LOGINDave POVAnna:I have your proposal list.I stopped walking.I read it again.Then I smiled.Of course she did.I opened the message.There were several attachments.Then another message appeared.Anna:Before you say anything, YES, I know you said you wanted it private. Everything on this list is either private, discreet, or can be customized to be private.Another message.Anna:And don’t worry. I did not tell Lydia.I smiled.Then another.Anna:Okay. Open the list.I opened the attachment.Anna had apparently gone into full event-planner mode.There were categories.Actual categories.PROPOSAL LOCATIONDECORPRIVATE DINNERPHOTOGRAPHYMUSICFLORALSRINGBACKUP PLANTRANSPORTATIONCHILDRENI stared at the screen.“Children?”Another message came in.Anna:Don’t ask why I included the children. You know they will somehow find a way to be involved.She was right.I continued scrolling.The first section contained three location options.The first was a private waterfront space with a
Dave POV I was genuinely glad I had that conversation with Lydia. Not because I had suddenly solved every problem that came with being back together, because obviously I hadn’t. We had barely started figuring out what being together again actually meant, and already there were a hundred little things we hadn’t discussed. How often I’d travel. How we’d manage the children. How we’d balance work and family. The list was probably longer than either of us wanted to admit. But at least we were talking. That mattered to me. I loved that about us. Even with all the history between us, even with all the things we’d done wrong to each other, we were finally at a point where we could sit down and say, “This is bothering me,” or “I’m worried about this,” without turning it into a war. Although, if I was being completely honest, I hadn’t been particularly pleased about the sleeping arrangement. Not even a little. I’d stood there the previous night listening to Lydia explain that she wante
Lydia POVDave remained quiet, listening.“And then there’s the house,” I continued. “Are we moving somewhere else? Are we staying here? Are we actually living together? Because apparently these are things I should have thought about before deciding I want to spend the rest of my life with someone.”He gave me a small smile at that last part, but he didn’t interrupt.I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t smile. I’m being serious.”“I’m listening.”I waited.He leaned back slightly, his fingers loosely intertwined in front of him. For the first time since I started talking, his expression became thoughtful.“Honestly?” he said.“Honestly.”“I haven’t really thought that far ahead.”I blinked.“Really?”He nodded. “Not properly. I’ve thought about it in passing, obviously. But I haven’t sat down and planned everything out.”His gaze moved briefly around the room, almost as if he were seeing our current life from a different angle.“About the house, I don’t think we need to rush into moving.”I nod
Lydia POVWhen I woke up that morning, the first thing I noticed was the empty space beside me.I stared at it for a few seconds, still half-asleep, my mind taking its sweet time catching up with reality. The sheets were slightly wrinkled where Dave had been, but he was gone. For some reason, that made something in my chest feel strangely unsettled. Not because I wanted him there—well, maybe I did—but because it felt weird that he had actually listened to me.Apparently, Dave Ashton was a man of his word.I had told him the night before that I thought it would be better if he spent only a couple of hours in my room and then went back to his own. He had agreed without arguing, without trying to negotiate, without making me feel guilty about it. And now here I was, staring at the empty side of the bed like I had somehow expected him to ignore me.I rubbed my face and sat up.“Okay, Lydia. You asked for this.”I wasn’t sure why I was saying it out loud. There was nobody there to hear me.
Lydia pov I didn’t think there was any need for games or elaborate strategies when it came to something like that. If the woman wanted to marry her boyfriend, why couldn’t she just tell him? Plain and simple. She could tell him she wanted him to put a ring on her finger, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, and that she wanted them to build a proper life together. What was the point of all the gimmicks and guessing games? We were all adults. Honestly, I didn’t understand why people made these things more complicated than they needed to be. Dave nodded towards me and said “Yes. You’re right.” His eyebrows lifted slightly. I smiled. “I’m always right.” Then, before I could respond, he leaned into me, wrapping his arms around me and pressing a quick kiss against my cheek. My whole expression softened. “Oh, please,” I muttered when I caught the look on his face. “Dave, are you usually like this?” “Like what?” “Like this.” I waved a hand vaguely between us. “Al
Dave POVI headed downstairs and found the children sitting together, completely absorbed in whatever game they were playing on their iPads. Neither of them noticed me immediately, which gave me the perfect opportunity to walk into the kitchen and start preparing dinner. I wasn’t going to announce what I was making. Not yet. I wanted them to guess. I walked back into the living room and rubbed my hands together dramatically. “Guess whattt!” Both children looked up at me. “Dad, wha—” Eli started. “I’m heading to the kitchen right now,” I announced, “and I’m whipping up my all-time special.” Ava immediately sat up. “Your all-time special?” “Yes.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Toast.” I stared at her. “Toast?” She shrugged. “You like toast.” “I do, but this is a dinner-appropriate meal.” Eli looked up from his iPad. “A rice dish.” I nodded slowly. “Hmm. Be more specific.” He thought for a moment. “Jollof rice?” “Getting warmer.” “Fried rice?” I shook my hea
Lydia POVOh.That was… unfortunate.Because he was beautiful.In a sharp, expensive, dangerous kind of way.Dark suit.Sharper jaw.Dark eyes that looked almost black under certain lighting.Everything about him looked controlled.I clicked another picture.Still no smile.Another.Same expression
Lydia POV“You’re getting married to Dave Ashton tomorrow by eight a.m.”Those were the words that ended my life as I knew it.One sentence.One Tuesday evening.One announcement delivered with the same emotional weight my father would have used to ask someone to pass the salt.For a moment, I hone
Bernard stepped in, hands clasped neatly in front of him.“I apologize for disturbing you, ma’am. I came by earlier, but there was no response.”I rubbed my eyes. “I was asleep.”“Yes, ma’am.”He said it so respectfully that I almost felt bad for sounding irritated.Almost.“Would you like dinner?”
Lydia’s POVThe inside of the house was even worse than the outside.Worse, because now I had to physically stand inside it and accept that this was where I was expected to live.The space swallowed me the second I stepped in.The entrance opened into a massive living area with floors so polished I







