Mariana went to her parents and told them that she was already married.She cried and lied.She told them she felt sorry for the child she had lost. She was mildly depressed and wanted to bury him properly. She married Liam in a rush because of that.James had buried all the remains and used disposable tools from her abortion. He had bought a small place on a hill and marked a grave.Coincidently, he had not wanted to draw undue attention to Mariana, and the grave was marked vaguely.Ivy - Mommy, and Daddy love you. If there’s a next life, we will do better by you.Mariana was able to spin the lie easily to console Merideth.Andrew Jacobson, however, already knew the truth. He was surprised about the grave. He had seen the changes in James since the incident and was expecting something from James.But Mariana’s sudden marriage to Liam surprised him. He kept quiet and let the mother and daughter talk.Mariana explained how Military marriages have other significance, and they were still

After a pregnant pause, Mariana braced herself and explained.“I started liking Liam a few years back. I remember the first time I realized my feelings for him when I had to kiss him while playing truth and dare. We had played such games before, and a simple peck was not a big deal amongst friends. But that time, I felt butterflies on my stomach and all the jazz.”“I never said anything because we were friends, and I did not want to change our dynamics. I was scared of ruining our friendship and making things awkward for our friends.”“Around six months ago, James Miller, a close friend of ours, started to pursue me as he thought I was single and unattached. I did not deal with it very well. It’s a lame excuse, but I wasn’t sure about my feelings and strung him along.”“His ex became jealous and created trouble for me. During that time, Liam and I made drunk confessions and got together. However, we were still unsure of the depth of our feelings, so we kept it a secret.”“I relayed th

The banquet started with a toast and a welcome from Madam Preston.She professed her admiration of Mariana and her approval of the match. She even apologized on behalf of the Preston family for lacking in their hospitality and not taking care of the bride well.The invites were from all the bigwigs of the P city and a few people from the Military. They understood her unspoken words clearly.The rumors were just that. Preston branch family members had made a commotion out of a personal family affair to force the marriage for their benefit.Mariana was utterly grateful for the kind lady’s protection. She couldn’t help herself and hugged the lady tightly.Madam Preston laughed. She was delighted with her warm reception.She introduced Kyle as her grandson and told everyone that the banquet was to welcome her granddaughter-in-law and her great-grandson.Many people had heard of Liam’s son, but it was the first time seeing him.Kyle looked too much like Liam to doubt his parentage. However

Leonardo remained quiet throughout the banquet and observed everyone.Julie and Jessi had planned to force Mariana and Liam to get married. Then James would be unoccupied, and they would get their chance.Their initial target was Jonathan, but after several attempts, they had to concede defeat.Jonathan had a track record of being uninterested in women. Moreover, he had made his affection for his wife plain for everyone to see.His wife was a big shot and no pushover. Getting Jonathan was a gargantuan task. As much as Jessi loathed to move on from her crush, she had no choice.Liliana had outsmarted her in every conversation and every attempt to sow discord between them. She had a higher status than Jonathan. Even if she could seduce Jonathan, a clever man like him would never let go of such an affluent wife.In the custody battle, Liliana would get full custody of their children. They were both affluent, and she had raised them.Jessi was smart enough to know Jonathan would never lea

Finally, Mrs. Miller couldn’t help but ask.“I hope your friend Mariana is doing well. After she miscarried James’s baby, she married the Prestons. She sure is skillful.”Mr. Miller rebuked her, “Stop talking!”Liliana laughed.Jonathan looked at her and interlaced his fingers with hers.He couldn’t tell if she was laughing at Mrs. Miller or James.Mrs. Miller asked, “What’s so funny?”Liliana shook her head and asked, “Aunty, if you knew she had miscarried James’s child, why did you go online and say it was Liam’s and Liam was forcing James to cover for his indiscretions.”“Based on what you are saying now, it seems you tried to use public opinion to hide James’s indiscretions.”“And you even sent false details to the Army. You realize they are punishable offenses. You could get jailed for it.”Mrs. Miller stuttered. She did not have a comeback for it.Liliana continued, “Previously when James was pursuing Mariana, Alice Moss became jealous and tried to hurt and humiliate Mariana rep