chapter 44

Getting back together was surprisingly anticlimactic.

There were no headlines.

No dramatic announcements.

No grand gestures.

One day Judith and Liam were divorced people trying to co-parent, and the next they were somehow acting like a married couple again.

The only difference was that this time they actually talked to each other.

A lot.

Three days after their conversation in the garden, Judith was sitting in the living room when Ava stormed into the house.

"Is it true?"

Judith didn't even look up from her book.

"Good afternoon, Ava."

"It's true."

Judith sighed.

"Who told you?"

"Liam."

That made her look up.

"He told you?"

Ava looked deeply offended.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"

Before Judith could respond, Ava threw herself onto the couch.

"I deserve compensation."

"For what?"

"For emotional damages."

"You weren't emotionally damaged."

"I absolutely was."

Judith laughed.

For the first time in a long while, the future didn't feel complicated.

It felt normal.

And normal was nice.

───

Liam was equally incapable of hiding his happiness.

The problem was that everyone around him noticed.

Especially Victoria.

His mother had spent years watching him bury himself in work.

Now he smiled randomly during conversations.

He answered personal calls during meetings.

He even left the office on time.

The last one shocked everyone.

Including his employees.

On Friday afternoon, Victoria walked into his office without knocking.

"You look unbearable."

Liam looked up from his laptop.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means you're happy and it's irritating."

He laughed.

Victoria sat down opposite him.

For a moment she simply watched her son.

Then she smiled.

"You know, I used to think you inherited your father's intelligence."

Liam frowned.

"That sounds like an insult."

"It is."

He groaned.

Victoria continued.

"Because it took you years to realize you were in love with that girl."

Liam rubbed his forehead.

"I know."

"No, I don't think you do."

His mother shook her head.

"Judith has loved you for years. Don't waste this chance."

The teasing tone disappeared from her voice.

For the first time, she sounded completely serious.

Liam nodded.

"I'm not going to."

And for once, he meant it without any doubt.

───

A week later, Liam accompanied Judith to another doctor's appointment.

This had become routine.

They argued during the drive there.

They argued while waiting.

And they argued on the way back.

Mostly about ridiculous things.

Today it was baby names.

"I am not naming our child after a billionaire."

"Why not?"

"Because that's weird."

"It isn't weird."

"It absolutely is."

Liam looked offended.

Judith looked amused.

The doctor spent half the appointment trying not to laugh.

After the checkup, they stopped at a small café nearby.

The afternoon crowd hadn't arrived yet.

The place was quiet.

Peaceful.

Judith sat by the window while Liam ordered drinks.

As she watched him speak to the cashier, she found herself smiling.

Not because he was doing anything special.

Because he wasn't.

He was simply being Liam.

The real Liam.

The one she'd gotten to know over the last few months.

The one hidden beneath years of stress and ambition.

When he returned to the table, he noticed her expression.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You were staring."

"I was not."

"You absolutely were."

Judith rolled her eyes.

Liam grinned.

Some things never changed.

───

Later that evening, they returned to the Lux estate for dinner.

The moment they walked inside, everyone noticed.

Not because they were holding hands.

They weren't.

Not because they announced anything.

They didn't.

It was simply obvious.

The way they stood near each other.

The way they spoke.

The way they looked at one another.

Richard noticed first.

Then Eleanor.

Then Julian.

Julian looked between them for several seconds.

Finally he sighed.

"What?"

Judith asked.

"Nothing."

That answer alone made everyone suspicious.

Julian shook his head.

"I've spent months preparing speeches."

Liam frowned.

"Speeches?"

"Threats."

"Oh."

"I can't use any of them now."

Ava burst out laughing.

Richard nearly choked on his drink.

Even Judith couldn't stop smiling.

The rest of dinner passed comfortably.

For the first time in years, both families felt at peace.

No tension.

No uncertainty.

No pretending.

Just family.

───

That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Judith stepped onto her balcony.

The city lights glittered in the distance.

The baby shifted gently.

A reminder that very soon their lives were about to change forever.

She rested a hand on her stomach.

For months she had worried about raising a child alone.

Then she worried about trusting Liam again.

Then she worried about getting hurt.

Now, standing beneath the night sky, those fears felt smaller.

Not gone.

Just manageable.

A message appeared on her phone.

Liam.

Are you awake?

A smile appeared immediately.

Yes.

His reply came seconds later.

Look down.

Confused, Judith walked to the railing and glanced toward the garden below.

Liam stood there looking up at her.

A ridiculous grin on his face.

She immediately laughed.

Why are you outside?

His phone lit up.

Couldn't sleep.

Judith shook her head.

Then another message arrived.

Goodnight, Judith.

For a moment she simply stared at the screen.

Then she looked down again.

Liam was still there.

Still smiling.

Still looking at her like she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Maybe she was.

The thought should have embarrassed her.

Instead, it made her smile.

Goodnight, Liam.

For the first time in a very long time, home didn't feel like a place.

It felt like a person.