Odgen and Nydia, having recently been deceived, felt a special fondness and warmth seeing Wythe, who shared their blood. This softened their attitude towards Lydia considerably.Lydia felt a gentle joy in her heart.Although the Halsey parents hadn't fully accepted her, as Lambert had said, as long as they loved each other, the Halsey parents would have to come to terms with it.Moreover, the current way of interacting wasn't bad. After so many trials, if Odgen and Nydia were too enthusiastic, she wouldn't know how to handle it.Overall, the dinner went smoothly, leaving Lydia in a good mood as they left the Halsey house, a smile lingering on her face, catching Lambert's attention."You're that happy?" Lambert asked."Of course! I've always dreamed of a simple, harmonious family life. Isn't this wonderful?" Lydia's eyes sparkled with joy.Lambert smiled and held her hand, "As long as you're happy."Lydia felt incredibly fortunate these days, her whole demeanor radiating happiness. The
Although the events described took only a moment, they left a lasting impression.As people gasped in surprise, Lambert stepped forward, shielding Lydia. With a swift motion, he scooped Wythe up by the waist and, in the next second, Wythe was securely seated on Lambert's arm.The crowd erupted in excitement, especially as Lambert, with a caring smile in his eyes, gently flicked Wythe's forehead. "You little rascal, why are you running around? You almost crashed into your mom!"Wythe stuck out his tongue and peeked over Lambert's shoulder to look at Lydia. "Mom, are you okay?"Lydia smiled wryly, relieved that it was a close call. She had genuinely been frightened for a moment.Lambert, holding Wythe in one arm and Lydia’s hand with the other, presented a picture-perfect family that left everyone envious.Wythe whispered into Lambert's ear, "Dad, I think I should walk on my own. This is so embarrassing!"Finding Wythe's serious little face amusing, Lambert obliged to maintain his son's
"You were amazing, but I'm still sore. Can we stop for today? I’ll make it up to you tomorrow!"Newman narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're not brushing me off, are you?"Odelia's heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile. "How could I dare? I'm counting on you to help me connect with Knife!"Newman spat and slapped Odelia across the face. "Thinking about another man while you're in my bed? If my brother hadn’t turned you down, you wouldn't even be with me!""That's not true! I need to talk to Knife for business, nothing more."Before Odelia could finish her sentence, Newman pressed her down again.Meanwhile, Lambert and Lydia were basking in the limelight. Since revealing their relationship at the celebration party, Lambert often posted photos on his social media account.A new photo he uploaded showed Wythe sitting obediently at the table, a plate of cookies in front of him.With a serious expression, Wythe nibbled on the cookies like a little hamster. Lambert captioned the photo,
She paused for a moment, with a half-smile, "Still calling me 'auntie' after all this time?"Nydia let out a mocking laugh, while Lydia remained silent.Yes, she had her faults too. She never considered Lambert's parents as her own family.To her, they were just her husband's family, not hers. But could she be blamed for that?Relationships are a two-way street. One person's efforts alone aren't enough.In the study on the second floor, Lambert held Wythe's little hand as they stood facing Odgen, who was sitting thoughtfully behind his desk."Dad, is there something you wanted to discuss?" Lambert initiated."Lambert, this matter should have been addressed earlier, but we never had the chance. Wythe is no longer a child. Next month, on the third day, we have our family ancestor worship ceremony. I want to take this opportunity to officially acknowledge Wythe in our family genealogy."Lambert frowned. "What about Lydia? She's my wife and should naturally be accepted together."How coul
Seeing Odelia in such a state, Lydia felt an uneasy sense of foreboding, though she knew this woman could no longer pose a real threat to her.“What are you doing here?” Nydia spoke first, her voice tinged with anger, her gaze filled with loathing as she looked at Odelia.Odelia lowered her head, her long hair casting a shadow over her face, adding an air of fragility and pain. "Auntie, I'm sorry. I came to apologize."“Apologize?” Nydia echoed, her words barely out when Odelia suddenly knelt before her, tears brimming in her delicate, almond-shaped eyes.“Auntie, I know you may never forgive me, but I didn't mean to deceive you. I made mistakes because I thought I loved Lambert. I believed that by staying by his side, staying in the Halsey family, I could win his love. But I never expected to ruin everything.”Tears glistened as they fell from Odelia's eyes onto the floor.“Auntie, I didn’t know about the child at first. I truly believed it was Lambert’s child. Otherwise, why would I
Lydia's eyes reddened immediately, but no tears fell. Wythe looked up at her worriedly, but she took a step forward, standing in front of Nydia, her voice choked with emotion."Auntie, is this the reason you don't like me?"Nydia, seeing Lydia’s reaction, decided to let everything out, come what may. “Yes, so what? Am I wrong? I think you’re nothing but a jinx. You brought death to your father, your mother, and even your stepmother, causing your half-sister to disappear. You’re a walking disaster, and I don’t want you bringing this bad luck to Lambert or the Halsey family. As the matriarch of the Halsey family, it’s my duty to protect my husband and son from trouble and danger. Is that wrong? Everything I did was for Lambert!”Hearing this, Lydia instinctively took two steps back, feeling deeply depressed. She had thought Nydia's hostility was just a temporary reaction to losing her son.After all, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships were historically difficult to manage.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind, finally settling on Nydia's delicate yet disdainful face.Is she truly a jinx? Reflecting now, perhaps Nydia wasn’t wrong. Ever since her mother passed away, everything seemed to change. After she returned to her homeland, every event seemed tied to her - her father's death, her stepmother's death, Maggie's disappearance, and even Lambert’s recent car accident.Anyone connected to her, Lydia, seemed to suffer in some way.Lydia's expression darkened as she gave a self-deprecating smile. Maybe she really was a jinx, bringing misfortune to those around her. But did that mean she had to surrender to fate?She refused to give in!Coming back to reality, she met Wythe’s wide, blinking eyes and Lambert's occasional deep gaze. Her heart found solace as she rested her head on Lambert’s shoulder without saying a word. Lambert focused on driving, offering no further comfort.From the backseat, Wythe sighed in relief. Seeing Lydia lean on Lambert meant
When Odelia returned, Flora's face immediately darkened. "Where have you been messing around again? Look at the state you're in!"Already frustrated by her futile job search earlier that day, Flora's scolding only exacerbated Odelia's irritation.However, knowing she was staying under their roof, she had to swallow her anger.Her uncle glanced at her nonchalantly, then turned to Flora. "Alright, alright, Odelia’s old enough to know what she's doing. Since she's back, let’s have dinner."Mayor Zigler set down his newspaper and joined Flora at the table, instructing the servants to serve dinner. Odelia’s expression softened slightly.To be fair, her uncle treated her well; he waited for her to come home before eating, unlike Flora, who was already seated at the table.Flora huffed but didn’t say anything more.During dinner, Mayor Zigler suddenly asked, "Odelia, I heard you’ve been job hunting lately."Swallowing her food, Odelia replied, "Yes, I can’t just stay home doing nothing.""Th