All Chapters of Her Daughter’s Lover: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The morning arrived crisp, fragile, like glass in sunlight. I woke to the faint scent of damp earth from overnight rain, sunlight filtering in pale streaks across the bedroom. Lucian was already awake, standing by the window, gazing out at the city skyline. His profile was sharp in the morning light, jaw tense, hands loosely clasped behind his back.I slid out of bed, wrapping a robe around me. “You’ve been up for hours,” I murmured, stepping closer.He didn’t turn immediately. “Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted finally. “Thinking about… tomorrow.”I approached him, resting a hand lightly on his arm. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”He exhaled slowly, shoulders dropping just a fraction. “I suppose I am. Not in the usual way, though. It’s… different.”I tilted my head, sensing the weight in his words. “Different how?”“Because this isn’t about danger. It isn’t about protecting you. Or even surviving. It’s about… letting someone in. Someone I’ve kept at a distance for too long.”I felt my heart

The morning light spilled softly into the bedroom, warm and calm. For once, there was no frantic rush, no chaos to greet us—just the gentle hum of our home slowly waking. Lucian was already up, reading at the kitchen table with a quiet concentration that seemed almost impossible after the past week’s whirlwind.I lingered in bed for a few moments, listening to the soft tick of the clock and the faint murmur of the city outside. The girls had already been delivered to school without incident, their new routines settling into something that felt almost… normal.“Morning,” I murmured, stepping into the kitchen. Lucian looked up, his calm smile steadying the edges of my nerves.“Morning,” he replied, setting his book aside. “Sleep well?”“Better than I have in a while,” I admitted. “It’s… strange, you know? The first week is over, and it feels like we’re starting to find our rhythm.”Lucian nodded, pouring coffee into two mugs. “It’s the little things, Sophie. Getting up without panic. Kn

The night had been quiet, but sleep had brought no true rest. Even as I woke to the soft hum of the city, a weight lingered in my chest—the kind that wasn’t mine alone, but inherited, carried like a shadow from those who had loved and suffered before me. My thoughts drifted to my mother, Clair, and the years she endured, the battles she fought quietly behind closed doors.I remembered visiting her when I was younger, catching glimpses of the exhaustion etched in her skin, the tiny tremor in her hands as she held a coffee cup. She had always smiled for me, always put on a brave face, but I knew—knew—that her life had been far from easy. Her husband had been a force I could never fully reconcile with. Once an athlete of remarkable talent, he had been the pride of his family and the town. But after an injury—a sudden, cruel twist that ended his career—everything changed.I had seen it. The man who once held the world in his hands turned bitter, angry, and cruel. He resented her, blamed h

The morning sun spilled golden light into our living room, brushing across the girls’ toys scattered like confetti from yesterday’s adventures. I sipped my coffee, savoring the quiet for the briefest of moments before the shrill chirps of anticipation began. It was almost impossible to ignore the little storm that was brewing in my daughters’ hearts.“Mom! Mom! Guess what today is?” Aria burst into the kitchen, her curls bouncing like springs, her small fists clapping together in sheer excitement.I smiled, already anticipating what was coming. “Let me guess… it’s Monday?”“No!” she squealed, hopping from one foot to the other. “It’s our birthday planning day!”Arianna appeared behind her sister, a notebook clutched tightly in her hands. “We need to make lists, Mommy. Lists of everything. Cake, games, decorations… and snacks.” Her voice was meticulous, methodical, almost comically precise for a six-year-old.Arian, the practical and analytical one, marched toward me, her little brow f

The morning of the girls’ birthday arrived with the kind of quiet promise that made my chest ache with excitement. Sunlight spilled through the windows, illuminating the living room that had been transformed overnight into a rainbow wonderland. Streamers hung like cascades of color, balloons bobbed gently near the ceiling, and a soft scent of cake and frosting lingered in the air.Aria was the first to wake, her little feet padding across the floor as she rushed to inspect her kingdom. “It’s perfect!” she squealed, throwing her arms wide as if she could embrace every streamer at once.Arianna followed, notebook in hand, checking each detail against her meticulously written plan. “Mom, the glitter distribution is uneven on the right side of the living room. I can fix it before guests arrive,” she said, already beginning to adjust a stray string of sparkling stars.Arian, of course, had risen with military precision. She was already pacing the room with a clipboard, measuring the distan