evans residence for a while longer, but Madison couldn’t remember anything.
Before they left, Snowball followed Madison out. She wanted to suggest bringing Snowball with her but stopped herself. It was like she subconsciously knew that Hunter didn’t like cats.
“What’s wrong?”
Madison pointed to Snowball and asked, “Can I bring her with me?”
Snowball was an old cat and didn’t have long to live. Madison wanted to stay with Snowball for the remainder of her lifespan.
Hunter agreed readily, “Sure, I’ll get someone to bring her home. Let’s continue our date.”
Madison pondered over his words. “So, this is a date?”
Smiling, Hunter held her hand. “What else could it be? It’s perfectly normal for us to go on dates. We’re married. I’m legally allowed to take you on dates.”
Hunter was in the driver’s seat, and he helped Madison with her seat belt.
“Did we used to go on dates often?”
Hunter looked straight ahead and said truthfully, “Not really. I used to be very busy and often went on business trips. I didn’t have much time to spend with you. But, from now on, I’ll try my best to make time for you.”
Hunter’s expression was calm. There wasn’t any sign that pointed to him lying.
“Madie, your visa has already been applied for. If you don’t have any objections, we can go to Xylandia at the end of the month after I’m done with the work on hand. You can further your studies there. You can meet my mom too.”
Madison was puzzled. “Have I never met her before?”
Burgess had mentioned that they had lived with Hunter’s grandparents before, but she didn’t mention Hunter’s mom.
“No, my mom has a mental condition and has been getting treatment these past years. I didn’t bring you to meet her before because I was afraid it might exacerbate her condition. Her condition has stabilized over the past six months. I think it’ll be okay for you to meet her.”
Madison felt anxious because she was about to meet her mother-in-law.
“What kind of person is your mother?”
“She…”
Hunter fell silent. He didn’t know how to describe his mother.
Since he was young, they had spent the better part of their lives apart from each other. After his sister was born, Hunter had to take care of her. His mother’s condition was unstable, and when she had an episode, she would be full of bloodlust and get violent.
Leia wasn’t the only one who got abused. Hunter had also been hurt by his mother when he was young. And it wasn’t an isolated incident.
Since he was young, he had mixed feelings about his mother. He loved her but also feared her. He forced himself to be independent and subsequently became busy with many things. So, he never really interacted with his mother all that much.
Whenever his mother had an episode, she wouldn’t even recognize him as her son. Sometimes, she’d even treat him like an enemy. He never felt his mother’s love that much. He barely even saw her in a normal state. So, he didn’t really know what to say about his mother.
“You’ll know when you see her.”
“But will she even like me? I heard that mothers-in-law never get along with their daughters-in-law.”
Hunter smiled when he heard Madison’s murmurs. Holding her hand, he said, “Of course, she’ll like you. My wife is the most lovable person in the world. No one could possibly hate you.”
Face flushed, Madison shook her hand free. “Focus on driving. We don’t want to get into an accident.”
“Madie, would you be sad if I died?” Hunter suddenly asked.
Madison’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. Turning to look at Hunter, she said, “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
Hunter looked into the distance and said calmly, “People die all the time. If I get into an accident…”
“Accidents don’t happen that frequently. Stop saying things like that.” Madison felt gloomy. She didn’t like the word “accident”. She subconsciously placed a hand on her stomach.
They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Hunter brought Madison to the closest mall, and they went shopping. Then, they got some food and watched a movie like a normal couple.
It was already past 9:00 pm when they finished the movie. Also, it was getting cold out. So, there weren’t a lot of people on the streets.
Shiny decorations were hung up everywhere, illuminating the drifting snowflakes. The scene looked very romantic.
“Are you cold?” Hunter asked.
“It’s fine. The car is just a short walk away.”
Hunter noticed the misty breath she exhaled from her mouth. So, he took off his coat and draped it over her.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“But you …”
“I’m not cold.”
Hunter held her hand even tighter. Madison had a feeling that he was afraid she would be gone if he let go. She felt a tinge of happiness as she looked at Hunter’s big and warm hand wrapped around hers. It felt like she had waited a long time for this to happen.
Madison abruptly stopped in her tracks. Hunter waited for her patiently.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look, there’s a tree in front of you.”
There was a tree with a lot of red ribbons hanging from it. Christmas was approaching, and vendors were trying to attract customers by setting up a wishing tree.
The tree in question was over a century old. Some marketing whiz utilized this tree for a promotional event. Customers could get a ribbon if they spent over 800 dollars in the mall. They could get a strip of ribbon when they showed their receipt.
Even though it was apparent that it was just a gimmick to drive sales up, many young couples still participated in the event. But 800 dollars was no small amount, which was why there weren’t a lot of ribbons on the tree.
Madison stopped to take a picture and was ready to leave but noticed that Hunter had taken out a receipt to redeem the ribbons. They had spent quite a bit at the mall, so Hunter received ten ribbons.
“This is obviously just a marketing gimmick,” Madison complained. Hunter looked like he was a materialistic person. Surely he wouldn’t fall for something like this?
Hunter held the ribbons in one hand and a pen in the other. He slowly began to write down their names on the ribbons carefully. He only raised his head after he had finished writing on all the ribbons.
He gazed at Madison tenderly. “Madie, I’ve never been one for superstitions. But ever since you’ve been with me, I just want to be with you for the rest of my life. I don’t care what supernatural forces I have to believe in as long as my wish can be granted.”
Madison muttered under her breath, “But how will it work if you don’t even know what to believe in?”
“I don’t care. All I care about is you.”
The twinkling lights that hung from the tree cast a gentle glow on Hunter’s face. Madison could see his love for her overflowing from his eyes. She felt like something tugged at her heartstrings.
“We have ten tries. Let’s throw them together.”
Madison held five ribbons in her hands. Initially, she felt like it was just like a carnival game, but when she saw Hunter’s serious expression, she began to take it seriously too.
There was a tiny ball tied to the end of each ribbon. They just needed to aim the ball at one of the branches. It wasn’t that hard. Madison aimed and threw one of her ribbons. The ball just barely missed the closest branch.
Madison was disappointed that she missed on her first try.
“It’s okay, we still have plenty of chances.”
“Okay.”
Madison tried throwing the ribbons a few more times. She was an athletic woman, so she had enough strength to throw the balls up high. But the balls either scraped the branches before falling, or they missed completely. She didn’t even land one successfully after five tries.
Madison wondered if karma didn’t allow her to land her ribbons on the tree because she didn’t want it to happen.
She wasn’t worried because Hunter had five ribbons too. She figured it would be a simple task for a man.
Madison shrugged and said, “It’s your turn.”
Hunter threw his first ribbon high up. It was clear he was aiming for the top of the tree. He threw it with just enough force and at the right angle. Strangely, the ribbon landed on a branch, but the ball slowly slid down.
Madison saw Hunter’s expression turn cold. She quickly comforted him, saying, “It’s just an accident. You’ll get it next time.”
Hunter threw the remaining four ribbons, but the same thing happened every single time. They landed on the branch, but they didn’t stay put.
