(Lydia)The children’s birthday party was being held at the mansion. This was the first time in a long time that the whole family would be gathered together: the twins, Ruby, Jack, Mama, Margaret, Thomas, and I.I had also invited Adam over to the party, seeing as how he had practically raised the children for the first three years of their lives.“Are you excited about turning four?” I asked Miles through the FaceTime screen.“Yes!” he exclaimed, “And because I am four, I will have four cars!”“Four cars?” I raised my brows in surprise.“Yes,” he said, showing me a grin.“Hey,” said Nathan as he walked past, “Did I hear something about a birthday?”I nodded. “Yeah, we’re holding the twins’ birthday party tonight.”“Really?” he said.“Yeah,” I nodded, ‘Would you like to come?”“Of course!” Nathan said.“Mommy,” Miles said through the phone, “Is that Uncle Nathan?”“Yes, love,” I said to him. Behind him, I felt Thomas shift uncomfortably, shaking the camera that he was holding.“Hey, b
(Lydia)“Come now, everyone,” I announced, “Let’s cut the cake.”Mama, Margaret, Ruby, Jack, Adam, and Nathan gathered round the table. Thomas walked up, brushed past Nathan and made his way to stand next to the children. Nathan blinked at him, confused.“Alright,” I said, smiling brightly to cover up the awkwardness and tension, “Let’s start!”“Happy birthday to you,” I began, “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Mabel and Miles. Happy birthday to you.”Everyone sang along and clapped with me except for Thomas, who was helping the twins dive the butter knife in through the cake.The three of them were having their own private moment of joy as the twins clapped and giggled.“Mommy!” Mabel said, “I made a wish at the candle that you and –““Shush, honey,” I said laughing. I bent down. “You’re not supposed to tell anyone your wish,” I said.“Really, Mommy?” she asked me.“Yes,” I said, “Because if you tell anyone, it doesn’t come true.”My daughter shut her eyes and quietly bega
(Lydia)Adam met me for coffee the following week. I stared at him as he sat opposite me in the café, slowly stirring my vanilla latte. “I’m kind of worried about you, Lydia,” Adam said.I frowned and put my spoon down.“Why would you be worried about me?” I asked. I picked up my cup and took a small sip.“It’s been a year since this whole push and pull between you and Thomas is going on,” he said, “The two of you need to sort out your issues. I can tell that this separation is hurting you deep down on the inside.”I shook my head, dismissing my feelings.“Can we talk about something else?’ I asked.“Sure,” Adam said, shrugging slightly.“So, tell me,” he said, looking into my eyes, “What’s been up?”Adam’s face showed deep concern. And I unraveled immediately.I began shaking and sobbing as I told Adam everything – from how Thomas had still not proposed to me to what I had discovered about Sarah recently.Adam put his hands on top of mine.“It’s okay, Lydia,” he said, “It’s okay to f
(Lydia)In this way, time went on. I continued to shoot for the movie and act in the theater while Thomas continued to stay distant from me. It was though there was some insurmountable gap between us and neither of us knew how to approach it.However, the fact still remained that I was deeply in love with Thomas and did not want to lose him – not now, not ever. I wanted him back in my life. I really did.So much so that I found little pockets of quiet and privacy during the day simply to think about him. Sometimes, I would break down during these moments.It occurred to me that I was waiting for him … that I had always been waiting for him – from the minute that he woke up from amnesia after that horrible car crash all those years ago. In all this time, patiently holding on and waiting for him to come and fill the space in my heart that was reserved for him and him alone had become second nature. But a hint of fear had also settled into my heart – like cobwebs or like dust.I would no
(Thomas)I was at my wit's end.It didn’t matter how much I proved to Lydia that I was serious about her – she did not seem to believe me.Was this it for us?No, it couldn’t be. We have two beautiful children together whom I love with all my heart. We will be connected with each other throughout our whole lives, then how could she not feel the way I feel for her?Did she stop loving me?The doubts swirling in my mind made it difficult for me to go to sleep. I twisted and turned in my bed for the whole night before giving up just before daybreak.The twins were with Lydia but she will be dropping them off at the mansion before leaving for doing interviews. She would be promoting her new film for the rest of the month, which meant the kids would see her less. I would also see her less and I cannot take it.The need to always be in her presence consumes me these days. Ever since I have my memories back, I feel regret coursing through me every time I am away from her or the kids.But wh
(Lydia)“Yes,” I murmured through the phone, trying not to have the kid’s attention on me as they munched their pancakes happily.Jonathan Nilson had called me just as I had finished making breakfast for the twins to talk about the promotional interviews that I have lined up now that the filming of the movies is completed.“We are spreading our promotional tours to LA, New York, and Washington. I need you to be available for the next month. Is that a problem?” he asked over the line.I bit my lips hard.I have been through so much these past few days that the thought of leaving my children behind fills me with utter dread. I do not want to do this but I also signed a contract where I agreed to promote the film. If only I had known everything that would follow afterward, perhaps I would have thought about all the clauses more.A knot formed in my stomach as my silence ran loud and clear.Jonathan sighed from the other end, “The contract you signed-”“Give me a day,” I cut him off, “Gi
(Thomas)“Is there anything else that needs my attention?” I asked Robert, my executive assistant.“No, sir, not today. You do have lunch tomorrow with the executives of a start-up, I believe,” he said, sliding the glasses up his nose as he concentrated on my schedule.“Cancel it. I have lunch with the kids tomorrow,” I told him, getting up and fixing my dress shirt.“Isn’t that today, sir?” he said hesitantly.“Well, it's tomorrow as well,” I replied to him, “rescheduled the lunch for next week.”“Very well, sir,” he nodded dutifully.“I really do appreciate you, Robert. You know that, right?” I tell him with a sheepish smile.Robert chuckled, “Yes, sir.”Robert truly has been a big help. I file it in my mind to give him a bonus at year-end because he truly has been a big help in managing the tasks in times when I have been distracted.Now that things were moving forward, my full concentration was on work. Although I can always cancel lunches to focus on my kids.I have missed so man
(Lydia)I left Thomas standing there with a beautiful bouquet of daffodils in his hand.I felt bad but I had also just come to the decision that I would take some time to gather my own thoughts before letting Thomas in again once and for all.But then again, does Thomas want that at all?The flowers were a nice gesture, and I really appreciated it, but when I told him that I would be leaving, he was enthusiastic about that. He did not seem sad at the prospect of me leaving.Was I perhaps thinking about it too much?Maybe he was happy about this new experience I was going to have and was utterly devastated at the thought of being away from me yet, still put a smile on his face to make it seem like everything was okay.My head hurt by thinking of all these things as I climbed up the steps in the mansion. I didn’t see the kids downstairs so they must be in their room with Margaret.I knocked lightly on the door before popping my head in to see that Margaret had put them to bed and was no