Chapter 2
Orion nodded with satisfaction. “That’s more like it. You should always be this understanding
He picked up the boy and walked off hand in hand with Seraphina.
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I watched his back disappear down the hall and thought silently: This isn’t me being understanding. I just meant what I said.
I found a café nearby to wait for Lucian.
As I was scrolling through my phone, a breaking news alert suddenly popped up:
[Breaking: Heir to Grant Corporation walks out mid–contract at international signing ceremony.]
My heart skipped a beat.
Grant Corporation? The heir? Could it be Lucian?
I tapped the link. A video began to play.
Onscreen, a tall, striking man in a suit turned away from the conference table, speaking into his phone as he walked out.
Even from behind, I recognized him instantly,
Lucian
Faintly, I could hear his voice over the static, “Whoever backs out is a coward.”
The video cut to a reporter interviewing the other party–a smiling white–haired foreign executive.
“Mr. Grant left abruptly. Do you consider that disrespectful?”
The man just smiled. “On the contrary. I think it’s admirable. Love above all–that’s something we respect deeply in our culture too.”
“We’ll wait for him to return and complete the signing. This doesn’t affect the partnership in any way.
I set down the phone, heart swirling with emotion.
Lucian had chased me for ten years. He had always put me first. He loved me to his core, even when I gave him nothing in return.
And I–I had been completely fixated on Orion
Never once did I give Lucian a real chance.
It wasn’t until Orion shattered every ounce of my trust that I finally opened my eyes.
Only then did I see the difference between being loved and being tolerated.
I opened my email app and searched for Lucian’s old messages.
There were dozens of them–burning with sincerity, filled with patient affection.
I used to find them annoying
Now, I realized: they were love letters.
Each word carried a quiet passion, a relentless devotion I had once taken for granted.
Reading them, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
How did he hold on for so long?
I read every one, slowly and carefully, until dusk fell outside the café window.
Then suddenly—a bouquet of fresh flowers appeared before me.
Chapter 2
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I looked up.
Lucian was standing there, grinning like the sun.
“Wife,” he said with a wink, “sorry to keep you waiting.”
The word caught me off guard, Wife.
I wasn’t used to it. Not yet.
Lucian noticed my hesitation and grew slightly anxious. “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?”
1 smiled. “Relax. I’m not the coward in this story.”
We walked into the city hall together and got our marriage certificate without a hitch.
I knew there was an entire boardroom waiting for Lucian overseas, so I gently urged him to go.
But before he left, he hugged me tightly and whispered, “As soon as I’m back, we’ll have the wedding. And remember–whoever backs
out is a coward.”
ד
As I watched him leave, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
عمر
This is Lucian Grant, a titan in the business world and still, he has no sense of security when it comes to me.
By now, it was already dark. I carried the flowers and headed home, heart light, steps soft
But when I opened the door, I froze.
There on my sofa sat Seraphina, wearing my pajamas, casually watching TV.
Her son was jumping up and down on my designer couch–his shoes still on.
The luxury sofa I had spent a fortune on, carefully chosen for what was meant to be our home, was now covered in muddy little
footprints.
Fury rose in my chest like a tidal wave.
But before I could speak, Orion walked out of the kitchen, frowning
“You’re back?” he asked, as if I were the intruder.
It took me a moment to respond. I was so stunned, so angry I could barely breathe.
Finally, I said coldly, “This is my house.”
The boy suddenly hurled a toy at me. “This is my daddy’s house! This is our house! You get out!”
Seraphina’s tone was light, almost amused. “Don’t mind him, Delphine. Kids don’t know, any better.”
She walked over–and without even asking, took the bouquet straight from my arms.
“Oh, are these for me and Orion? Thank you for the blessing.”
I reached to take them back, but the boy beat me to it.
He yanked the flowers out of Seraphina’s hands and slammed them onto the ground.
Then, with a cruel little stomp, he crushed them under his feet. Once. Twice. “We don’t want your stinky flowers! Stop trying to suck up to my mom!”
Chapter 2
