Chapter 75 Chapter Seventy Five: A Day With Lizzy

Chapter 75 Chapter Seventy Five: A Day With Lizzy
(Lior's POV)

The weekend came fast. And knocking on my door, was the promise I made to spend a whole day with Lizzy.

Anne had called me earlier to ask if she should come pick me up, but I declined and asked her to send me the location instead. And to my surprise, the location is a residence instead of a water park. I asked and she said it's Adrian's house.

I immediately felt the need to not go; because if it's Adrian's house then Adrian, and possibly his wife, would be there.

But I promised Lizzy, and for reasons I was yet to know, I really liked the little girl. Maybe seeing an Omega child being obviously adored, rather than mistreated simply for being an Omega, is heartwarming.

So I went. For Lizzy.

____________

The gate opened as I approached, and I barely had time to take in the sheer size of the property before I saw Anne walking toward me.

Lizzy was practically bouncing beside her.

“Lior!”

Her excitement made me smile.

“Hi, Lizzy.”

She immediately reached for my hand. “Come on! Come on! You're late!”

“I am not late,” I protested, letting her pull me along. “I came when your aunt told me to.”

Anne laughed as she caught up with us. “Sorry about that. She has been waiting for you since breakfast.”

“I have,” Lizzy confirmed proudly.

I looked at Anne. “I hope I'm not causing any trouble.”

“Not at all.” She smiled. “I'm actually glad you came. She's been talking about you all week.”

Lizzy nodded enthusiastically. “He's my friend.”

“I know,” Anne said, amused. “You've reminded everyone.”

I laughed.

“Thank you for having me.”

“Of course. Make yourself comfortable. We'd spend most of the day outside. The weather is too nice to stay indoors.”

Lizzy tugged at my hand again. “Can we go now?”

Anne shook her head. “Go ahead. I'll catch up.”

Lizzy didn't need to be told twice. She dragged me through the enormous house and toward the back doors.

The moment we stepped outside backyard, I stopped.

The first thing I realized was that I had severely underestimated what rich people considered a backyard.

I stood at the edge of the enormous garden, staring.

There were two water slides curling down into a massive swimming pool, a wooden playground sitting farther away beneath the trees, a trampoline large enough to fit several people, and enough open space that I could probably walk for ten minutes without reaching the other end.

I slowly turned to Lizzy. “You have all this at home?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”

I stared at her. “Then why did you want me to take you to a water park?”

Lizzy tilted her head. “I didn't say you should take me out. I said you should play on the water slide with me.”

“Oh.” I looked around again. “I didn't realize you had it at home.”

Lizzy giggled. “You didn't ask.”

“That is true.”

She grabbed my hand. “Come on!”

I barely had time to put my bag down before she dragged me toward the pool.

I had forgotten what it felt like to play.

Lizzy dragged me onto the water slide so many times that I lost count.

The first time, I was terrified. The second time, I was less terrified. By the fifth time, I was the one telling her to hurry up because I wanted to go again.

“You're slow!” I shouted as I climbed out of the pool.

Lizzy gasped. “I'm not slow!”

“You are.”

“No, I'm not!”

“Then catch me.” I took off running.

She screamed with laughter and chased after me.

We spent the afternoon getting soaked, racing each other down the slides, splashing water at each other, and arguing over who cheated during our races.

Later, we sat beneath a large umbrella with snacks spread across the table between us.

Lizzy was eating fruit while I picked at a plate of fries.

“You're my best friend,” she announced. “I know you have a best friend but you're MY best friend. You got promoted.”

“Oh, I'm honored.”

She nodded seriously. “You should be.”

Laughing with a child, who seemed to have decided I belonged in her life, it felt good.

Really good.

Aiden was around for most of the afternoon.

At some point, he and Anne climbed onto the trampoline.

I thought they were going to jump around normally.

I was wrong.

Aiden shoved Anne, and Anne shoved him back.

Then somehow they were wrestling.

“You're cheating!” Aiden shouted.

“You're losing!” Anne mocked.

“I am not losing!”

“You're literally underneath me!”

“Get off me!”

I burst out laughing.

Lizzy looked at them and sighed. “They're always like this.”

I wiped the corner of my eye. “Your aunt and uncle seem fun to be around.”

“They're fun when they are here. But at Grandpa's house, they're boring because Grandpa hates it when we play.”

I was about to say something when Aiden's voice interrupted—

“Lior, tell her I'm winning.”

“You are absolutely not winning!” Anne shouted before I could answer.

I laughed harder. “I'm staying out of this.”

“Traitor!” Aiden yelled.

“Coward!” Anne added.

“I barely know either of you!”

That only made them laugh.

I watched them for a moment. Anne and Aiden were adults, but there was something almost childish about the way they behaved around each other.

They weren't worried about looking dignified, they weren't worried about being perfect, they simply enjoyed being together.

And then I looked at Lizzy. She had Anne, Aiden, and her parents. She had a whole family surrounding her; people who would chase her around a garden and giggle with her while on it, people who bought her toys, people who listened to her stories, people who loved her loudly enough that she never had to wonder whether she belonged.

Something strange happened inside me.

It felt as though someone had taken the world I knew and added a new colour to it.

I'd always known that some people were richer than others, I'd always known that some families were happier than mine… but seeing it this close was different.

I had grown up in a house that sometimes felt like a dungeon. A place where I learned to recognize the sound of my father's footsteps because the opposite threatened my safety.

And here was Lizzy, running barefoot through a garden that looked bigger than the entire street I grew up on.

She has a whole playground, and it wasn't simply wealth. It was the kind of life that came with room to breathe.

I looked at her as she laughed at something Anne said.

For the first time, I understood that there were children who grew up believing the world was kind. Children who didn't have to earn affection, children who didn't have to wonder if home was somewhere they should escape from.

And somehow, that realization hurt more than I expected.

I looked away.

Across the garden, Adrian was standing beneath the shade of a tree. He wasn't doing anything, he was just watching.

His eyes met mine.

For a moment, neither of us looked away. Then he gave me the smallest smile.

I smiled back.

It was simple. Almost domestic. And for a moment, I let myself imagine that I belonged here too.

_______

The afternoon slowly turned into evening.

Lizzy was still full of energy, and I… I was exhausted.

She wanted to show me one more thing when the sound of a car approaching caught our attention.

Lizzy immediately turned toward the driveway. “Mommy!”

My smile disappeared.

Vivienne stepped out of the car. She looked around briefly before her eyes landed on me.

She wore a smile as she walked straight toward me.

“Have you found out who my husband is having an affair with?”

I froze.

The question came so suddenly that for a moment, I didn't know how to respond.

“No, ma'am.”

She studied my face. “You don't think he's having an affair?”

“I don't know if he is.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “You're with him all day, how could you not know?”

“I’m only his assistant.”

The distinction came out more firmly than I intended.

Her gaze remained on me. And I suddenly felt uncomfortable beneath it.

She eventually looked away. “Fine.”

Then she walked past me.

As I watched her go, I remembered Jay's words about me being a homewrecker by being with Adrian.

Too bad I lost most of my morals the night I let Adrian take me.