Present day
Reflecting on the past, Lily finds herself questioning why Lucian chose to marry her despite harboring such strong animosity towards her. For a man of his stature and influence, his mother’s influence doesn’t seem sufficient to make him marry someone as ordinary as her.
Running her fingers through her hair in frustration, she can’t help but feel that her day has taken a turn for the worse. *A reckoning,* she mutters to herself, sinking against the couch with a heavy sigh.
“I always wondered when she would call in the favor. Why do I feel so scared now? It’s so sudden,” she muses with a frown, disliking the unease settling in her chest.
Resting her elbow on the arm of the couch and her palm against her face, she is lost in thought and worry, completely unaware of the sound o
