ログインLydia“I’m saying she’s growing up, Lydia. She’s watching you. She’ll learn how to handle relationships and emotions from the people around her. You have to teach her how to recognise what is healthy, how to set boundaries, how not to let a man determine her worth.”I felt my jaw tighten.Anna continued, “And considering you haven’t had that much experience with men compared to some people, you should be willing to learn too. You can’t just assume that because you’re in love now, everything will always be perfect. You have to teach your daughter these things before she starts making her own decisions.”I stared at her.I wasn’t even sure which part of what she said had irritated me most.Perhaps it was the suggestion that I lacked the experience to teach my own child. Perhaps it was the way she had brought Ava into a conversation that had nothing to do with her.Or perhaps it was that I had spent the previous night listening to my daughter explain how neglected she had been feeling, a
LydiaShe blinked, then laughed.“Easy, tiger. It’s not this serious.”“Then why are you asking me?”“Because I have eyes, Lydia. I saw you practically abandon our cake consultation to go and investigate somebody.”“I wasn’t investigating anybody.”“Of course not.”“Anna.”“Okay, okay.” She raised both hands, still smiling. “Let’s finish the cake business we came here for.”I stared at her for a moment before walking back to our table.I knew she was teasing, and under normal circumstances, I would probably have given her a few equally ridiculous remarks. But I wasn’t in the mood.We returned to the consultation, and the staff member continued explaining the pricing options. We settled on the pistachio and raspberry flavour, agreeing that the pistachio sponge with raspberry filling and mascarpone cream would make a lovely combination for the wedding.We discussed the number of tiers, the finishing details, the delivery arrangements and the cost. Anna asked a few questions about the de
Lydia POVI lifted my head.I honestly couldn’t tell you when I stood up or how I ended up walking in his direction. One moment, I was sitting across from Anna, looking at the quotation the consultant had placed in front of us. The next, I was moving towards the seating area where Marcus was.It was almost as though my subconscious had taken over before my brain could remind me that I had absolutely no business going over there.I didn’t even know what I intended to do.Was I going to greet him? Ask him how he was? Introduce myself to the woman sitting across from him? Or was I simply going to stand there and stare until he noticed me?I had no idea.The thing about Marcus was that I had never quite known what to do with the way things ended between us.We hadn’t had some dramatic breakup. There was no screaming match, no public confrontation, no final scene where one of us threw the other’s belongings out of a window. We had ended things amicably, or at least that was what we had cal
LydiaAnna looked at me.I looked at her.“Honestly,” I said, “we’re open to suggestions. I want something that tastes as beautiful as it looks.”She smiled. “Perfect. Then I think you’ll enjoy today’s selection.”The first cake was a classic vanilla sponge with Madagascar vanilla buttercream.I took a small bite.“Okay.”Anna looked at me. “What?”“It’s good.”“That’s all?”I took another bite. “It’s very good. The vanilla isn’t overpowering, and the buttercream is smooth.”Anna nodded, taking her own bite. “I like this one, but I don’t know if it’s wedding-cake special enough.”“Let’s not start rejecting cakes after one bite.”She laughed.The next was a red velvet cake with cream cheese filling. It was soft, slightly tangy and had that familiar richness that made it an easy crowd-pleaser.Anna immediately approved.“This is nice.”“Very nice,” I agreed. “But I feel like we’ve had red velvet at almost every wedding we’ve attended.”“So?”“So, I want something a little different.”“H
Lydia POVI finished getting dressed exactly in time, which, considering my usual relationship with time whenever I had somewhere to be, was a small personal achievement.I wore a sleeveless top paired with a very oversized pair of casual joggers. Nothing complicated, nothing that required too much thought, but the combination came together so nicely that I kept admiring myself in the mirror.I loved the output, frr.I gathered my things, styled my hair into a high updo and booked a ride. Less than five minutes later, my driver arrived.The moment I got into the car, I recognised the song playing.Enchanted.Taylor Swift.Oh, what a babe.I settled into my seat, smiling as the familiar melody filled the car. Honestly, that song could put me in a good mood on almost any day. There was just something about it that made ordinary moments feel a little more magical. I found myself quietly singing along, occasionally looking out the window and enjoying the ride.By the time we arrived at An
Lydia“Anna, are you frrr?”“Sorry, babes. I miscalculated.”I stared at the phone, momentarily speechless.Beside me, Dave had his lips pressed together, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. He was doing an absolutely terrible job of holding back his laughter.I pointed at him. “Don’t.”He immediately looked away, pretending to be interested in something on the bedside table.Traitor.I turned my attention back to Anna. “Listen, I actually want to have breakfast with the children today. I promised them, and I’m not changing that because you miscalculated.”“Lydia, it’s just cake tasting.”“And it’s just breakfast with my children.”“Okay, but the baker—”“Anna, I can’t do eight. I don’t know how we’re going to figure it out, but nine is the only plausible time available to me.”There was a brief silence.“Plausible time?” she repeated.“Yes. Would you prefer I say reasonable?”“Don’t start with me.”I smiled. “You’re the one who woke up and decided to rearrange my morning.”“I’m a
Lydia POVAfter what seems like forever, a black Rolls-Royce pulled into the court compound, I had already imagined three different ways to murder my husband.Future husband.Potential husband.Missing husband.Whatever.At that point, I wasn’t being picky.The sleek black car glided through the ga
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?”







