CHAPTER TWO : Blind trust

Daniel was her first love and her first in everything. They met in high school and though they separated for college, they found each other after that.

But before they found themselves again, Lila had gone through a messy breakup. Daniel came back into her life when she actually needed him most. At the perfect time.

So it was no news she called him ‘perfect timer’ while he called her ‘my forever’.

So when she heard a voice in her sitting room that sounded almost like her husband’s, her heart almost exploded. She thought she had not heard right. 

But a question like “You’re… pregnant?” couldn’t be mistaken in the ears of someone like Lila. Someone who had been deprived of the joy of carrying her own child. 

She had longed for a child of their own for years. The doctors had been gentle but clear, “The chances were slim.”

She had cried in his arms more nights than she could count, and he had held her, promising they would face it together. They considered adoption and surrogacy and whatever it took. 

But eventually, they concluded on surrogacy. So hearing another woman claim to carry his baby felt like a blade twisting in old wounds.

But Lila Coleman-Pérez was not a woman who unraveled easily. She closed her eyes, drew in a slow, steadying breath, and let the initial wave of pain wash over her. 

Daniel had never given her a reason to doubt his love. Not once in all these years. Whatever this was a mistake, a lie from a desperate ex or a complication from the late nights at the office would trust him. 

Besides, he had not given a reply to the woman, or maybe she didn’t hear his response. She was not sure. 

They had built something real. Something worth fighting for. And today of all days, she needed to trust him. Even if Daniel had another woman, he respected her way too much to let her even know their home.

Daniel finally returned upstairs a few minutes later, his face was tight with tension, she met him with a calm smile and open arms.

“Everything okay with the planner?” she asked lightly, rising on her toes to kiss his jaw.

He searched her eyes for a second, then relaxed slightly and pulled her close. “Just some… unexpected details. We’ll sort it out.”

Lila nodded, pressing her body against his, letting the warmth of him ground her. “Good. Because tonight is still ours. After we’ve reminisced and eaten and danced like the hopeless romantics we are… I want you to tell me everything. And then I want you to devour me like you promised.” 

Her voice dropped to a husky whisper as her fingers traced down his chest. “We’ll talk it all out then, in our bed. No secrets between us, my Perfect Timer. Not tonight.”

Daniel exhaled, relief and love flooding his expression as he kissed her deeply. “No secrets,” he murmured against her lips. “I swear it.”

Lila held him tighter, the diamond pendant cool between them, while her heart aching but determined. Whatever storm was brewing downstairs, it would wait. Their anniversary night and their marriage would come first.

By 1 PM, their spacious courtyard had been transformed into a romantic anniversary haven. White and blush floral arrangements cascaded from wooden arches, fairy lights were strung elegantly overhead even though the sun still shone brightly.

A long table dressed in crisp linen awaited their private lunch while soft instrumental music played from hidden speakers while the event planner and her two assistants made final adjustments to the centerpiece. 

There was a delicate sculpture of intertwined rose gold rings symbolizing their four years. That was a detail Lila had personally asked to be included in the arrangements.

Lila stood at the French doors overlooking the courtyard, a glass of chilled sparkling water in her hand, wearing a flowing cream sundress that hugged her Latino curves and complemented the new diamond pendant at her throat. 

Her eyes were fixed on Daniel as he worked alongside the planners. He looked every bit the man who had stolen her heart all those years ago and never truly let it go. 

Daniel was tall and broad-shouldered. He had a beautiful well shaped head filled with golden hair.  His golden hair was slightly tousled from running his fingers through it, the kind of effortless mess that always made her want to reach out and fix it just so she could touch him. 

Sunlight caught the faint stubble along his strong jawline, giving him a rugged edge that contrasted beautifully with the tailored white shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing toned forearms corded with muscle from his early morning workouts. 

The fabric stretched across his chest and back as he bent to help adjust one of the heavy floral arrangements, highlighting the powerful lines of his physique, the same body that had worshipped hers just hours earlier.

Even from a distance, Lila could see the focus in his warm hazel eyes and the easy smile he offered the planner as they discussed timing. A faint sheen of sweat glistened on his tanned skin from the midday warmth, making the open collar of his shirt cling slightly.

He was the perfect blend of polished businessman and passionate husband. Daniel was successful, driven, and undeniably magnetic.

She watched him laugh at something the assistant said, the sound carrying faintly to her, and felt that familiar pull low in her belly. Despite the bombshell she had overheard that morning, Lila’s trust in him held firm. 

He was her Perfect Timer. In her eyes, he could never go wrong. Whatever truth lay behind the pregnant woman’s claim, they would face it together tonight, in the privacy of their bed, after they had celebrated the life they had built.

Daniel glanced up then, as if sensing her gaze. Their eyes met across the courtyard, and his expression softened into something so tender and full of love that her breath caught. He excused himself from the planners and started walking toward her, his stride was purposeful.

“Everything looks perfect,” he said as he reached her, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Just like you.”

Lila leaned into him, inhaling his cologne. “You’re the one making it perfect, as always.”

She had not mentioned the morning’s visitor. Not yet. That conversation could wait until the stars came out and their bodies were tangled once more. For now, this moment, this man was hers.