Table for Two [Completed]

Xu Jing thought that was the end of what his mother had to say. However, Mrs. Xu was not done. Like most Asian mothers, Mrs. Xu believed in the philosophy of tough love. They could be cruel for the sake of love. They were so hard on you because they wanted you to learn from your mistake and grow from the adversity.

Looking down at her son, Mrs. Xu uttered in a clear voice, "Xu Jing, if your father is still alive today, he would be so disappointed in you."

That hurt more than a slap to the face and Mrs. Xu said so because she knew exactly the effect it would have on Xu Jing. Mrs. Xu knew how much her son adored his father and earning his disapproval would torment Xu Jing for a long time.

Mrs. Xu didn't say that when Xu Jing was playing around during his youth, she didn't blame him when he tried but failed to step up to the plate when Elder Xu passed away and Xu Jing was required to take over his place at the company.

Mrs. Xu accepted the man's flaws because he was her son but this, the betrayal of love was where she drew the line. Mrs. Xu was deeply disappointed in Xu Jing and she let her son knew exactly how she was feeling.

Xu Jing crumbled before his mother. The loaded disappointment in his mother's words was so heavy that he found it difficult to breathe much less speak. Xu Jing needed time to process what he was told.

Ultimately, Xu Jing couldn't say that he disagreed with his mother. Mrs. Xu was right, he had acted like a disappointment. Xu Jing couldn't even gather the words to contradict his mother because he saw himself reflected in his mother's eyes and like his mother, he too saw nothing but a disappointment.

Mrs. Xu looked at her son and she turned her head away like she couldn't bear to look at the disaster that was unfolding before her. "I want you to think about what you've done," was all she said before she walked away to head to her room, leaving the shell of a man crumbled before the door to his wife's bedroom.

...

Mrs. Xu closed the door behind her and the mask of a stern mother fell from her face. She sighed. Mrs. Xu's heart broke when she saw how her precious son collapse and break before her eyes but what was she going to do?

She couldn't show any sign of weakness lest Xu Jing thought that his transgression had a chance to be forgiven that easily.

Mrs. Xu left the scene because she couldn't bear to see her son in that state anymore. If she had stayed any longer, she would have carried him up from the floor, barged into the bedroom and demanded the two hash it out right there and then.

However, she knew that wouldn't have helped the situation. Wounds, especially those on the heart, needed time to heal. As a widow, Mrs. Xu understood that very well.

After her husband passed away, she threw herself into work, but she could admit now it was merely a way to escape from reality. If she just stayed at home and just moped around, which honestly was the only thing she wanted to do then, her family would have come to her, telling her to face the reality that her husband had moved on and she needed to move on with her life. She knew they mean well, but she wanted to do things on her own terms with her own pace.

She allowed herself space, time and distance. Slowly but surely, she walked out from the shadow of grief. Death and infidelity were two different things but in Mrs. Xu's eyes, they both dealt with the loss of love. She'd figured she could apply her own experience in this situation.

She showed concern to her daughter-in-law but she didn't impose any advice on Joann. Mrs. Xu hated other people telling her what she should do when she was down in a slump. They meant well but the road to hell was laid with good intentions.

Mrs. Xu believed the young couple would eventually make it work and the people pulling the weight would have to be Joann. Even though Xu Jing was willing to go the distance to apologize to his wife, a betrayal of love needed more than an apology to heal.

It needed strength of will to face the trouble and a clear-mindedness to deal with the raging emotions. It pained Mrs. Xu to say it but based on how Xu Jing had handled the situation, it was quite obvious that emotional stability wasn't the man's forte.

In comparison, her daughter-in-law had handled it much better. When Mrs. Xu talked to her, Joann didn't shed a single tear, she was calm and collected. It was a good thing because it meant that she was processing the emotions and situation rationally but Mrs. Xu feared that it was just a front the woman used to rein in her emotions. Furthermore, while Mrs. Xu understood that importance of allowing both parties some time to reflect on what had happened, what if Joann decided to take a permanent break?

Mrs. Xu said that she would support Joann's decision but knowing a divorce would plunge a knife into her son's heart, she honestly didn't know what to think. She wasn't even sure she would be able to live up to the promise she made her daughter-in-law then.

Mrs. Xu sighed. In any case, she had told herself not to intervene so there was nothing she could do but worry. Even though the future was uncertain, she hoped that everything would turn out fine in the end. Whatever will be will be.