Semua Bab Too Late To Love Me: I Already Left With His Twins: Bab 111 - Bab 120

Lydia POVI blinked immediately. “There what is?”“That face.” She pointed vaguely toward me. “The one you make whenever you are thinking too loudly.”“I do not think loudly.”“You absolutely do.”I rolled my eyes slightly.She smiled into her tea with quiet satisfaction like she had already won the argument before it began.Then somehow the conversation shifted toward family.Children.Life.Her eyes settled on me carefully.“And your twins?”Something inside me tightened immediately.“They’re fine.”“Hm.”That sound.That deeply reflective, terrifyingly observant “hm” she always made whenever she knew there was more beneath the surface.I avoided eye contact by reaching for my cup.“And you?” she asked quietly.“I’m fine too.”Another hum.Even more introspective this time.Madam Eloise leaned back slowly in her chair, studying me in that unnerving way she always did.“You know,” she said eventually, “women like you are very interesting.”I blinked once. “That sounds threatening.”“

Lydia POVAnd somehow that question softened me immediately.I smiled before I could stop myself.“Well… they’re both brilliant. Extremely opinionated. Very curious. Ava loves structure and astronomy. Eli loves chaos and asking questions nobody can answer properly.”Timi nodded thoughtfully while jotting things down.“So not generic children.”“Oh absolutely not.”“Perfect,” she said immediately. “Generic themes would offend them.”See?This woman understood me already.Then we moved into colors.She spread several palettes across my desk carefully.Bright primary colors.Neons.Rainbow concepts.Bold themes.I rejected almost all of them instantly.“Too loud,” I said immediately.Timi nodded. “Agreed.”She held up another sample.“What about this? Soft yellow with muted blue.”I stared at it for a second.“No. Eli would call it ‘confused toothpaste colors.’”Timi blinked once.Then burst into laughter.“Oh, I like him already.”Eventually she pulled out another palette.Pastel tones.

Lydia’s POVA month ago, I was sitting in my office at almost noon reviewing a multimillion naira proposal while simultaneously researching educational birthday gifts designed to psychologically challenge six year olds.Honestly.My life had become ridiculous.But the internet had annoyed me the previous night. I had been scrolling absentmindedly after work when I stumbled across a video of teachers complaining that children now relied on artificial intelligence for everything. Homework. Writing. Thinking. Creativity.One woman dramatically said, “Kids don’t even struggle through ideas anymore. They outsource thinking immediately.”And weirdly enough, that stayed with me.Because no.Not my children.Ava and Eli were naturally curious. Naturally intelligent. I refused to let convenience flatten that instinct out of them before adulthood could even get the chance. So naturally, like every emotionally committed mother with access to money and overdeveloped attachment issues, I took thin

Lydia POVAfter the entire chaos with Dave yesterday, I had made a very firm decision in my head.Firm. Final. Emotional boundary level firm.He was not seeing the kids again until their birthday.Because honestly, I could not keep doing this emotional rollercoaster where one minute I was theoretically co parenting and the next minute I was one sentence away from dragging someone into court.I was tired.Properly tired.So I went to bed that night telling myself distance was peace.And then I woke up the next morning to two tiny humans standing directly over my face like miniature investigators conducting a wellness check.“Good morning, Mom,” Ava said softly.I blinked awake slowly.Eli was already climbing onto my bed like he financially contributed to the mortgage.“Thank you for yesterday,” he said seriously.I paused immediately.“Huh?”Ava nodded beside him with unnecessary sincerity.“Yes. Thank you.”I sat up slowly, confused already.“Wait. Hold on. Thank you for what exactly

Lydia’s POVThe countdown was no longer abstract anymore.It felt real now.Four days to six had already happened, and somehow the closer we got to their birthday, the more emotional I became over the smallest things. I called the twins downstairs that evening after work, pretending to sound casual about it even though I was ridiculously excited.Ava appeared first, suspicious immediately.Eli came running behind her like a tiny overenthusiastic politician arriving for a campaign rally.“Wait,” Ava said slowly, narrowing her eyes at the table. “You got us another gift?”I looked offended instantly.“She thinks I would forget.”Eli gasped dramatically.“Mom would never.”“Exactly,” I said proudly. “Thank you, Eli. Finally someone respects me in this house.”Ava ignored both of us completely as her eyes landed on the two boxes sitting neatly on the dining table.Then she blinked.“Oh.”The excitement on her face softened into something quieter.Curiosity.I loved that expression on her.