Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Once Ava finished her breakfast, Frank started the car and drove smoothly towards the County Clerk's Offices to get their marriage certificates.

Ava, feeling content after the meal, suddenly felt her earlier worries were unnecessary. She realized she should welcome the arrival of their little one with joy, maintaining the best state of mind so that Frank could feel assured.

As the scenes outside the car window gradually receded, Ava found herself captivated by an inexplicable joy that welled up from within. It was as if she had unearthed a newfound reservoir of happiness and wisdom, revealing to her the blueprint for handling future challenges with grace and confidence.

Half an hour of anticipation and a journey filled with tender conversations and shared dreams brought them to the entrance of the marriage registration office. The bureaucratic rituals commenced as they dutifully followed the instructions of the amiable staff.

Forms were meticulously filled, signatures were inscribed with hopeful intent, and official stamps imprinted their significance on the papers, which was an ensemble of bureaucratic rites for the validation of their love.

An hour later, they finally obtained their foreign marriage certificate. Both patiently waited as the registration agency rigorously verified the information, Frank, as a foreigner, provided.

Their marital status was now confirmed, no longer just boyfriend and girlfriend, no longer fiancé and fiancée, but husband and wife.

Stepping out of the solemn halls of the registration office, hand in hand, their hearts brimmed with an intoxicating mixture of excitement, anticipation, and a profound sense of togetherness. Frank's hand discreetly held onto something within his pocket, a token that symbolized the intertwining of their destinies. Meanwhile, Ava, filled with exuberance, hummed a melodious tune while clutching onto something that bound her to Frank for a lifetime.

Seated comfortably inside the car, Ava's enthusiasm overflowed. Eager to share their joyous moment, she swiftly snapped a picture and posted it in the Tuner family group, the Roberts family group, and the Women's Congregation. Grace had long added Ava to the Roberts family group.

After sending the messages, the flood of well-wishes began, making Ava feel happy. Her legs swung excitedly in the car, showing the great joy she was experiencing inside.

Frank, observing Ava's joyous interactions with their loved ones, was struck by a pang of regret. He pondered why he hadn't insisted on marriage earlier.

The Tuner family group was the first to explode with messages.

Starting with Daniel, the father who doted on his daughter. He sent a lot of stickers to express his good wishes to the new couple and some texts.

our little princess on finding her happiness, my little girl.] Sitting next to Joseph was Christina. After the meeting, she went over to report her work. After receiving the message,

eyes gleamed like a constellation of stars as she received the continuous stream of messages, each carrying a token of love and well-wishes. Her fingers danced in delight as she checked them, a wide grin adorning her face. Beside her, Frank, with an indulgent smile, interrupted her joyous

Frank chuckled softly as he set the car in motion, while Ava remained absorbed in her phone, responding gleefully to the flood of

messages with a smile, [Thanks for loving me, Dad, Mom, brother, sister-in-law, sister. I'm so lucky to have you. | love you all.] Daniel's response followed. It read, [Thank you, my dear daughter, I'm so proud of you.] The stream of notifications continued, inundating Ava's phone with love and blessings from various groups. Overwhelmed by the deluge of responses and feeling a tinge of regret for not replying to each

that she made a mistake by

could only tell her, "No rush. Reply one by one. Take your time." Ava blew out a breath of air, her lips smacking against each other as she

Ava continued her enthusiastic responses, an unexpected

number of zeros after the digits, her voice slightly trembling. "Grace, oh no, | mean, Mom sent me 16 million dollars..." She was greatly surprised at how generous her

interrupting her intentions. This particular notification came from William. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't at Grace's office. It read, [Welcome, Ava. We are family from now on.] Then, another notification came in. Ava received another large sum of money, followed by a text that read, [I don't have much money. This is my private savings. Take it as a gift. Grace doesn't know it, so please do not tell her that | have a private account.] "Ha-ha-ha, your dad is adorable! But hey, | won't spill the beans; it's our little secret. Ha-ha!" Frank didn't pay much heed to whatever Ava caught sight of; her happiness was his priority. Steering his attention back to the road, he concentrated

shout. I'm quite well-off these days.] William responded, saying, [No worries. | can get approvals from Grace. Let's cooperate pleasantly.] Ava replied, [Sure.

the group chat, Ava

entered another group, Sherri seemed particularly ecstatic. She expressed her joy with a message that conveyed, [Wow, you two are finally together now! You're husband and wife! You can rely on each other without needing

in another group, she quickly jumped into this one and sent, [Congratulations, our little princess.] The cute Natalie also sent a

the transfer, Ava privately replied, [Sis, you already sent me so much money, why are you doing it again?] Natalie replied, [Our little princess got married. | am happy. Your brother-in-law gives me too much

me out. This is just a lucky number. | am not a stingy sister, am 17] Ava knew her sister was trying to make her happy by accepting the blessing and replied in agreement, [Of course not. Thank you, sis. Love you.] It was a happy day, no need for pretense or

seconds later, Ava received 5 more transfers

Sherri initiated another transaction, leaving Ava

[Don't overthink it. It's all because of the transfer limit. | have prepared way more gifts for

Sherri was being considerate.

all the transfers with gratitude and replied to Sherri by texting, [I love you, Sherri.] Sherri replied, [I love you too, my sweetheart. But don't love me too much, otherwise, Frank will get jealous of me.] Ava Turner sent a big