Chapter 1

Miranda was walking, but her gaze was fixed on her phone as she was texting a co-worker when she collided with someone. If it hadn’t been for that person, Miranda would have surely fallen down and embarrassed herself at this party.

“I am sor—” The words were caught in her throat when she saw the person with whom she crashed. How can she ever forget him? She has longed to see him for many years.

It flabbergasted Eric to see his wife after seven years in his arms. If it weren’t for Lizzy, his daughter, then he wouldn’t know for how long he would have kept her in his arms. It felt like a very familiar emotion inside him, and it was too good to be true to have her so close to him.

Miranda, though, was astounded to see her daughter so grown up after only seven years. She is now ten years old and has evolved into a beautiful girl. Her eyes had always yearned to see her precious angel.

“Dad, this party is extremely dull. When can we go home?” She asked him, completely ignoring her mother. Miranda was a stranger to her, as Lizzy was oblivious to her mother’s existence, let alone her appearance and presence.

“At the most, an hour or two. Why don’t you hang out with other kids your age here, Lizzy?” He told his daughter politely because he wanted to protect her from her own mother. Eric had lost trust in Miranda after she abandoned them seven years ago.

“They are snobbish.” She scowled and crossed her arms.

“Sweetheart—” He said. But Nancy, his secretary, cut him off.

“Lizzy, there you are. Briana, your friend, has been looking for you for a long time— Oh, Miranda! It’s good to see you after so long.” Nancy was surprised to see her boss’s wife after all these years. She had hoped Miranda would return soon because she had witnessed what Eric had gone through these years.

“It is good to see you too, Nancy.” Miranda smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. But her surprise upon seeing Eric and Lizzy here had not yet subsided.

Nancy sensed the uneasiness in the air between those two, so she decided to leave them alone, taking Lizzy with her.

Miranda, however, was looking at their daughter with love filled in her eyes, which did not go unnoticed by Eric. “When you left us seven years ago, you gave up the right to look at her like that.”

“You can hide the fact from our daughter that I am her mother, but you can’t stop me from loving her.” She told him softly. She completely understood Eric's rage towards her. Under no circumstances does she blame him.

“Miranda, what are you doing here?” He asks her angrily. Before she could respond, the host of the party, Lenny, interrupted her.

“There you are, Miranda. Let me introduce you to Louis, my husband.” Lenny smiled and greeted her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She politely replied to them.

“I see that, finally, my wife was finally able to convince you to our party. I can’t even begin to tell you how much she has talked about you.”

“I am not a big fan of going to social gatherings, but it’s a pleasure to be here.” With a small smile, she told them the truth.

Before either of them could say anything, another guest called for them. Hence, they excused themselves, leaving her alone with Eric.

To say after living so many with him would have made her feel at home, but rather the time they spent apart made her feel uncomfortable, and the proximity they were standing in did not help.

 “Not a big fan of social gatherings? Nice Miranda. You have even begun to lie now.” He mocked her.

“Believe what you want, Eric. I have nothing else to say to you.” She told him softly, as she was herself at a loss for words.

But, once again, they were interrupted, which irritated Eric greatly. Miranda, on the other hand, was relieved because she did not wish to speak to him. But she panicked when she saw who had intervened.

“Hello, Miranda.” Doctor Harold approached her and greeted her.

“Hello.” She responded hesitantly.

“I am Doctor Harold Levis.” He greeted the man who was standing beside his patient.

“I am Eric Liston.” His name rang a bell in the doctors’ heads as he recognized him instantly and gave Miranda a look that she clearly understood.

“Very well. My nephew, Richard Levis, works in your firm, so I have heard a lot about you.”

“I hope everything good. He is a great chap.” Eric replied to him.

Eric Liston is a partner at the accounting firm ListonCharles (LC LLP), together with his friend and co-partner Rodney Charles. After a brief internship and over half a decade of experience at an accounting enterprise, they decided to establish their own.

It was little over a year ago when he ran into his old pal Rodney who was looking for a partner. Eric found it to be a good opportunity as not only having control over his work timings would have been good but also will be relocating himself to BlueStone Valley along with his parents who lives only a couple of blocks away from him.

He had shifted to Bluestone Valley just four months ago. However, unlike him, they sold their apartment in Pelican City and decided to retire to have a peaceful life in the Bluestone Valley, a little over eight months ago. It was fortunate that he was able to find a modest house for himself just a block away from his parents.

Further, on work front, their accounting firm was blooming despite being established a town. Richard Levis is one of his juniors who works directly for him. He is lucky in that he can trust him with the majority of his duties.

Before Harold could respond, a blonde lady approached Eric and asked for a dance. To say Marisa was envious would be an understatement. Even after all this time, she still clearly loves him. “May I have this dance with you?”

"Excuse me!" Eric excused himself and accepted the lady's hand.

He wanted to prove an unspoken point to Miranda: that he has moved on and no longer loves her. She, however, looked on as Eric was on the dance floor with that lady. That blonde woman might be his girlfriend. It does not matter, though, as she has truly lost all her rights on him.

“It is okay to feel this way, Miranda.” Doctor Harold stated, intending to comfort her with words.

“Is it? It does not matter. After all, it's not his fault that he didn't know the real reason for my leaving him. It's completely justified to hate me. Plus, who knows how many girlfriends he's had or has now? I am sure I will get used to it. I am perfectly fine.”

“You are rambling now.” He stated.

“I am sorry.” She lets out a sigh. “I think I am going to call it a night. I knew that coming here was a bad idea.”

“However, something good came from it. You saw your daughter, didn’t you?”

She responded to him with a bright smile on her face. Talking about Lizzy or even thinking about her brightens her day, but her heart aches at the same time.

“Yes, I just wish I had been there with her in the last few years.” She sighed deeply.

“It is still not too late. Tell the truth to Eric. I am confident that he will understand.” The doctor advised her.

“No way, Doc. It is too late now. And I doubt my daughter will even accept me. As far as Eric is concerned, he despises me. He would never allow that to happen, and he would not be wrong in doing so. Further, I do not want to disrupt their settled lives. It is not fair to them."

"Miranda," he sighed. His patient was stubborn, but then which of his were not?

"No, Doc. It is not right." She gave him a sad smile. "I should leave now. I do not think I can take it any longer. Good night.”

“Do you want me to drop you off?” He asked her worriedly. He knew very well what Miranda had been going through.

“Do not worry on my account. I will be fine. Thank you for offering, though.” With those words and Doctor Harold's nod, she walked away.

Eric, on the other hand, was perplexed as to why Miranda was speaking so closely with the doctor. Both of them seemed to know each other well. Doctor Harold appeared to be quite old for her, so them being in a relationship seemed unlikely.

“Your ex?” The lady with whom he had been dancing asked him with interest.

“Something along those lines.” He informed her vaguely. He had no interest in indulging with a stranger about his estranged relationship with Miranda.

“Well, it's clear that you still love her, and I believe she does as well.” The blonde stated.

“I believe it is too late for that now.” With that, he left the lady on the dance floor alone. He was clearly not interested in continuing the conversation with her. He, however, ran into someone again while looking for his daughter. 

“God, can’t you see where you are going?” The unknown girl glared at him. He was about to reply when she spoke again, this time in an angry tone. “You! Eric, right? No wonder she left.” The strange girl then walked away, not allowing him the opportunity to speak.

He simply shook his head, swearing under his breath, before searching for his daughter. When he did, they both headed immediately for home. He had enough for the night and did not want the risk of running into Miranda with their daughter again.

Eric had no idea how he felt, though. He was relieved to see Miranda again, as she was safe and alive, but he was also enraged at the same time. He also felt guilty because Lizzy still had no idea who her mother was. He kept these facts from her in order to protect her. What good would have been done to her when her own mother left her at the mere age of three?

God only knows what new twists and turns his life will take.