Chapter 94

Nan’s POV

Things between me and Lionel are different now.

There is a strain in our relationship that there wasn’t before. Our intimacy has dwindled down to spare kisses or quick greetings during busy days.

I miss him. I miss our easy-going days. Our spontaneous dinner dates and playful bickering.

All of our free time is now eaten away by meetings about Katya’s return. Lawyers and officials demanding Lionel’s input. Any time I thought we might have some alone time…there was Katya.

The amount of time the two spend together made me discomforted. I knew they were never alone. But her status as Lionel’s wife and his emotional upset about her discombobulated me.

Katya also spend a lot of time with me. Texting me. Inviting me to meetings.

All to learn more about my girls. It left a sour taste in my mouth to teach this woman about my daughters. To coach her on how to be a mother to my girls.

Her reassurances at each meeting felt more like an ice pick to my melting patience.

“Nan, I promise. I only want to know my daughters. A few meetings could not change your place in their lives…I haven’t even met them!”

Or my least favorite.

“Lionel was my husband. Times have changed…we both know Lionel too well to not guess where his heart lies.”

Her words were true enough. Perhaps I was paranoid. I often felt like there were things I heard that she had not spoken.

‘Your place won’t change in their lives…until I meet them.’

‘I know Lionel’s true heart too.’

I tried not to read too much into it. Nothing in her manner gave off cruelty or deceit. Perhaps her harrowing troubles had changed her.

And yet…Lionel’s words and Irina’s childhood weighed heavily on my mind.

‘It was game too her. Playing with them…she utterly idolized her sister. Yet Katya only ever toyed with her.’

His words echo in my head like an ominous warning. No matter how much I try to convince myself…I just don’t believe her sincerity.

Lionel’s actions only heightened my sense of dread.

Some days he would come home. His expression distant. Mentally far away from me despite our physical proximity.

The others were the total opposite. I could hardly move without him subconsciously following. Clingy…as though a child seeking out comfort.

It worried and angered me. He did not discuss it with me. But I knew Katya was also responsible for this.

My patience is fraying by the day.

“Nan,” Katya starts conversationally. “I think it’s time I meet Vera and Patti.”

I sip my hot tea thoughtfully. Stalling. Excuse after excuse popping into my head.

“I’m not sure about that. Have you discussed this with Lionel?” I finally reply.

Her serene expression does change. “I have. He has left it up to your discretion.”

I tap my fingers on the table. “He hadn’t told me this.”

She shrugs. “He has likely forgot. Things at work have been quite time consuming.”

“Oh?” I say tightly. She scans me carefully.

“You didn’t know?” She asks lightly.

I clench my jaw slightly. Then release as I realize she is still watching. I smooth my expression.

“If he’s swamped, he probably hasn’t had time. I’m sure he will.” It is only after I speak that I realize how defensive I sound.

“Of course.” Katya says breezily. As if she has not noticed my attitude.

“Please Nan. I’ve already missed six years of their lives. I just want to meet them.”

My intuition is screaming at me not too. That this is a bad idea. I do not like this.

No matter how I feel though…she is their birth mother.

“Sure.”

Third Person POV

The first meeting was simple.

Lionel and Nan monitored her visit. Vigilant to any upset from their children. Ready to intervene if necessary.

“You’re our mom.” Vera states. Drinking in the sight of the beautiful woman before her.

The woman smiles angelically at her. “Yes, Vera. I am your mother.”

Vera had so many questions. Her young mind racing as she struggled to pick what to ask first. It was Patti who questioned her first.

“Where were you?” Patti asks curiously. “Why were you gone?”

“I had to go away for a while. I did not want too. But I am here now.”

Patti’s curiosity was not satisfied. But Vera interrupted this time. Annoyed that Patti got to ask her questions first.

“Did you miss us?” Vera voices softly. Did you miss me being the unspoken question.

Katya eyed Vera gently. She reached out a carefully manicured hand to cup her chin. “Every day.”

The questions flowed easily from there. Vera was ecstatic to meet the woman she had longed to be close to her entire life. The only hitch was when Vera voiced her last question.

“What should we call you? We already have a mom…” Vera trails off as she glances at Nan.

Nan’s face was calm. There was no indication on her face that she even heard the question. Still, Vera felt nervous…she did not want to hurt her mom’s feelings.

“You may call me Katya for now.” She replied. “We can talk more about this later…I know you have a mother that you already love.”

Vera felt a twinge of guilt. It was true. Vera adored Nan.

But Vera did not want to hurt Katya’s feeling either…

Patti had no such qualms. “I do already have a mom.” She said with a defiant lift of her chin.

Lionel’s eyebrows turned downwards. “Patti, watch your tone. That wasn’t very nice.”

Katya held up a hand. “It’s okay Lionel. She did not say anything wrong.”

Nan stood. “I think that’s enough for now.”

Katya nodded. “Of course.”

Vera’s heart sank. “You’re leaving already?” She blurted out.

“Only for now. I’m sure we can meet again soon. Right, Nan?”

Vera turned pleading eyes towards her mom. “Oh, can we mom?” She asked.

Nan’s face was impassive. “Yes, we’ll schedule something.”

Katya entered their lives more and more. Their supervised meetings soon turned into family outings. In time, Katya was allowed to take the girls out privately so she could ‘bond’ with them.

Her meetings became morphed into shopping sprees, trips to fancy salons, and all the places that little girls love going, like Princess Palace.

It was all too easy for Katya.

She engaged in meaningless conversations that she feigned interest in. This allowed her to maneuver the topics. Soon Vera and Patti unwittingly began to reveal details of Nan’s and Lionel’s relationship.

‘Now it’s getting fun,’ Katya thought deviously. ‘Time to sow some more chaos.’

It was not difficult to finds different ways to interject herself into their relationship.

One way was with the girls. One day, Nan and Lionel were in a disagreement about how to discipline the girls. So Katya decided to helpfully give a solution…one that favored Lionel.

If that upset Lupa...that was the point.

Another time, Lupa was after work. Lionel was unavailable to pick her up that night. So Katya offered the use of her driver.

“To pay Nan back for all her help.” Katya had told them.

If Nan was delayed…more often than not…well, how was Katya to predict the traffic. It was only natural for Katya to pick up Nan’s slack for being so late. The girls deserve to spend some time with their true mother…and shouldn’t a wife be by her husband’s side?

Slowly pushing Nan out of the family was easier than Katya thought.

Was this the woman who had outsmarted so many of her allies? Katya began to think that it might be time to drop some of those useless idiots. They couldn’t be very worthwhile if they could not think of a clever enough plan to be rid of her…

It only took Katya three months for her plot to unfold.

Nan feels like she is going insane. She was beginning to feel like a spare part. Like her place was being taken from her.

‘Am I losing Lionel?’ She considers desperately.

Does he still love her? The idea of not being with him ached. Can their relationship even be if his wife is actually alive…Nan was not so sure now.

Nan wishes Katya would give her a reason to hate her. Unfortunately, Katya had never wavered in her kindness towards Nan. Nor did she ever exclude Nan from the family.

It did not stop Nan’s gut sensing that something was incredibly off…