All Chapters of LOVE, SECRETS, AND SCHEMES: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

“Why are you avoiding me, Liora?” Ashvin whispered, his voice low and dangerously close to her lips. His grip tightened as he held her wrists above her head, pinning her firmly against the wall. The proximity between them was overwhelming, his breath warm against her skin, his presence consuming.Liora’s breath hitched as she felt him shift closer, his body pressing into hers. When his leg moved, gently but deliberately forcing hers apart, a shiver ran through her despite herself. Her eyes fluttered for a second before she forced them open again, trying to steady her racing thoughts.“I—I’m not,” she managed to say, though her voice betrayed her. It came out soft, uneven, lacking the conviction she desperately needed.Ashvin’s gaze darkened as he studied her face, his eyes searching, questioning, almost accusing. “Yes, you are,” he murmured, his lips hovering just a breath away from hers.The closeness was suffocating.Dangerous.“T-This is inappropriate,” Liora said quickly, her voic

“Mommy… you have a daughter?”Ashvin’s voice came out strained, almost disbelieving, as the reality in front of him refused to settle. His gaze remained fixed on Avery, his expression a mixture of shock and something deeper—something he could not yet name. He couldn’t accept it. Couldn’t process it. The thought alone felt impossible.A daughter.Liora… had a child.His jaw tightened as another thought forced its way into his mind—one he didn’t want to acknowledge.A child with another man.His chest constricted at the idea.“Is she mine?” he asked again, his voice lower this time, more serious. He needed to hear it clearly. Needed to understand what was unfolding before him.His eyes moved over Avery once more—her hair, dark and soft, almost identical to his. Her eyes… there was something there. Something far too familiar.Liora remained silent.She held Avery’s small hand tightly, her fingers almost trembling, as if letting go would cause everything to collapse. Her feet felt rooted

Liora snapped out of her thoughts abruptly, her breath catching slightly as reality settled back in.For a moment, she had been somewhere else—lost in everything Leo had said, in everything she had been trying so hard not to feel.But now—Ashvin was here.And that changed everything.She didn’t want to go back to the front of the bakery. She couldn’t. Not when he was there. Not when Avery was here too.The thought alone made her chest tighten.Leo’s words echoed in her mind, persistent and unrelenting.Think about Avery.That was all she had ever done.Everything she had done… every sacrifice, every sleepless night, every decision—it had always been for Avery.But this?This was different.Because being in the same space as Ashvin brought back too much.Too many memories. Too many emotions she had buried and locked away.She wasn’t ready to face that.Not yet.Not ever, if she could help it.Just as she turned slightly, intending to stay hidden in the back a little longer—A strong a

“What did you just say?” Liora asked, her voice barely above a whisper.For a moment, she wondered if she had misheard him. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Maybe everything happening right now was too overwhelming, too unreal.Ashvin couldn’t have just asked her that.But then he looked at her again—steady, unwavering.“Marry me, Liora.”This time, she heard it clearly. There was no mistaking it. And beneath the firmness in his voice, there was something else… something softer. Almost like a plea.Liora’s heart skipped a beat.Ashvin took a step closer, not too close, but enough to make his presence impossible to ignore.“If we get married,” he continued, his tone more measured now, “you won’t have to worry about anything. No questions, no judgment. Avery would have a complete and stable family. No one would question her place, no one would look at her differently.”Liora’s fingers curled slightly at her sides as his words settled in.A complete family.She had thought about

“Hello, this is Anna speaking from All Solved. I’m calling regarding the loan you took out about two months ago. You listed yesterday as your repayment date, but it appears the payment has not been made. I highly suggest you settle it soon to avoid further complications.”Liora closed her eyes briefly, her grip tightening around her phone. The words felt heavy, pressing down on her already overwhelmed mind. For a moment, she had completely forgotten about the loan.Of course.How could she not?Everything had been piling up—Avery, the bakery, Ashvin—and now this.“Yes,” Liora said softly, trying to steady her voice. “Please… is there any way I could get an extension? I don’t really have enough right now to pay it back.”There was a brief pause on the other end.“Ma’am, I’m afraid I can only grant you a short extension.”Liora swallowed, her chest tightening slightly.“Okay… thank you,” she replied, forcing calm into her tone. “How many days do I have?”“One week, ma’am.”One week.The