Lahat ng Kabanata ng WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Sunlight streamed golden in through the tall windows of the Carlston home, warming the breakfast room to a comforting glow. Lily huddled on a chair that was velvet-padded, her hair rumpled from sleep, her robe tied loosely that Vandaulf still found more distracting than toast.Across from him, Vandaulf was attempting to butter his croissant with one hand while the other idly stroked her ankle beneath the table. "I believe we should have stricter breakfast dress codes," he whispered, his eyes dark with mischief.Oh, I don't know," Lily replied, sipping her tea in mock innocence. "You butter that croissant any more slowly, we'll be here till lunch. And besides, you're the one who said you loved mornings like these.""I said I liked slow mornings," he replied, glinting with amusement. "Didn't know it would involve watching my wife lick marmalade off her spoon like that."Lily smiled and did it again on purpose, raising an eyebrow. "Like this?He groaned, throwing his napkin onto the tabl

It started subtly—just a few skipped meals, a bout of queasiness here and there. But when Lily found herself staring suspiciously at her morning croissant as if it were personally offending her, she knew something was off.She shoved the plate across the table. “No. No carbs today. Or ever. Maybe I’ll eat air.”Vandaulf, pajamas-clad with a sleepy Barkley curled on his lap, gazed up, partway through a bite. "Who hurt you, and why is it French pastry?"Lily rested her head on the table. "I don't know. Everything smells strange. The coffee smells like. betrayal. The soap smells like pickles. You smell like cinnamon.""That last one sounds like a compliment.""I loathe cinnamon."He blinked. "What?"She groaned. "I have no idea what's going on. I feel like a Disney princess who's been cursed, and not the one who sings. The one who goes spiraling-into-forest-madness kind." Barkley snorted in sympathy and leapt up onto the table to examine her croissant with intense interest.Vandaulf too

The doorbell chimed like an overly excited xylophone, and Lily barely had time to lift her head from the couch before Brenna James swept in like a woman on a mission. She was armed—no, loaded—with a basket the size of a toddler, crammed with prenatal tea, fresh mangoes, three different lotions labeled “bump-safe,” and a large book titled “So You’re Not Allowed to Do It for Nine Months – A Partner’s Survival Guide.”Vandaulf, reclining in his seat with a damp rag slung over his forehead like a thespian in a melodrama, raised an eyebrow."Who gave you that?" he asked, gesturing at the book as if it were contaminated."Helena," Brenna said without missing a beat. "And I've bookmarked Chapter Six: Stop Whining. You're welcome."Lily laughed from under her nest of pillows. "You two are absurd."I have demands," Brenna stated, setting the basket down as if laying down sacred scrolls. "No steps. No running after Barkley. No grasping high shelves. And not one word of debate. I will tape you t

Later that NightInside the house once more, the decorations still struggled to flutter in the fading light as dawn approached. Lily sprawled on the couch with her legs on Vandaulf's knees, Brenna on either side of her rubbing her shoulders, and Helena serving her a tray of soup like some kind of warrior queen.Vandaulf fed Lily morsels of mango while reading possible baby names from a new book called "Names That Inspire Confidence and Global Domination.""How about Artemis?" he asked."Too moon goddess.""Cleo?""Too queen of Egypt.""Petunia?"Helena gagged in the background. "What is this, a flowerbed?""Gwendolyn?""Too dramatic."Helena raised a brow. "Says the girl who named her baby Raspberry for three months.""I stand by it," Lily said proudly. "She's sweet and mildly terrifying.""Just like you," Vandaulf said, kissing her hand."I can't wait to meet her," Brenna whispered, stroking Lily's belly with a gentle hand. "I want her to experience joy. And silliness. And safety.""

The back yard was now a fantasy.Fairy lights draped between trees like glowing vines. Garden rose fragrance, sugary desserts, and faraway sounds of the harp serenading the lullaby melody of Can't Help Falling in Love. Pastel blankets covering the grass and pillows thrown wherever, a bouncy castle seated audaciously at one corner, and bubbles danced randomly in the air like confetti from a willing sky that did not wait to party.All had gathered around the large stage erected beneath the biggest oak tree—a whimsical garden of ribbon arches and balloon clouds, with a two-story cake situated like a monarch on top of a beautifully designed pedestal in the center.Lily and Vandaulf stood side by side on the platform, hands clasped, with a crowd of loved ones stretching out before them. Behind them towered the magnificent cake—white frosted, adorned with gold leaf, and scattered with light sugar flowers. It overshadowed the celebration, and within its depths, well hidden, was the answer to