บททั้งหมดของ Mummy, Please Marry Uncle Biker Daddy: บทที่ 91 - บทที่ 100

~ Mara ~ The courthouse steps felt different on the way down. Like the storm had moved slightly further away. Lily skipped two steps ahead of us, humming some chaotic cartoon theme song while swinging her little yellow purse. Cole walked beside me with that calm expression he wore whenever he’d just done something smart and didn’t want credit for it. Which annoyed me. Because he absolutely deserved credit. “You lied,” I said. “I just clarified.” He said “You still lied.” “You told the judge you don’t live with us.” “I don’t officially.” “You have a toothbrush in my bathroom.” “Emergency toothbrush.” “You have three shirts in my closet.” “Temporary shirts.” “You fixed the door hinge last week.” “That’s just helping around” I stopped walking. Cole kept going two steps before realising. He turned back. “What?” “You stepped back for me.” “I stepped sideways.” “For me.” “For Lily.” I crossed my arms. “Still counts.” His jaw shifted

~ Mara ~ I felt lighter when I got back. Like the feeling of dread sitting on my shoulder had finally lessened. Lily was upstairs, humming again, dragging something across the floor that sounded suspiciously like furniture being rearranged without permission. I stood in the kitchen for a second longer than necessary, staring at the counter like it might suddenly give me answers about what the judge and jury's final verdict would be and whether I was about to lose everything I had rebuilt. I wasn’t good at waiting. Waiting felt like me standing still while someone else decided my life. And I hated that. I opened the fridge, closed it, and opened it again like something new might magically appear the second time. Nothing changed. Still groceries. Still normal. Still, a life that didn’t look like it was hanging in the balance, even though it was. Upstairs, Lily shouted, “Mom, if I move my bed, does it make my room bigger or just different?” “Differ

~ Mara ~ I don’t notice it at first. It's not obvious. It's one of those moments where everything just clicks and suddenly your life looks different. The kind of change that slips into a room and sits down like it’s always belonged there. I’m standing by the kitchen counter, pretending to scroll through my phone, but I haven’t read a single word in the last five minutes. Because my attention is somewhere else. Across the room. On them. Cole is sitting at the table with Lily, one elbow resting lazily against the wood, his big hand wrapped awkwardly around a pencil that looks too small for him. He’s leaning in slightly, not towering over her, just… there. Lily frowns at her notebook, tapping the eraser against the page. “I don’t get it,” she mutters. Cole doesn’t sigh. Doesn’t snap. Doesn’t take the pencil from her like he knows better. He just tilts his head a little, eyes scanning the page like it actually matters. “Yeah, you do,” he says, calm. “You ju

~ Cole ~ I know something’s off before she even says anything. I didn't want to start a fight or ask questions. I noticed it yesterday. The day before too. But I didn’t say anything. Not because I didn’t want to. Because I wanted to see if she’d tell me on her own. She hasn’t. So now I’m standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, watching her pretend she’s focused on pouring juice into a glass like it requires full concentration. She doesn’t look up. Lily is in the living room, watching TV. Everything looks normal. Feels normal. But it’s not. It hasn’t been for a while. “Mara,” I call She hums lightly. “Yeah?” Still not looking at me. I tilt my head slightly, studying her. “You busy?” That gets a small reaction. Her shoulders tense just a little. “No,” she says. “Why?” I push off the counter slowly. Walk closer. Not crowding her. Just enough that she can’t pretend I’m not there. “We need to talk.” She sets the gl

~ Mara ~ After Lily walks off like she didn’t just flip my entire brain inside out, I stay in the kitchen, staring at the same spot on the counter like it’s going to give me answers. It doesn’t. Of course it doesn’t. Because this isn’t something you solve by thinking harder. If anything, thinking is what got me stuck here in the first place. My chest feels tight. Not in a bad way. Just… full. Like too many emotions are trying to exist at the same time and none of them are willing to leave. I press my hand lightly against the counter. Grounding myself. Lily’s words keep replaying in my head. You already picked him. I exhale slowly. Did I? I mean… yeah. I did. Just not out loud. Not officially. And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I’ve been living with him without admitting it. Because admitting it makes it real. And real things can break. Real things can be taken away. My hand drifts to my stomach again. This time I don’t stop it.