ログインLydia“Start by noticing what’s happening in your body. Are you tightening your jaw? Is your heart racing? Are you raising your voice? Do you suddenly feel the need to prove that you’re right? Those can be signs that you’re becoming emotionally activated.”She reached for a notepad.“When you notice those signs, pause. You don’t have to finish every argument immediately. You can say, ‘I’m getting upset, and I don’t want to say something I regret. Let’s talk about this later.’ Then give yourself time to settle.”I nodded.“Also, try to identify the actual feeling beneath your anger. Sometimes anger is protecting something softer. It might be embarrassment, fear, rejection, shame or hurt. If you can identify what you’re actually feeling, you have a better chance of communicating it without hurting somebody else.”I stared at her.“You make it sound like I need a manual.”She laughed softly. “You don’t need a manual. You need practice.”“Fantastic.”“And about Ava…”I straightened slight
Lydia“No, Lydia. You’re having a human reaction to an emotionally significant encounter.”“That’s a fancy way of saying I’m jealous.”She smiled. “You can be jealous and still have no desire to return to the relationship. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”I was quiet.“Think about it,” she continued. “You saw someone who once represented a future you believed you would have. Now he’s sharing moments with somebody else. Your reaction might not be about wanting him back. It could be about seeing a chapter of your life continuing without you, especially when you still have unanswered questions about how that chapter ended.”I stared at the bottle.“And there’s another possibility,” she added. “You may have felt replaced. Even if you don’t want the relationship anymore, seeing him with another woman can trigger the thought that somebody else is now receiving the affection, attention or promises you once received. That can be painful.”I swallowed.“That sounds about right.”“B
Lydia POV“Fuck it.”I turned around, walked back towards the seating area and dropped into one of the chairs.I wasn’t going after Anna. Not right now. I wasn’t even sure what I would say if I did.I picked up my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Dr Sana’s number.I really needed her right now, frr.I dialled, and she picked up on the first ring.“Hello?”“Hi,” I said solemnly.There was a brief pause.“Who exchanged my PR goddess for this?”Despite everything, I almost smiled.“Dr Sana…”“Oh, that voice. What happened?”“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m fully healed. Can I come to your office?”“Sureee. Even though you’re using my lunch break.”“Dr Sana, the last time I checked, you were on a monthly subscription payment plan with me, and I don’t think I’ve used your services in two months.”She laughed. “So you’re threatening me now?”“I’m simply reminding you of our contractual obligations.”“Very professional of you. You know I have a soft spot for you, so come.
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
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
Lydia I turned.He was standing a few feet away now, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.There was no softness in his face.Just cool detachment.The kind that made the evening breeze feel warmer by comparison.For the first time since he arrived, he looked directly at me and held the







