{Lily}
I had nearly dropped my phone when his voice came through.
Joshua.
“No way…”
He gave me the location of where I'd see him…
I stood outside a small bar near the edge of downtown, staring through the glass doors with my heart pounding..
When I saw him. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
He was truly alive. My dream… was that the universe telling me something?
Joshua looked up from his seat slowly.
For one second, neither of us moved.
He didn’t look like himself, but his eyes never lied.
I took a couple steps towards him.. Up close, I noticed the faint marks along his neck and jaw.
Burn scars.
“You're really not dead…”
Joshua leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “Pretty much.”
For the next couple hours, he explained everything to me.
The first attempt on his life he could remember was poison. Which failed.
Then tampered medication.
Then hired attackers.
Each time, he somehow survived. Only to realise who was responsible.
“Michael.” He said.
I frowned.
Joshua nodded. “Yes, dad's PA.”
He continued, “The bomb was the final attempt… I found out too late. And was hit bad.”
Joshua rubbed the back of his neck. “I barely made it out before the explosion.”
“What happened after?”
“The impact threw me into a ditch somewhere… I don’t remember much after that.”
My chest tightened.
“I woke up months later in another city,” he continued. “Burned, confused, barely remembering my own name.”
“You were in a coma for six months?”
He remained silent. And that told me so much.
I was already tearing up.
Joshua smiled faintly before continuing. “After the coma, my memory stayed messy for another six months. Michael kept me hidden… maybe cause he felt guilty when Selene was still looking for confirmation that I was dead.”
“So everybody really believed it. And no one knew for the past two years.”
“Even dad.”
I looked away.
Joshua exhaled. “After the surgeries, nobody recognized me anymore. I decided staying dead was safer.”
“You could’ve told me.”
“I wanted to.” He paused. “But I wasn’t sure you could hide it.”
I scoffed immediately. “Excuse you?”
He looked away, then coughed. “Tell me what happened with you.”
And I did. From the funeral, to the will, to Cassandra, to Raymond.
The pregnancy though. ‘I can't tell him that yet.’
Joshua listened quietly through all I narrated.
When I finished, he looked completely unsurprised.
“Honestly. Dad giving everything to Cassandra sounds exactly like him, I know she admitted tampering with the will, but still.”
“That doesn’t make it hurt less.”
“I know.”
He added. “That damned bastard, Raymond! I want to hurt him so bad.”
“No, Joshua, it's pointless.” I said. I could see him fuming, he hated Raymond for what he did.
“Okay… okay. But we have to deal with him in sue time.”
“We will.” I replied. Reaching over to hold his hands.
After hearing everything, all Joshua could say was… “Come with me.”
“What?”
“Leave this city.”
I blinked.
“I’m serious,” he continued. “There’s nothing left here for you.”
He was right.
Painfully right.
Joshua squeezed my palm tight. “You need distance. You need peace. You need people who actually care about you.”
I was lost in thought. Wondering about all of this.
He repeated again. “Come with me, Lily.”
This time, I nodded. “Okay.”
▪︎▪︎▪︎
{Six years later.}
“Happy birthday to you!”
I laughed helplessly while everybody around the dining table sang loudly and completely off key.
Silver somehow sounded worse than Joshua, which honestly impressed me.
“You people are ruining music,” I laughed.
Joshua grinned. “Just eat your cake!”
“No.”
“Ungrateful woman.”
My twins burst into giggles beside me.
Ethan leaned across the table dramatically. “Mama, Uncle Josh got your present this morning.”
Joshua pointed at him immediately. “Traitor.”
Emma whispered. “He told use not to tell youuu.”
Silver laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
The house buzzed warmly with chatter, laughter, and too many people talking over each other.
For six years, Joshua and Silver never made me feel like a burden.
Not once.
Even after they got married.
Even after my twins were born.
Silver treated my children like they had come directly from her own womb.
And Joshua...
Joshua spoiled them so badly they had somehow become convinced he could do no wrong.
“Okay!” Silver clapped loudly. “Since the secret is already out, it's present time.”
The twins exchanged secret little smiles instantly.
That expression alone worried me.
Emma and Ethan disappeared into the kitchen before returning carefully with a cake box between them.
I blinked.
“You baked this?”
“No,” Ethan said proudly. “Maybeee.”
Emma sighed. “Ignore him.”
They opened the box.
My jaw nearly dropped.
The cake looked professionally made.
Smooth frosting.
Tiny sugar flowers.
Perfect layers.
I stared at my six year olds suspiciously.
“Who helped you?”
“Nobody,” Emma replied.
I turned to face my brother and sister in law.
Silver nodded proudly. “Their brains and skill are terrifying.”
Ethan puffed his chest like he could tell just how impressed I was of them.
The twins handed me a folded letter next.
I opened it slowly.
‘Happy Birthday Mama.
Thank you for loving us even when Uncle Josh steals your fries.
We will become rich and buy you seven coffee shops.
Maybe ten.
Love, Emma and Ethan.’
My eyes burned immediately.
“Oh no,” Joshua groaned. “She’s crying.”
“I’m not crying.”
“You absolutely are.”
Silver smiled softly. “Leave her alone.”
Later that evening, after the guests left, I stood in the kitchen preparing dinner while humming quietly.
It was peaceful and simple.
Then tiny footsteps rushed toward me.
“Mama!”
I turned.
The twins looked excited beyond reason.
“What happened?”
“We got nominated!”
“For the cooking contest!” Emma added.
I blinked. “What cooking contest?”
The twins froze like they just remembered they were supposed to hide something.
Ethan cleared his throat. “Minor detail.”
“What cooking contest?”
Emma winced. “We auditioned secretly.”
“You what?”
“We passed!” Ethan added proudly.
“Mama, they loved our food!”
I stared at them in disbelief while Emma handed me the nomination papers.
Then my stomach dropped.
‘Caddell Group… Hosting Sponsor.’
Cold spread through my chest instantly.
“No.”
The twins blinked.
“No?” Ethan repeated.
“You’re not going.”
“What?” Emma frowned. “Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“That’s not an answer,” Ethan argued.
I folded the paper quickly. “You’re too young.”
“We’re literally the youngest nominees,” Emma protested.
“And we can win prize money!” Ethan added excitedly. “We wanted to help your coffee business!”
My chest tightened painfully.
‘Sweet children.’
“You’re still not going.”
Both twins groaned dramatically.
“Mama!”
“No.”
“We practiced for months!”
“You snuck around for months,” I corrected.
Their expressions shifted immediately.
They were hurt. But it was for the best.
Right on cue, the front door opened.
Joshua and Silver walked in carrying grocery bags.
“Uncle Josh!” the twins shouted instantly before racing toward him.
‘Perfect… Joshua would support me.’
The twins began speaking over each other rapidly as they explained.
Joshua looked between all of us slowly.
Then he smiled at the twins.
“You’ll go.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
Joshua handed Silver the grocery bags calmly.
Then he looked directly at me.
“Lily,” he said seriously, “don’t deny them joy because of the past.”
My heart began pounding.
“It’s only a contest,” he added.
But nothing involving the Caddells had ever been good. And he knew this too.