“You don’t have to force yourself, Haze. Nobody cares what fork you use to eat your salad!” Raven said firmly, hearing Gia’s sigh of frustration.
“No! I have to get this right,” Gia replied determinedly.
She furrowed her brows in concentration, earning a smile from Sophie.
“I agree with Mrs... Gia," Sophie hesitated. She had intended to address Gia as Mrs. Lindgren, but a deadly glare from Gia stopped her. Gia had made it very clear that Sophie was not to change how she addressed her.
Gia wanted their relationship to stay the same. Even though it was technically correct, she felt too awkward being called Mrs. Lindgren.
“Gia needs to learn table manners. At least the basics,&rdqu
The journey to the party venue turned out to be far more challenging than Gia had anticipated. She had underestimated the distance between Geirangerfjord and Oslo, which spanned over five hundred kilometers. They had to take a plane to get there.Considering their goal was simply to attend a birthday party, it seemed excessive. But the plane was necessary to shorten the travel time.About an hour and a half later, they finally landed in Oslo. Jasper was already there, waiting for a car to take them to the party.Seeing Jasper’s slick appearance, Gia suspected he would attend the party too. She felt relieved—at least there would be two familiar faces at the party, not just Raven.The three of them sat in the back of the limousine. For some reason, Gia didn&rsq
“Straighten your back, don’t slouch. Once you bow down, you lose.”Automatically, Gia straightened her back and neck, even though her posture wasn’t bad initially. As a physical therapist, she knew how to position her back correctly.Raven hissed that final piece of advice from the corner of his mouth while flashing a smile at the host.Jasper adjusted his already elegant tie unnecessarily. Max, who had been trailing behind them earlier, was nowhere to be seen. It seemed Raven’s command to enter hadn’t meant entering the party venue itself.“Count Lindgren! Velkommen, jeg er veldig glad for at du kan delta.”(Welcome, I’m glad you could join us.)Haakon Magnus, the prince, w
Haakon and Mette opened the party with a speech of gratitude, mentioning several names specifically to pay their respects, including Raven and Edvin.Finally, they called the birthday boy to the front. Svvere Magnus slowly descended, accompanied by a servant. He had inherited Mette’s pale blonde hair, but his face was a replica of Haakon’s—slightly flat chin, high nose, and wide, friendly eyes.Those eyes squinted when he saw the crowd of guests below. Fear and shyness overcame him. He looked like he wanted to turn back, but noticing this, Mette quickly approached and coaxed her son forward.As Mette stroked Svvere’s head, briefly brushing aside his hair, Gia’s heart clenched. She caught sight of a hearing aid attached to his ear. The handsome little boy, it turned out, had a hearing im
“Three, the dessert fork… Four, the salad fork…"Gia nervously counted the prongs of the forks. The lessons she had spent the entire day learning with Sophie seemed to be slipping away from her brain at an alarming rate. Once confident, Gia picked up a fork to eat her salad.But Raven’s hand stopped her. With a swift motion, he picked another four-pronged fork and placed it in Gia’s hand. Both had four prongs, but Gia had mistakenly chosen the steak fork.Gia managed to hold back a sigh of frustration and started eating the salad, the first course of the dinner.Before she was halfway through, Gia felt a light touch on her left arm. Since Raven was seated on her right, the touch startled her."
Gia wanted to pour out all her frustrations at that moment, but then she remembered that Jasper was there. Quickly, she let go of Raven’s embrace and tidied up her appearance.Jasper didn’t seem to care. He remained in his usual position, hunched over, staring at his tablet.“Max, let’s go to Frogner Park. I think it’s somewhere nearby,” Raven said, aware of Gia’s discomfort with Jasper’s presence and wanting to find a more private place for them to talk.“Understood, Mr. Lindgren,” Max replied, pressing the GPS button to locate the park Raven mentioned. Sure enough, it wasn’t far away.“Where are we going?” Gia asked, wanting nothing more than to go home and bury herself under the blankets.
Nature drove them out when Raven was about to lead Gia back to the car. Rain poured heavily. The droplets struck Gia’s cheeks, leaving a stinging, itchy sensation.Raven opened his coat, using it as a makeshift umbrella. His coat was much thicker than the one Gia was wearing.“Let’s go!” Raven stood, ready to sprint. They needed to reach the car before getting drenched completely.“Wait!” Gia removed her shoes. The heels were too high for running; she’d likely trip and fall embarrassingly.“Your feet will get cold,” Raven remarked, watching Gia step onto the stone pathway in her stockings.“It’s fine. Let’s go!” They dashed toward the car. Gia&rsquo
Gia stared sharply at Raven, full of determination. Raven, on the other hand, smirked with amusement."Bist du sicher?" (Are you sure?) Raven asked."Natürlich!" (Of course!)Cold sweat trickled down Gia’s back. This was her first time speaking in German."Geht... es... dir gut?" (Are you okay?) Gia asked, her German stumbling a bit as she formed the sentence."Mir geht es gut. Aber ist das nicht zu einfach? Ich wünschte, der Satz wäre schwieriger." (I'm fine. But isn't that too easy?
Gia turned over and felt Raven’s body beside her. Her stomach felt heavy because Raven’s arm was wrapped around her. Happily, Gia snuggled her head closer and embraced the muscular body.But then, her forehead furrowed. Aside from Raven’s usual scent, her nose caught a foreign smell... No, not foreign, but a scent she hadn’t encountered in a long time.The scent of hospital disinfectant!Gia opened her eyes wide. Raven was sound asleep beside her, and they were lying on a hospital bed.That narrow bed wasn’t meant for two people. As a nurse, Gia often scolded family members who tried or were caught sleeping on a patient’s bed.Luckily, she never encountered anyone like Raven. It would have
"Yes. Just a few days ago,” Gia answered smoothly, without hesitation. Quite convincing.“And you?” Martha pointed at Matteo. “What happened to Dion?”Gia didn’t know who Dion was, but based on the context, he seemed to be Haakon’s usual bodyguard.“He’s sick. Resting,” Matteo answered coldly and briefly.The sunglasses hid almost all of his facial expressions. The other bodyguard glanced at Matteo. He surely knew it was a lie, but he didn’t interfere.“Really? I didn’t know he was sick. He seemed fine yesterday,” Martha said, looking surprised. She trusted Matteo but was puzzled by the sudden illness.“A severe flu,” Matteo added to clear Martha’s remaining doubts.“What about Natalie?”After hearing Matteo’s reasonable explanation, she turned back to Gia. This time, Gia knew that Natalie was the name of Mette’s usual assistant.“She had a sudden family emergency. They couldn’t be left alone. She left unexpectedly yesterday.”Gia inwardly groaned as she realized she had unintentional
Svvere laughed as he listened to Gia’s criticism.“It’s not pleasant at all. I hate it too,” Svvere said.“Does it have to be like this every year?” Gia questioned the gloomy tradition, secretly wishing Svvere didn’t have to go through it annually. It would be too sad if he did.Svvere nodded with exaggerated enthusiasm. “It’s annoying, isn’t it? But thankfully, Mamma replaced it with another party.”“What do you mean?”“When the formal party ends, Mamma hosts a second birthday party the next day. It’s more relaxed, with just cousins and a few close relatives attending.”“That’s wonderful!”Svvere nodded and smiled, knowing the additional party was meant to cheer him up. No wonder he grew up to be such a cheerful young man despite enduring such odd traditions. Mette had ensured that Svvere’s childhood was as normal as possible.Gia’s admiration for Mette grew a little more. At first, she had judged the family for holding such a stiff and formal birthday party.But while they adhered t
Gia hugged Al one more time before handing him over to Marlow. Sophie and Marlow would take care of them. Eventually, Marlow was summoned back to Geirangerfjord, leaving Sophie unable to handle them alone.Fortunately, Al and Frey no longer relied heavily on breast milk since they ate complementary foods. The frozen breast milk supply was also enough to last for a week.Frey immediately reached out his hand as soon as Gia freed hers. He always felt jealous whenever his older brother received more attention, whether from Gia or Raven.Sensing Gia’s unease, the little girl nestled her head against Gia’s neck and wrapped her arms around it in silence, offering comfort and reassurance.“I’ll be back soon, sweetheart. Wait a little longer. I’ll bring Daddy home,” Gia whispered.Frey missed Raven the most. He often cried and became fussy at night, his only way to express how much he missed his father. Gia understood the meaning behind those cries, which made her feel even more devastated.W
“I think this works,” Sophie said, pulling out two suits—one in blue and the other in black. "Go ahead, try them on."Gia nodded obediently and took the two suits into the fitting room. She complied because she understood the necessity of it all. After checking herself in the mirror twice, Gia finally nodded. The suits Sophie had chosen fit her petite frame perfectly."How is it?" Sophie asked."I think they’re fine," Gia replied."Great! Now all we need is to find a party dress.” With quick movements, Sophie handed the two formal suits to the sales assistant for processing."Add these too," Sophie said, pointing to two more outfits she had picked earlier.Gia was already content with the first two suits, but Sophie thought two were far too few. There was no point in arguing with Sophie about the number of clothes. Gia had to comply, or things would drag on unnecessarily.After paying for the purchases, they moved to another boutique specializing in evening and cocktail dresses.Choos
While waiting for Haakon, they enjoyed lunch. Al and Frey needed extra attention during the meal. Mette happily took over Sophie’s role and helped feed Frey. Matteo, on the other hand, wasn’t exceptionally skilled at this.It was clear that Svvere adored Freya. As he sat beside his mother, watching her feed Frey, his eyes never left her. Several times, Gia noticed him gently stroking Frey’s head with affection.Svvere even tried feeding Frey himself, though his hands were clumsy. When he succeeded, he clapped his hands like he had just won a prestigious competition. Frey’s laughter matched Svvere’s excitement, filling the room with joy.Seeing this warmed Gia’s heart a little. She truly hoped that Haakon would provide the answer she was longing for.“She doesn’t want to anymore. You don’t need to force her,” Gia explained, noticing Svvere’s sad expression when Frey refused to open her mouth again.“Is she full?” Svvere asked.“And she’ll probably feel sleepy soon,” Gia replied, explai
Mette’s residence was just as Gia remembered it, though perhaps a bit livelier now that flowers were beginning to bloom in the garden in front of the house. The last time she visited was during autumn when the garden looked much barer.“He’s the prince of Norway?” Matteo still seemed unable to believe that Gia could be close to someone of such stature. He had underestimated Lindgren’s influence before.Gia nodded. “Haakon, Mette’s husband, is the heir to the throne of Norway.”“Let’s see how this unfolds,” Matteo ended the discussion as the car stopped.Al clung tightly to Gia as they got out of the car. The boy always seemed uncomfortable in unfamiliar environments. On the other hand, Frey didn’t seem to care—especially since he was fast asleep in Matteo’s arms.The staff welcomed Gia the first time she visited. Today was special. She saw Mette standing at the main door; naturally, Svvere was with her.“Gia!” Svvere shouted, running toward her. The noise disturbed Frey, but Matteo ca
“It’s colder here,” Gia murmured. She had gotten used to Italy’s climate and forgotten that Norway was several degrees cooler.Italy’s spring temperature hovered below twenty degrees Celsius, but Norway was likely below fifteen. Gia was thankful she had dressed Al and Frey warmly enough.Jasper greeted them on the runway with Max. Their group was quite large, so he had prepared two cars. Besides Matteo, Gia brought Sophie along, as she was the only one who could help her manage the twins. Marlow had stayed behind in Italy and would only join them if necessary.“Geirangerfjord.”Gia pronounced their destination fluently as the car started moving, recalling how patiently Raven had taught her to say the name correctly.A wave of nostalgia hit Gia. Although she had left this country over a year ago, her memories of Norway remained vivid.She remembered how chaotic her emotions were when she first came here. Yet this country was also where she and Raven had gotten married, and it held a sp
Gia’s hands trembled as she listened to the dial tone. The long-distance call only played monotonously, indicating that Caius wasn’t answering.“Is he ignoring you?” Matteo asked.Gia wanted to say yes, but she trusted Caius more than that. So she called again.“Maybe he’s busy,” Gia said, trying to comfort herself while giving Matteo an excuse.The second call nearly crushed Gia’s hope. It, too, was nothing but an endless ringing tone without an answer. But just as the call was about to end, she finally heard a response.“Gia.”“Caz…”“I can’t help you.”Before Gia could even State," her request, Caius cut her off. He had already heard about Raven and guessed why Gia was calling.“I’m not asking for much. I just want to meet your father.”Caius let out a dry, bitter laugh at Gia’s request. “He won’t even meet me, Gia. How could I possibly get you an audience with him? He’s furious because I sided with Raven and didn’t take Willow’s side. I could’ve initially reported your marriage to
Gia honestly forgot about it. The warmth and happiness that had enveloped her these past few months made her unwilling to recall such unpleasant memories.Her mind effortlessly sorted out the fact that Raven was a fugitive and buried it deep in the back of her head. She refused to let that thought disrupt her happiness. But now, that very fact struck her, shattering the beautiful picture of her life at an unexpected moment. It destroyed the perfect world she had tried so hard to maintain.Gia crouched, crossing her arms over her chest, squeezing her arms and shoulders to keep herself conscious.She couldn’t allow herself to faint. Gia kept hurting her own body to stay awake. The pain from her tight grip was enough to hold on to the fragments of her sanity, preventing it from being consumed by panic and fear for the future.“Gia, what’s wrong?” Aria asked when she saw Gia’s phone fall to the floor. She got up and approached her, clueless about what was happening.“What’s wrong? Don’t d