bChapter /bb120 /b

    bMason /b

    That evening would have gone so well if Julia hadn’t shown up. I didn’t invite her, and honestly, I don’t care about having a date. I know Ly was attending this and wanted to speak to her.

    Julia just had to ruin my ne

    ihooking /iout

    our hands together and smiling like we were some happy couple.

    I tried to shake her off by reminding her about our breakup, but I knew that would be futile. We haven’t formally announced our bbreakup /bso most people here who knew us would probably assume that we are still together.

    When the event began, my eyes found Lydia. She looked dazzling, dressed in a red dress with white pearls scattered all over her dressb. /bHer pearl ne caught a glint from the light. How did I even fumble such beauty?

    I went out for a call when it was time to dance. It was a call I couldn’t ignore. When I came back, Julia was all over Lydia, causing btrouble/b. iAt /ithis point, I may have to do something about it.

    I had to pull her away first and speak to her, but it was fruitless. Before I finished talking to her, Lydia had stormed off.

    I had just one more ce to check before concluding that she must have left. The veranda, she must be there. The party was at its fullest. It seems everything on the programme had been exhausted.

    A few people had left, including the chairman.

    With every step I took, I got closer to the door. I sent a secret prayer, hoping she would be there. The door was left ajar, I held on to the doorknob, about to push it open, but stopped.

    The revtion that Julia wasn’t truly pregnant hurt as hell. The fact that I have been tricked all this time. What made it worse was that Mom was a part of the n.

    Her ims of being pregnant were simply to get a stand in my life. That exins why I never felt connected to the baby.

    The sight of her disgusted me. I didn’t want toy my eyes on her anymore, all I wanted to do was officially to tell Lydia that I was going to start courting her again. But Julia didn’t seem to get the message.

    She kept on following us and finally stopped in front of us, spreading her hands wide apart as a barrier.

    “What are you doing?” I mouthed to her. I hated the attention we were getting. I am not a fan of drama. Our breakup was supposed to stay quiet for a while and get announced consequently.

    “You can’t leave me, Mason.” She cried out, “Please listen to me, allow me to exin for a while. I promise, this isn’t as bad as it looks. I had my reasons for everything.”

    “You had your reasons for lying to me?” How did that even make sense to her?

    “Yes.” She dropped both hands and stepped forward. My hold around Lydia’s hand tightened.

    “I love you, Mason.” She dered, “I was wrong, I shouldn’t have lied to you, especially about something as bimportant /bbas /bba /bbchild/bb. /bbLow /bwhispering began on the ground. The audience couldn’t contain their surprise and thrill at the event unfolding.

    “Julia, I don’t want to talk to you.” I looked at Lydia, whose face was now expressionless. I know this made her bufortable/b. bRight /bbthere/bb, /bbas /bI stared at Julia, a part of me began bto /bcalcte the amount it would cost me to block any video from tonight from bcircting/b.

    Since Julia had bno /bintention of leaving, I was forced to announce our breakup. “Julia, you and bI /bbare /bbno /bblonger /bbtogether/bb. /bbThe /bfact bthat /bbyou /bblied /b

    about being pregnant will not change that.” I said

    b“/bI don’t want to get married to you; save yourself some dignity.” I brushed past her and heard a thun s? realked end

    Lydia didn’t try to remove her hand from mine all through, and even in this formall i was facing. I found myself eriting.

    When we got outside and were waiting for my car, she finally withdrew her hand from mine, I missed the warmth of her fant

    “What did you want to talk about?” She asked.

    “Can we go somewhere quiet?” I asked.

    She was quiet for a minute before replying, “Okay.”

    “Here you are?” A voice called out, followed by hurried steps. I turned, and so did Lydia. She was as surprised as I was to see tier assistant running towards us.

    When she got to us, she ced her hand on her chest, breathing heavily, “Where are you going??

    “Where have you been?”

    She and Lydia spoke at the same time. Mia straightened, “Where have you been?” Lydia asked.

    “I’m sorry, I went out to get fresh air with the gentleman.” She couldn’t hold Lydia’s gaze when she said the word, ‘gentleman!

    “I heard what happened between you and that wrench, she…” She ced one hand over her mouth, her eyes flickering in my direction. She cleared her throat, “I mean, Miss. Everett. I should have been there with you to help you put her in her ce.”

    “I know. It’s okay. You had your fun, that’s all that matters. I’m leaving.”

    “Oh, okay, I’lle with you.” She said, bringing out her phone, but Lydia stopped her. She told her we were leaving together, and Mia could

    use her car.

    My car came immediately after Mia left.

    “Where are we going?” Lydia asked when she entered.

    “We should probably go for a drive first,” I said. Truthfully, what I wanted to do at first was take her to a secluded ce and speak to her, but right now, that will not be possible.

    Not with so many thoughts passing through my head.

    i“/iAre you alright?” Lydia asked, surprising me. She cared about me. It felt warm to know that she cared about my feelings.

    “I’ll be fine.” A few seconds passed before I asked the question that had been eating me away, “You knew?”

    “Yes.” She replied immediately, as if she had been expecting the question. “But know that it was never my intention bfor /byou to bhear/bb. /bbI /bbdidn’t /bknow you were at the door, If I had known, then-”

    “You’d not have told me? Ever?” bI /bcut her short, and she nodded.

    “Yes, I’d not have said anything about her pregnancy.”

    “Why? Why did you keep it a secret, and how long have you known?” That is what I was interested in..

    “It wasn’t my ce to tell you, Mason.” She said, I turned to hold her eyes briefly. b“/bAnd I’ve known for a bwhile/b.”

    b2/3 /b

    “bIt /bkinda hurts to be lied to, you know. Especially by your mom. She is kinda obsessed with Julia,b” /bI said, disappointment, apping from ever

    word.

    “I just didn’t think my mom would be this deceptive. Why would you deceive your own son just because of a woman?b” /b

    We slowed, allowing an ambnce to overtake my car.

    “It seems you didn’t really know your mom,” Lydia said

    “What do you mean?” Lydia didn’t reply anymore, she urged me to take her home on time, iming the twins were waiting for her.

    When we got to her gate, we spoke for a while. Part of me wanted to follow her inside, with the excuse of seeing the twins, but I didn’t.

    “I’ll ensure no videos from earlier get out to the public,” I assured her as she was about to step down. She stopped and turned, “Ho needb. /bbI /bdon’t care what people say, these people don’t even know me.”

    “What about the twins? Are you okay with them finding out about it one day?”

    “They are my kids, they will always be with me, I’m their mom.” She smiled and stepped down.

    The first person to call me after videos from the night began circting was me, Mr Everett.

    “How dare you embarrass my family in such a manner? How could you break up with my daughter, and for what? Your ex–wife?” bHe /bsounded bitter. “What about your child? If you don’t get married to Julia, forget about getting partial custody of the child.” He wanted to use the child as a threat.

    Well, jokes on him, his daughter wasn’t truly pregnant.

    “Surely you didn’t know your daughter isn’t pregnant. iOr /ishe hasn’t told you about her deception?” From the silence on the other end, I could guess that he hasn’t found out about it yet.

    Without another word, he ended the call.

    Well, thanks to Julia, I have the perfect excuse to get her father and my mother off my back. I will not be roped into a marriage with her or threatened anymore.

    Julia had called Lydia Barren. If ionly /iishe /iknew how stupid that sounds.

    While she was pretending to be pregnant, Lydia actually had two children.

    Immediately, I got ito /imy penthouse, my phone beeped, a text from an unknown number.

    I furrowed my brows as I read the text.

    “Hey, it’s Zoe. I have something to talk to you aboutb. /bDon’t call Mom, I ran away from home. Come get me and I’ll exin beverything/bb./bb” /b