"They will be surprised, curious, and treat us as bar talk, which is quite normal. But they won't judge us, and certainly won't reject us."
"Because here, surviving and living well is the most respectable thing one can do."
He finally held Emily's hand tightly and made a promise in an indisputable tone: "So, my dear, you have nothing to worry about."
"You just need to focus on getting well and happily waiting for our third child to arrive. I'll shield us from the storms and idle gossip outside."
"I will make sure everyone knows we are a strong, complete, and respectable family. No one can insult us without consequences!"
After hearing this, Emily nodded heavily, the worry in her eyes finally faded a lot, replaced by an incredible sense of peace and trust.
Aliya's eyes filled with pride as she said, "Did you hear that? That's our man. Not only can he fight off black bears in the wilderness, but he can also provide us shelter from public scrutiny."
