Page 125 of Broken Destiny

Even without looking at him, I felt his presence beside me throughout dinner. My appetite had vanished, yet I forced myself to eat while focusing on the children, the restaurant, anything except him.

Halfway through dinner, Will walked over to our table, wiping his hands on his apron. “Did you guys like your food?” he asked, his blue eyes twinkling.

“It was delicious,” Caleb replied. “The lobster, in particular, thanks to Lucas here, was exquisite.”

Will’s chest puffed out, and his smile widened. “Thank you, thank you so much,” he said.

After dinner, Lucas insisted on ordering two sizzling brownie sundaes to share between the five of us.

The rich scent of chocolate filled the air as the desserts arrived, still bubbling on the hot plates.

“You’ve got it on your nose, Pookie-pie,” I said, wiping a smudge of chocolate from Emma’s face as she giggled.

When we finished eating and settled the bill, Lucas tugged lightly on my hand.

“Mama, can we walk for a bit?”

I nodded.

We stepped outside and began walking along the waterfront together.

The temperature had dropped to eighteen degrees Celsius, and the last warmth of the sun melted slowly into the water.

Reaching the end of the walkway, we stepped onto the wooden dock.

A gazebo had recently been installed by the village’s mayor. It stood proudly at the edge of the water, white and wooden, shaped in an octagon with delicate latticework and small light bulbs strung around it.

I rocked gently from side to side, holding Emma securely on my hip.

“This is Mama’s favourite place,” Lucas announced to Caleb.

I still had not looked directly at him, and this was not going to be the moment I chose to start.

I lowered myself onto the bench inside the gazebo, and Lucas sat beside me.

A second later, Caleb took the seat next to him, close enough that I was painfully aware of him beside me.

“Didi, I’ll take a picture?” Geeta asked, lifting her phone with a cheerful smile.

“No, no, it’s—” I began, shaking my head.

“Yes, please,” Caleb said, cutting gently across my protest. “Do take one.”

Geeta laughed and began snapping photos while the children bounced and wriggled beside us, making it nearly impossible for her to capture a still moment.

“Finally,” Geeta exclaimed. “I got a good one.”

She walked over and held out her phone for us to see.

Curiosity pulled my attention toward the screen.

My breath caught the second I saw the picture.

Emma and Lucas were laughing openly, their faces bright with happiness. Caleb gazed at me while my attention was fixed on the children. The image looked so natural, so complete, that my chest tightened.

It was a beautiful picture.

A family picture.