Chapter 337: Really Want It

Chapter 337: Really Want It

At 1:30 PM, Lily met a couple who were especially dear to her.

The girl was twenty years old and still in college.

The man was thirty, mature and composed.

The girl was also studying design and greatly admired Lily's work. She came today to have Lily design several outfits for the wedding reception.

When the two walked in together and Lily stood up to greet them, she felt a pang of nostalgia as she saw herself and Benjamin from four years ago reflected in the young couple.

Leading them to the reception area, the girl's face lit up with excitement as she chatted about her ideas.

The man's eyes never left the girl, overflowing with warmth and affection. It was obvious how deeply he loved her.

Lily had just spaced out for a moment and accidentally took out her treasured wedding dress design.

"Miss, I'm sorry. I don't design wedding dresses."

This was the only dress she had ever created.

She had designed it for herself.

A dress that reflected her personal story, that she would never have the chance to wear in her lifetime.

"Juliet, can you sell this one to us? Please. I really love it!"

"You know what? When I saw this dress, it reminded me of the first time I met my boyfriend. He saved me, and I fell in love with him at first sight. Juliet, do you know that feeling—love at first sight? I was only eighteen then, but in that moment, I truly felt he was the one. No one else in this world could ever replace him. So please, any amount of money is fine. I really want it!"

The girl clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with pleading.

She wanted it desperately!

"Please, I hope you can let it go!"

The man spoke up for the first time since entering the studio and finally met Lily’s gaze.

It was clear he understood how much the dress meant to her, but seeing the woman he loved adore it, he could only go along with her wishes.

He hadn't known how to cherish her and had hurt her deeply in the past.

Fortunately, there was still time to make things right.

"Okay," Lily answered softly.

She looked at this girl, so much like her younger self—someone who had fallen in love with a man at first sight.

The only difference was that this girl was luckier than her—she got to marry the man she fell for at first glance.

"Juliet, thank you!"

The girl’s joy spilled over. She threw herself into the man’s arms. "Honey, I'm so happy!"

"Thank you!"

The man held her tightly and sincerely thanked Lily.

Finally, they settled on several outfits for the toast ceremony, which were quite expensive.

But Lily gave them the wedding dress free of charge.

This was her only condition for agreeing to give the dress to the girl.

The girl felt embarrassed, and the man seemed to understand. He nodded at Lily and left with the girl, who kept thanking her profusely.

After they left, Lily asked her assistant to reschedule the remaining clients and left the studio early to pick up her daughter from kindergarten.

The car pulled away from the studio and drove forward.

She had been back in Imperial City for a while now, and there were many places she hadn't revisited.

Today, without realizing it, the car veered off course. Soon, she arrived at the place where she and Benjamin had once lived.

The car stopped outside.

Lily sat in the car, gazing inside.

She couldn't see the building clearly, but memories unfolded vividly in her mind.

She was only nineteen then and was really foolish.

Never thinking about forever, just simply loving a man so humbly, so low in the dust, giving everything she had and pouring out her all.

In that house, she had cooked for him like a little wife. Even knowing her status, she still secretly gave from her heart, simply wanting to be good to him.

From the entrance to the kitchen and living room, and from the balcony to the bathroom and bedroom—everywhere held traces of them.

At first, when her identity couldn't be revealed, she actually liked it when Benjamin made love to her, because only then would there be warmth in his eyes.

She liked to open her eyes at the final moment, to see herself reflected in Benjamin's eyes, as if she had been in his heart all along.

As if he loved her even if it was just a little bit.

Painful memories kept surfacing in her mind.

Lily felt as if someone had suddenly grabbed her heart hard. Feeling suffocated, she was trapped in the past, unable to free herself.

She pressed one hand hard against her chest and lowered the car window slightly with the other.

She let the air circulate in the car and breathed deeply.

She thought she had forgotten, but at this moment, Lily realized she had been deceiving herself all along.

Every scene, every frame from the past was so clear. Being sealed away didn't mean it was forgotten.

Benjamin—this name was carved into her bones and blood.

She had also fallen for him at first sight. She had given him her whole heart and poured all her love into him.

She asked for nothing in return, like a moth to a flame, without regret.

Her love for him had long since seeped into her bones.

Four years ago, at his wedding, she knew Saskia was deliberately provoking her, yet she still accepted the invitation and attended.

At that time, standing before him, she was giving him one last chance.

She loved him so much that she didn’t hold that against him.

She would have given up everything just to be with him, but he wouldn't.



They missed their chance.

Four years later, they met again.

He was already married.

Faced with his pursuit, her heart felt too weary.

It wasn't that she hadn't given him a chance—she had—but he couldn’t divorce.

Her outward coldness was nothing but a cover for her deep love.

Because she loved too much, she had no confidence at all. She didn't know how long she could hold on.

She was afraid of losing control and being with a married Benjamin, of becoming the other woman.

She had chosen marriage to restrain herself and cut off his pursuit.

She never expected that the moment after getting the marriage certificate, he would get divorced.

Another missed chance.

She had wanted to hold onto happiness with Benjamin from the start, but each time, it slipped through her fingers.

In her youth, she thought that love could cross mountains and seas, and that mountains and seas could be leveled.

As long as two people loved each other, they could overcome anything.

Only after experiencing it herself did she realize that not all people who love each other in this world can be together.

A breeze blew past, brushing against her cheek.

Her face felt cold and cool.

Lily raised her hand to touch it—her palm was wet with tears she hadn’t realized she was shedding.

Her heart ached with deep longing.

Her phone suddenly began to ring.

Lily picked it up and saw it was a call from Mia.

She quickly wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, composed herself, and answered the phone.

"Lily, do you have time today to pick up Celestia? Should I pick her up and take her to my office first?"

James's company was really busy today, and he couldn't get away, so Mia came alone to pick up Pax.

She arrived at the kindergarten a few minutes early, and when the children began leaving one by one without seeing Lily, she called her.

"No need, I'll be there in ten minutes. You can go ahead and take Pax."

She knew Mia had just taken over the branch office and was already very busy.

Plus, she had taken time off for Pax, so there was a lot of backlog to deal with.

After picking up Pax, she still had to go back to the office to continue her work.

"Okay," Mia agreed and left with Pax ahead of her.

By the time Lily arrived, most of the children had already been picked up by their parents.

Celestia ran to her, holding up a tiny yellow flower with its petals plucked.

"Mommy, you’re late! I waited so long that the flowers withered!"



Her big eyes rolled around mischievously and cleverly—you could tell right away she was up to something.

One look at Celestia's actions and expression was enough to know what she was scheming.

Playing along, Lily said, "I was late. How about I treat you to some fast food today? Can you forgive me?"

"I'm so generous, of course I'll forgive you!"

Celestia's wish came true, and she was absolutely thrilled.

She immediately threw herself into Lily's arms and wrapped them around her neck.

Lily held her daughter and couldn't help but kiss her little face.

Just as she was about to take her to the car, a teacher suddenly called out to her from behind.

"Lily!"

It wasn't Celestia's teacher but a teacher from another class.

Lily turned and saw the teacher holding a child's hand.

"Uriah!"

As soon as Celestia saw Uriah, she greeted him with enthusiasm.

Since Pax had recently started kindergarten, Celestia's attention had been focused on him.

She rarely played with Uriah anymore. Each time, Uriah would just watch Celestia from afar.

"Is this the Uriah you mentioned?"

"Yes, Mommy, isn't he the second most handsome?"

The title of most handsome belonged to Pax.

"Yes!"

The little boy named Uriah was indeed quite good-looking, and his face seemed vaguely familiar.

Without thinking too much about it, she looked at the teacher and asked, "Teacher, is something wrong?"

"Lily, Uriah's father hasn't arrived yet, and he's not answering his phone. Normally, I could wait with him until his father comes, but I have an urgent matter at home and can't wait much longer. Could I trouble you to take him home?"

The teacher felt a bit embarrassed about asking Lily for this favor.

"I'm sorry, teacher, but I don't know his parents," Lily politely declined.

It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but nowadays children are their parents' most precious treasures.

It was fine for her and Mia to pick up each other's kids, but with someone she didn't know, it would be hard to explain if something happened.

"You don't know them?"

The teacher looked confused too.

How could she not know them?

Uriah was a very good child who would never lie.

He had just quietly told her that his father knew Celestia's mother, so she could take him home.

When Uriah heard Lily say she didn't know Benjamin, he became a bit flustered under the teacher’s gaze.

He was afraid the teacher would think he was lying.

Looking at Lily, he said urgently, "Ms. Martin, my father's name is Benjamin."

In his panic, he forgot that Benjamin had told him to wait until he grew up.

In front of others, he couldn't say that Celestia was Benjamin's daughter.

Though he didn't understand, he believed it must be right.

Lily's pupils contracted sharply in shock.

She hadn't expected the little boy in front of her was Benjamin and Saskia's son.

For a moment, Lily felt even more conflicted than before.

Uriah looked up at Lily, whom he really liked.

Every time he saw her come to pick up Celestia, her smile made him incredibly happy.

This was his first time talking to Lily, and he didn't know if she would be willing to take him along with her even though he really wanted her to.

He longed for it deeply in his heart.

Uriah let go of the teacher's hand and walked up to Lily on his own and said softly, "Ms. Martin, I like you. Can I go with Celestia?"

He looked up at Lily, his eyes filled with hope, while Lily looked down at him.

Reason told her that she should refuse and actively avoid anything that might involve Benjamin, but looking at the little face in front of her, full of longing, she hesitated.

"Mommy, let Uriah come eat fast food with us. I'll give him a bite of my chicken leg, okay?"

Celestia tugged at Lily's hand, acting adorably.

This was a big sacrifice for Celestia to say!

Under Celestia's pleading and Uriah's hopeful gaze, Lily finally nodded in agreement. "Okay!"

Uriah's eyes lit up with joy.

Watching Celestia hold Lily's hand, he felt a little envious.

He had always wondered what it would feel like to be held by a gentle mother like Lily.

Not daring to hold her hand, he tentatively reached out and tugged at her clothes.

Lily's heart softened instantly.

She was a mother. The grudges of the previous generation wouldn't extend to the children because they were innocent.

She took the initiative to hold Uriah's hand, and the latter immediately held it back.

Lily is so kind.

After bringing the two children to the car, Celestia sat in her car seat.

Uriah wanted to sit in the passenger seat.

He climbed into the car himself, clumsily pulling at the seatbelt, trying to be sensible and not cause trouble because he didn’t want Lily to dislike him.

But he wasn't strong enough, and his little face turned red with effort.

"Let me help you."

Lily got into the car and saw him struggling. She immediately leaned over, spoke gently, and helped him buckle it.

"Thank you," Uriah thanked her quietly and sneaked a glance at Lily.

When he saw no impatient expression on her face, he finally relaxed.

Saskia was often impatient with him, so he had learned to be cautious around her, afraid she might lose her temper.

"Let's go!" Celestia gave the command, making a superhero flying gesture.

"Sit properly."

Lily started the car and, before driving off, glanced back at Celestia. The girl was being playful, but Lily didn't scold her. She really was gentle.

After they left the kindergarten, Celestia chatted nonstop. Uriah listened attentively and responded from time to time, the two children getting along well.

During the drive, Lily noticed that Uriah, seated in the passenger seat, kept sneaking glances at her from the corner of his eye. It was obvious he liked her, and the thought softened her heart.

When they stopped at a red light and he stole another look, she met his gaze. Caught in the act, Uriah's face flushed, and he quickly lowered his head.

Lily reached out and patted his head.

Uriah looked up in delight.

This gesture meant affection.

Did Lily like him too?

She found a parking spot from across the fast food restaurant, She parked the car and walked into the restaurant holding each child's hand.

They chose a window seat on the second floor and sat down.

After ordering for the children, Lily called Benjamin while they waited.

She had deleted his number after his last birthday, yet she dialed it without hesitation.

Some things couldn't be erased from the mind or the heart.

...

Benjamin was in a meeting when his phone vibrated on the table.

The special ringtone made him forget what he was about to say. He grabbed the phone and strode aside to answer. "Lily?"

"Uriah is with me. Come get him."

She hung up before he could speak and deleted the number again.


Benjamin’s expression turned cold.

He signaled Jasper to continue in his place, left the conference room, and called the teacher as he walked out.

He quickly learned what had happened.

No one had gone to pick up Uriah—he had left with Lily.

Benjamin had an important meeting that afternoon. The nanny was originally supposed to pick Uriah up, but Saskia insisted on doing it herself, and he hadn’t stopped her.

Unexpectedly, she never showed up.

Reaching the parking lot, Benjamin got into his car, his expression cold as he called Saskia, but there was no answer.

He hung up, turned the wheel, and stepped on the gas, heading straight for the fast food restaurant.

Meanwhile, Saskia—who hadn't answered the phone—was on the second floor of a café.

She had just sat down when an elegant, distinguished-looking woman approached.

It was Dwayne's mother.

Saskia was about to stand and greet her politely when the woman raised her hand without hesitation.

A sharp slap rang out as she struck Saskia hard across the face, leaving five clear finger marks.

"Stay away from my son!"