I'm Legal Wife

Chapter 4 — Lioren’s New Life in Singapore

Singapore awoke with its usual rhythm efficient, polished, and fast. The morning light filtered through the glass windows of Eryl’s apartment, illuminating the neatly arranged shelves, the soft gray sofa, and the view of the bustling city below. It was a view she had learned to love: tall buildings reaching upward, traffic flowing in perfect order, a city that mirrored the discipline she carried within herself.

Eryl stood by the kitchen island, stirring her morning coffee while scanning today’s agenda on her tablet. Meetings with logistics, a virtual conference with a European distributor, a visit to the main plantation site, and a late-night review of expansion plans. Her life was full, steady, and structured just the way she needed it to be.

Eight years ago, she had arrived in Singapore trembling, wounded, and uncertain. Today, she stood tall, composed, and almost untouchable. Almost.

A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts. Vale appeared, still in her pajamas, hair messy from sleep.

“Mama…do you need help today?” she asked, voice gentle.

Eryl smiled faintly. “Just focus on your graduation tasks. That’s your priority.”

Vale nodded, slipping onto a bar stool and watching her mother with quiet admiration. She often wondered how someone who had once been broken could rebuild themselves so completely. To Vale, her mother was a fortress strong, graceful, and always in command.

Later that morning, Eryl stepped out of the apartment and into the warm Singapore air. The drive to the plantation outskirts was calm, the roads lined with trees and modern architecture. When she arrived, a group of workers was already waiting by the entrance, clipboards and tablets in hand.

“Good morning, Ms. Saeve,” they greeted.

Eryl walked through the plantation with purposeful strides. Mango trees stretched across one field, papaya and citrus across another. The irrigation system sparkled under the sun, a testament to months of planning and investment. She inspected each section thoroughly, asking for updates, checking the soil, and occasionally stopping to observe the workers’ techniques.

“Send me the revised water usage report by tonight,” she instructed one of the supervisors.

“Yes, ma’am.” her tone was firm, but never harsh. Respect came naturally to her because she gave it first something she never received in Leyte. Here, her authority wasn’t forced. It was earned.

By midday, she was seated in her plantation office, surrounded by piles of signed contracts and digital screens tracking shipments to Manila, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and the Netherlands. Her company had grown faster than she expected, partly because she poured every ounce of herself into it, and partly because the universe finally seemed willing to give her what she once pleaded for: a stable life.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from Deyr:

Mama, can you review my research draft later?

Another buzz—Vhenn:

Reminding you to check my speech I know you’ll edit half of it but please be gentle.

And then Vale, the softest of the three:

Mama, can we have dinner together tonight? Just us?

Eryl softened for a moment. Her children were her anchor, the one thing that kept her from drifting into the loneliness she rarely admitted she felt.

“Of course,” she replied.

In the afternoon, she attended meeting after meeting. Her voice was steady, professional, switching languages seamlessly. Her name Eryl Saeve was well-known among suppliers, respected among investors, and quietly admired by competitors for her discipline and consistency.

But even the strongest walls had cracks.

During a break, she opened her email to find a forwarded article.

Dravos Corporation Announces Expansion in Tacloban.

A familiar surname flashed like lightning across her screen.

Her chest tightened she quickly closed the tab.

Not now, not here.

She had built a life so distant from Leyte that even the memories felt like faded photographs. But sometimes, all it took was a headline, a name, a scent to drag her back to that night, to the weight of fear and the sound of breaking bones. She inhaled deeply, grounding herself.

I am Eryl now, she reminded herself—not Lioren and Singapore is our home.

As evening settled, she returned to the apartment. The warm scent of rice and garlic filled the air, Deyr had cooked. Vale arranged the table, while Vhenn reviewed his speech on the couch, frowning with concentration.

“Family dinner?” Eryl asked softly.

All three smiled.

They ate together, laughter mixing with gentle teasing. For a moment, it felt like they had never known chaos, never known fear. It felt like a life untouched by pain.

After dinner, they gathered in the living room to finalize graduation plans. Schedules, flights, outfits, speeches Eryl checked everything with meticulous caution.

“Tomorrow,” she said, “Marks the beginning of your new chapters and I want you to walk into them without fear.”

Vale leaned on her mother’s shoulder. “Only because you taught us how.”

Eryl’s heart tightened she rarely allowed herself to cry, but moments like this made her chest ache with love—raw, overwhelming, and bittersweet.

Later, when the apartment finally fell quiet, she returned to her small home office. Papers spread across the desk, the city lights shining behind her. She worked into the night, but her mind drifted again and again to the Dravos name she had seen earlier.

Somewhere out there, in another country, Rhaen still existed. She didn’t know if he thought of them, missed them, or regretted the life they once had. And she didn’t want to know.

The past had already taken too much from her.

But the future this life she built in Singapore—was hers.

Before heading to bed, she stood by the window and looked out over the city. Singapore glowed like a promise: bright, safe, and full of possibilities.

“This is our new life.” she whispered to herself and she meant it.

No matter what shadows tried to reach her, she would protect this life for herself.

For her children.

For the woman she had become—stronger than fear, stronger than heartbreak, stronger than the past.

Tomorrow, their lives would change again but this time, they were ready.

Eryl moved to the balcony, letting the soft breeze sweep across her face. The city lights reflected in the water of the canal below, mixing with the faint hum of distant traffic. Eight years had passed since the fear, the flight, the darkness of Leyte. Yet, even now, she could feel the faint thrum of anxiety, the memory of nights spent running, hiding, and protecting her children from a man who couldn’t feel.

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly we survived we thrived.

Vhenn approached quietly, holding his graduation folder. “Mama…do you think Papa would be proud of us now?” he asked softly.

His voice held no bitterness, only curiosity and a subtle longing.

Eryl’s fingers tightened around the railing. “Vhenn…he doesn’t matter anymore, what matters is what you’ve become all of you, this—the mansion, the plantation she had this is your achievement you don’t need anyone else’s approval to know your worth.” she gestured to the city skyline.

Vhenn nodded, though his eyes lingered on hers. He had inherited his father’s sharp features and intelligence, but he had also inherited his mother’s strength and resilience. That combination made him both careful and cautious, yet unyielding.

Deyr appeared behind his brother, his laptop clutched to his chest. “Mama, I finished checking my presentation slides, can you review them tonight?” His tone was quiet but insistent. Eryl smiled faintly at him.

“Of course, Deyr, after dinner, we’ll go through everything together. I want you all to feel confident tomorrow.”

Vale, still fidgeting with her graduation gown, glanced nervously at her mother. “Mama, what if people notice us? What if they see the past in our eyes?”

Eryl crouched slightly to meet her daughter’s gaze. “Vale, the past is part of us, but it doesn’t define us tomorrow, they’ll see the people you are now strong, proud, and ready for the world. And nothing from Leyte will ever reach this life again.”

Vale nodded slowly, reassured but still thoughtful.

After the discussion, Eryl returned to her home office. The plantation contracts had been settled for the day, but she couldn’t help herself her mind drifted to the graduation event, to the children stepping into a stage of life she had fought so hard to secure for them. Each document, each shipment, each meeting had been a step toward this moment.

Her phone buzzed again another reminder from Vhenn about a rehearsal schedule. Another note from Deyr, asking about the timing for his speech. Vale’s message simply said: Mama, I’m scared but I’m ready.

Eryl allowed herself a small, private smile.

Eight years ago, we ran from fear, now, we face life boldly.

The evening settled softly over Singapore, and the city lights reflected in the plantation waters. Eryl took a slow walk along the edge of the fields. The air smelled of ripe fruit, wet soil, and a hint of rain in the distance.

She stopped to touch the leaves of a young mango tree. It had survived storms and harsh sunlight, and it had flourished under her care. Much like her children, much like herself.

Her thoughts wandered to Rhaen Dravos. Somewhere, in the Philippines, he still lived a life apart from them. She did not dwell on him, she refused to but a tiny part of her mind always wondered. Would he recognize the people they had become? Would he ever regret the emptiness he had left behind?

No, she corrected herself silently this life belongs to us, Not to him.

Back at the mansion, the children were preparing for bed. Vhenn was reviewing notes for his speech one last time, Deyr set his laptop aside after double-checking his slides, and Vale carefully folded her gown for tomorrow.

Eryl watched them, heart swelling with quiet pride. She had protected them, guided them, and now, she could let them stand on their own even if tomorrow marked the first day of a new chapter, and not all the memories were gone.

She leaned back in her chair, glancing at the framed photo of the three children upon arrival in Singapore. The photo was faded slightly, but the smiles were bright, innocent, full of hope. It reminded her of what she had achieved. Freedom. Safety. Strength.

And for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to feel...whole.

Eryl glanced at the clock midnight was near, but sleep would not come easy not yet.

There were still details to finalize: the graduation schedule, travel plans, speeches, and rehearsals. Every decision mattered but in the quiet of her house, surrounded by the life she had built, she whispered softly we are ready, we survived, we thrive.

And as the lights of Singapore flickered through her window, Eryl Saeve finally allowed herself to imagine a future untouched by fear a future she would build alongside her children, one careful, deliberate step at a time.