After dinner, I tucked Lily into bed. She snuggled her teddy bear, yawning sleepily. “Aunt Haley?”“Yes, sweetheart?”She bit her lip. “If Jordan becomes my… something, can I still call him my friend?”I blinked, surprised. “What do you mean, something?”She looked at Logan nervously, then back at me. “You’re Jordan’s mommy… and you live with us now and also about my Mom getting married to Jordan's Dad..." She looked confused.I smiled softly and stroked her hair. “Of course, baby. Even if Susan marries Sebastian, that won’t change your friendship with Jordan. You’ll always be free to be friends.”"So does that mean Jordan is my brother now? Like… real family?”I nodded gently. “If Logan and I get married someday, it will definitely change your relationship. I am sorry, I know this is too complicated for you.”Lily’s face scrunched up, "It's fine as long as you are happy with my daddy."Her words made me smile and I kissed her forehead, "Goodnight." I whispered and Lily closed her eye
I stood beside Logan at the entrance, my fingers resting lightly in his hand.It wasn’t until I spotted Sebastian across the hall that I hesitated.He was standing near the reception, speaking with one of Logan’s assistants. The moment his eyes met ours, they dipped down to our intertwined hands. He paused—just for a second—and then looked away like he hadn’t noticed anything at all.I turned to Logan quickly, lowering my voice. “Sebastian?”Logan gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. “He wants to collaborate.”“Collaborate?” I blinked. “Since when?”“Just came up this morning,” Logan said calmly. “I’ll explain later.”I narrowed my eyes slightly, unconvinced. “You’re just going to pretend it’s normal that he shows up out of nowhere wanting to work with you?”“Business is business,” Logan replied. “His company’s in trouble. He needs someone with stable footing. That someone just happens to be me.”I bit my lip. “Still feels weird.”Logan gently squeezed my hand. “Don’t overthin
Logan held out his hand as we walked into the company.“Hold my hand,” he said softly.I looked at him and shook my head with a small smile. “We’re at work.”“So?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.“I don’t want people staring. We’re already being watched,” I whispered.He sighed but nodded, slipping his hand back into his pocket. “Alright. But I’ll hold it later.”I gave him a look. “You always say that.”He smirked. “And I always do.”We walked into the building together. People greeted Logan as we passed. Some smiled at me. Others just stared too long.I wasn’t used to this.Logan’s office was at the very top. It was big, but what I liked most was the little cubicle he had set up for me beside it. Not too fancy, but private. Cozy. Just for me.I placed my bag on the small table, turned on the tablet, and started sketching.Then, the door opened.A woman walked in.She had shoulder-length black hair and wore a sharp white blouse tucked into a pencil skirt. Her heels clicked softly again
“Lily!” I gasped, laughing as I watched her proudly smear more tomato sauce onto Logan’s grey loungewear.Her little spoon moved like a paintbrush, the bright red sauce streaking across his chest like some kind of edible war paint.“Look, Daddy! You're pizza now!”Logan’s eye twitched. “Pizza,” he repeated slowly, staring down at the mess spreading across his shirt. “Great. Just what I wanted on a Monday morning.”“I can be the cheese,” Lily added proudly, grabbing more sauce.“Okay, okay,” I said quickly, reaching to stop her. “Lily, sweetheart, maybe we—”Before I could finish, a blob of cold tomato sauce landed on the side of my head.I froze.The room went quiet.Lily stared.I turned my head slowly, and there stood Logan with the biggest smirk on his face and an empty spoon in his hand.“Oh, you didn’t just—” I gasped.“I did,” he said smugly, backing away slightly. “And I regret nothing.”“You’re dead,” I warned.“Daddy’s gonna get it!” Lily cheered.I lunged at him.Logan darte
Susan's POV:I used to tell myself that I was free.Free from the crying of babies. Free from bedtime stories. Free from the weight of little hands reaching out for someone else. But lately, freedom felt more like a punishment.Lily chose Haley over me without a second thought. It shouldn't have hurt. But it did.I sat on the edge of my bed that night, staring at nothing, replaying the scene at the playground.Lily hadn’t looked at me with love. She looked at her with trust, comfort, peace. The way a child should look at her mother.And Haley… she just took it in stride, like she belonged there. Like she’d always belonged there.I had money. I had everything. Clothes, cars, beauty, control. Haley had none of it, yet she was the one everyone looked at. The one they listened to. The one they defended.Lily chose her.Sebastian defended her.Even Jordan, that sweet little boy, stood in front of her like a loyal guard dog.And me?I was just noise. A stranger with the wrong tone of voice.
The air was quiet in the car as I drove Lily home. She sat in the back seat, bundled in a blanket, hugging her stuffed rabbit. Her eyes were tired, swollen from crying, but she didn’t say a word.“Do you want to listen to music?” I asked gently, glancing at her through the mirror.She shook her head without looking up.I didn’t press her.When we got home, the butler opened the door right away. “Welcome back, miss,” he said with a soft nod. “Sir is on his way.”Lily slipped off her shoes and went straight to the couch, curling up without speaking. I sat beside her and rubbed her back slowly.The door opened again.“Where is she?” Logan’s voice filled the room, low but full of worry.“She’s right here,” I said softly.He rushed to the couch, kneeling beside us. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said gently. “I heard what happened.”Lily looked up, her eyes wet. She sniffled and leaned into me.“She had a panic attack,” I whispered. “It was bad.”Logan’s gaze turned to me. He didn’t look angry. In