You’re still defending her? She’s a poison
Liora's pov
A soft knock pulled me out of sleep. My eyes opened slowly. Sunlight filled the room, spilling across the bed. I had overslept.
I sat up with a small groan, rubbed my eyes, and dragged myself toward the door.
“Mama…” came a tiny voice.
It was Dante. He stood there with a wide smile, dressed and ready for the day.
My heart softened the moment I saw him. I picked him up and kissed his cheek.
But just as I turned to take him inside, a voice came from behind us.
“Ma’am…”
It was the nanny. She stood at the door, hands neatly folded.
“Everyone is waiting for you downstairs for breakfast,” she said politely.
“I’ll be right there,” I replied. “But let Dante stay with me.”
Without waiting for her answer, I stepped back and shut the door gently.
By the time I turned around, Dante was already lying on the bed, feet swinging.
I sat beside him and smiled. “I’ll get dressed quickly. Then I’ll take you anywhere you want today.”
His eyes lit up. “Promise?” He held out his pinky.
“Promise,” I said again, hooking mine with his.
I turned on the television and found a kids’ channel. “Watch this while Mama gets ready.”
I hurried into the bathroom and took the fastest shower possible. Then I pulled on a sleeveless light green dress that reached just above my knees. I dried my hair, tied it into a ponytail, and added a little makeup, just enough to brighten my face.
When I came back out, Dante ran into my arms. I kissed his head, turned off the TV, and stepped out of the room.
“Mama, will you take me to school later?” he asked, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“Of course,” I said, smiling.
As we reached the bottom of the staircase, my steps slowed.
The dining room was full. The table stretched far, long enough to seat twenty people or more. Every seat was taken, and the servants moved up and down, placing food and pouring drinks.
“You’re so slow! We’ve been starving!” Amara called from the far end. Her voice was unfriendly. I kept my smile and walked toward the empty chair next to Draven. But just as I reached for it, someone grabbed my arm, hard.
Dante wobbled in my arms, but I tightened my hold and steadied him.
“That’s not your place,” a woman snapped.
She stared at me like I was dirt on her shoe.
I looked her in the eye and said, “You must be Draven’ wife too, then?”
The whole table fell silent. All eyes turned to me. Some looked shocked. Others were curious. This wasn’t something Lyra would say. But I wasn’t her.
The woman scoffed and crossed her arms. “You’re really playing games today. I’m Clara. His secretary and girlfriend. Or did you forget?”
“Maybe I did,” I said simply. Then I sat down anyway and placed Dante in the seat beside me.
Clara’s eyes narrowed. “Dante, sweetheart, come sit here,” she said in a high, fake voice, pointing to a chair far from me.
“I want to sit with Mama,” Dante said, holding my hand.
From across the table, a dry laugh broke the tension.
“Well, look who’s trying to be a mother now,” the older woman said. “After months of running off.”
It was Elena. Draven’ stepmother. She sat at the head of the table with a cup of tea in her hand and judgment in her eyes. She always made her voice the loudest, no matter who was in the room.
Elena had married Brave Damian, Draven’ father. Draven and Micah were his sons from his first wife. Elena came later with her own daughter, Elena, and her son Tobias from another man.
She had built her place in the family over time. Not through kindness, but through power. Now she was using it to remind everyone that I didn’t belong.
I didn’t look away. I reached for Dante’s napkin and helped him tuck it under his chin. Whatever game Lyra had played here, I was now part of it. And I needed to survive it, for Dante’s sake.
I clenched my jaw. It was clear, everyone here hated Lyra. But what had she really done to deserve it?
“Dante, come here,” Amara called again, waving him over like he was a puppy.
But he shook his head. “No, I want to stay with Mama.”
That one word, ‘Mama’ surprised everyone in the room. Before I could even breathe in relief, Clara grabbed a glass of milk and threw it right at me. Warm, sticky liquid drenched my dress, ran down my face, and soaked into Dante too.
I gasped. My chest tightened, not from shame, but from burning anger. I rose from my seat, slow and steady, and handed Dante over to Draven. He took the boy without saying a word.
Clara smiled like she had won a game. She picked up a napkin, wiped the chair I’d sat on like it carried disease, then sat down like a queen claiming her throne.
My hands balled into fists. I wanted to grab her by the hair and slam her face into the table. But I didn’t and not yet. I wasn’t here to fight battles I didn’t understand. I was here for the little boy who was now wiping milk off his arms, eyes full of confusion.
I walked over and took the cloth from Draven. I cleaned Dante gently, careful not to scare him more.
The entire table stared at me. Silent, and were watching. They expected me to explode. To shout. To scream like Lyra would have done. But I didn’t. And that’s what scared them most.
Clara, of course, wasn’t satisfied. She reached out and yanked my hair like a child in a playground fight. She wanted to humiliate me. She wanted me gone. Big mistake.
Without thinking twice, I caught her wrist and dragged her off the chair. Her body hit the floor with a thud. She groaned, shocked and winded.
No one moved. No one said a word. I stood above her, calm as ever, while she scrambled to sit up.
“You’re crazy!” she cried out, grabbing her waist. “You attacked me!”
Elena shot up from her seat, eyes wide with rage. “What do you think you just did to my niece?!”
Of course. Now she cared. Elena had always wanted Clara to marry Draven. She had made it her mission, right from the moment she took over the Damian home.
I’d heard enough to know she destroyed Draven’ first marriage with lies and tricks, just to open a spot for Clara. Elena raised her hand, ready to slap me. But Tobias stepped between us, catching her wrist.
“Don’t do it, Ma,” he said.
She glared at him. “You’re still defending her? She’s a poison!”
Then Draven stood. His voice, a command. “Enough.”
Everyone went quiet. Even Elena dropped her hand. I looked over and saw Dante crying. He reached for me, tears wetting his cheeks.
“Mama…” he sobbed. “Mama…”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I took him into my arms and left the room. I didn’t speak. I didn’t even look back. The house behind me was still full of voices, but they didn’t matter.
All that mattered was the little boy clinging to me like his life depended on it. As I stepped away, I heard Elena’s voice behind me. “Why do you always shout at her? And now you’re protecting her?”
Draven didn’t answer immediately. Then I heard him speak, low and cold. “Don’t hurt Lyra in front of Dante again.”
He turned and left them all behind.
Later, I stood in the kitchen, stirring a pot of porridge while Dante sat beside me. His eyes followed my hands. He looked peaceful now, like the storm had passed.
I didn’t hear Draven come in. I didn’t know he was watching us from the doorway.
“Ma,” Dante said softly, “please don’t leave again.”
I paused. His voice was small. It hit me deeper than anything Elena had said.
“I won’t leave if you’re with me,” I said, smiling at him. “Unless… do you want to come with Mama instead?”
“I’ll come if Papa comes too,” he said. “But if you’re away too long, I’ll come find you. You’re not allowed to disappear again.”
I knelt beside him, handed him a warm drink, and said, “Remember our secret, Dante? You promised not to tell anyone that I’m not your real Mama.”
He blinked at me, then wrapped his arms around my neck.
“You are my Mama,” he whispered. “Not the one from before. You’re the one I want now.”
Draven turned away quietly without stepping inside. He took out his phone and made a call.
“Miss me already?” came a voice on the other end, Maddox.
“I need you to look into someone.”
“Your new fake wife?” Maddox said with a laugh. “Don’t worry. I’m already on it. Name’s Liora. Not Lyra.”
Draven smirked. “So you knew?”
“Of course. You’ve got smart people watching your house. Silasd’s plan didn’t last long.”
Draven didn’t laugh, but his lips curved.
Liora, she wasn’t like Lyra at all. And now he was curious. Was this woman pretending? Was she sweet on the surface but just as clever underneath? He wasn’t going to let her go, not until he found out wh
o she really was. And if she was playing a game… he was going to play it better.