Chapter 102 — Jealous or hate Lyyana

Lyyana smiled and shared her worries and Olive’s advice from that afternoon. Petra looked surprised but quickly recovered, smiling and looking at Lyyana. "Of course, we’ll explain it to Garret when he’s ready to understand and handle it."

Petra looked up at the sky. "This will be very hard for him to accept. Even for me, it’s still difficult to come to terms with everything."

"I’m sorry for bringing it up," Lyyana said softly.

Petra shook his head briefly. "No, dear. No matter how hard I try to forget, I don’t think I ever can. It’s a past memory that will always stay with me, perhaps until I grow old."

Lyyana didn’t respond, just listening to what Petra had to say. "Now I understand what it means to learn from the past. From that experience, I’ve learned many things, one of which is thorough preparation and always being cautious with strangers."

"There’s always a lesson," Lyyana responded after a moment.

"Including our meeting, right?"

Lyyana smiled, remembering their past relationship and how they met. “I still can't believe it, honey, that now I've been reunited with the woman of my dreams.”

Lyyana blushed at Petra's words, “I also never expected that fate would bring me back to you.”

That night, under the starlight, they shared their feelings, reminisced about their childhood, and talked about their goals and plans for after their wedding.

Time passed, and for two days, Petra had been increasingly busy with his company affairs, but he still made time to prepare for their wedding. Lyyana, too, despite being busy taking care of Garret, helped Petra with the wedding preparations, such as handling the souvenirs and organizing the wedding attire for their siblings.

Of course, Lyyana wasn't alone; Berli was always there with her. Since getting out of the hospital, Berli often visited her home and spent time together, either learning to cook or helping Lyyana wrap the souvenirs. Berli’s presence was still a source of anxiety for Amber and the other employees at Petra's house, but they tried to act normally while keeping a watchful eye from a distance.

Like now, Amber and her colleagues were cleaning the backyard, but their eyes kept shifting towards Lyyana and Berli, who were having fun baking in the kitchen. “Are you sure Lyyana is safe with Berli?”

“I’m worried that Berli is just pretending to be nice. Later, she'll ruin Lyyana again like before,” said Mila, and the others nodded in agreement.

“I’ve thought about that too, but I heard Berli is the key witness in Renaldi's case? She also helped Mr. Petra find Ramora.”

Amber and the others fell silent, considering Chala's words. “How about this, what if one of us goes to the kitchen to keep an eye on Lyyana?” suggested Liza, putting down her garden fork.

“In that case, I'll go. It's my turn to make lunch today,” said Chala, rising from her spot. Amber nodded in agreement, and the young woman took off her gardening clothes and headed to the sink. After washing her hands, she went inside to the kitchen.

When she got there, she saw Lyyana making brownies with Berli, both of them laughing and chatting happily. “Excuse me, Lyyana, I'm going to make lunch now.”

“Oh, Chala, we’re having lunch out today. Petra and I are going for our final dress fitting. Don't cook too much, okay?” Lyyana instructed Chala.

The young woman nodded and set to work. They had been in the kitchen for over two hours, busy with the equipment and ingredients. The aroma of the brownies Lyyana and Berli made was tempting anyone who smelled it.

“Chala, can you distribute these to everyone?” Lyyana said, handing Chala a tray of brownies. Meanwhile, Berli was storing a tray of her own brownies.

Chala nodded and took the brownies that Lyyana handed her. “Lyyana, can I take these for Denzel and Mom?” Berli asked Lyyana.

“Of course, you should! Those are your creations.”

Berli hugged Lyyana tightly and said, “Thank you, Lyyana, for teaching me so much.”

Lyyana nodded and gently patted Berli’s back. While they were hugging, Berli's phone suddenly rang loudly. She quickly grabbed it and swiped the green button on the screen. “Hello, honey?”

“…”

“Are you in front?” Berli asked the person on the other end. “Yes, I’ll be out in a minute. Hey, Denzel, Lyyana says you should come in first.”

Lyyana watched as Berli talked on the phone with her husband, Denzel. “Oh, Petra is out front too. Okay, we’ll come out soon.”

After ending the call, Berli turned to Lyyana, who was taking off her apron. “Lyyana, Petra is out front too. Do you need to get ready?”

Lyyana nodded, “I’ll just tidy up here first.”

“Thank you,” Lyyana said as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving Berli and Chala behind.

The warm atmosphere turned cold and tense. Chala kept watching Berli closely, as if not wanting to miss a single thing she did. “Um, is there something strange about me?” Berli asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

Chala nodded, and Berli looked herself over from head to toe. “You’re strange because you used to be so mean, and now you’re like this. What’s your game?”

“What do you mean? I don’t have any hidden motives. Can’t people change?”

“Yes, but you’re an exception. You used to hate Lyyana, didn’t you?”

Berli nodded, her fingers still wrapping brownies. “Yes, but not from my heart. I never liked Petra, so why should I be jealous or hate Lyyana? There was no good reason for me to do that.”

Chala was about to respond, but Lyyana returned and approached them. “Chala, I’m leaving now,” Berli said with a smile as she walked out with Lyyana.

Lyyana smiled and waved at Chala. When they reached the front yard, Petra and Denzel were chatting by their cars. “Honey?” Berli called out to Denzel and hugged him tightly. “Look, today Lyyana taught me how to make brownies. I hope they taste good,” Berli boasted, showing off her brownies.

“Anything you make will taste great, honey,” Denzel praised her, kissing her forehead. Lyyana smiled in Petra’s embrace. “Alright, we’ll be off then, Lyyana, Petra. Thank you for teaching me. I hope your event goes smoothly!” Berli said, gripping Lyyana's hand and looking her in the eye.

“Thank you, Berli. Drive safely, okay? Don’t forget to come tomorrow.” Berli hugged Lyyana briefly, then got into her car.

Lyyana and Petra waved as Denzel’s car drove away from their house. Once the car disappeared through the gate, Petra led Lyyana to their car, and they headed towards the boutique where she had ordered her wedding gown. But before that, they picked up Garret.

“Honey, have you finished all your tasks?” Lyyana asked, looking at the man focused on the road ahead.

“Yes, tomorrow morning we can head to the venue. Are you ready, honey?” Petra replied, glancing at her briefly.