1 Chapter 1

Miranda was walking, but her gaze was fixed on her phone as she texted a coworker when she collided with someone. If it hadn't been for that person, Miranda would have surely fallen down and embarrassed herself at this party.

"I am sor..." The words were caught in her throat when she saw the person with whom she crashed. How can she ever forget him? She has longed to see him for many years.

It flabbergasted Eric to see his wife after seven years in his arms. If it weren't for Lizzy, his daughter, then he wouldn't know for how long he would have kept her in his arms. It felt very familiar and too good to be true to have her so close to him.

Miranda was astounded to see her daughter so grown up after only seven years. She is now ten years old and has evolved into a beautiful girl. Her eyes had always yearned to see her precious angel.

"Dad, this party is extremely dull. When can we go home?" She asked him, completely ignoring her mother. Miranda was a stranger to her because her daughter was oblivious to her mother’s appearance and presence.

"At most, an hour or two. Why don't you hang out with other kids your age here, Lizzy?" He told his daughter politely because he wanted to protect her from her own mother. Eric had lost trust in Marissa after she had abandoned them.

"They are snobbish." She scowled and crossed her arms.

"Sweetheart..." He said. But Nancy, his secretary, cut him off.

"Lizzy, there you are. Briana, your friend, has been looking for you for a long time... Oh, Miranda, it's good to see you after so long." Nancy was surprised to see her boss's wife after all these years. She had hoped Miranda would return soon because she had seen what Eric had gone through.

"It is good to see you too, Nancy." Miranda smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. But her surprise upon seeing Eric and Lizzy here had not subsided.

Nancy sensed the uneasiness in the air between those two, so she left them alone, taking Lizzy with her.

Miranda was looking at their daughter with a loving expression, which Eric noticed. "When you left us seven years ago, you gave up the right to look at her like that."

"You can hide the fact that I am her mother from my daughter, but you can't stop me from loving her." She told him firmly, knowing that Eric's every word was true.

"Miranda, what are you doing here?" He asks her angrily.

Before she could respond, the host of the party, Lenny, interrupted her. "There you are, Miranda. Let me introduce you to Louis, my husband." Penny smiled and greeted her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She politely replied to them.

"Same here. I see that, finally, my wife has managed to bring the owner of 'Little Star Orphanage' to this party. I can't even begin to tell you how much she has talked about you."

"I am not a big fan of going to social gatherings." With a small smile, she told them the truth. Eric standing so close to her made her feel uncomfortable.

After a few more exchanges of words, they all left, leaving her alone with Eric.

"Not a big fan of social gatherings! Nice Miranda. "You have even begun to lie now." He mocked her.

"Believe what you want, Eric. I have nothing else to say to you." She told him softly as she was herself at a loss for words.

But, once again, they were interrupted, which irritated Eric greatly. Miranda, on the other hand, was relieved because she didn’t want to talk to him. But she panicked when she saw who had intervened.

“Hello, Miranda.” Dr. Harold approached her and greeted her.

“Hello.” She responded hesitantly.

“My name is Dr. Harold Levis.” He greeted the man who was standing beside his patient.

“I am Eric Liston.” His name rang a bell in the doctors’ heads as he recognized him instantly and gave Miranda a look that she clearly understood.

“Very well. My nephew works for your company, so I have heard a lot about you.”

"I hope all is well." Eric replied to him.

“May I have this dance with you?” A blonde approached Eric and asked for a dance. To say Marisa was envious would be an understatement. Even after all this time, she still clearly loves him.

Eric agreed and went dancing with the blonde to prove some unspoken point.

"It is okay to feel this way, Miranda." Dr. Harold explained, intending to comfort her with words.

"I understand. After all, it's not his fault that he didn't know the real reason for me leaving him. It's completely justified to hate me. Plus, who knows how many girlfriends he's had or has now. I am sure I will get used to it. I am perfectly fine."

“You are rambling now.” He stated.

“I am sorry.” She lets out a sigh. “I think I am going to call it a night. I knew coming here was a bad idea.”

“However, something good came from it. You saw your daughter, didn’t you?” She responded with a bright smile. Talking about Lizzy or even thinking about her brightens her day, but her heart aches at the same time.

“Yes, I just wish I had been there in the last few years.” She sighed deeply.

“It is still not too late. Tell the truth to him.” Dr. advised her.

"No way, Doc. It's too late now. And I doubt my daughter would even accept me. As far as Eric is concerned, he despises me. He would never allow that to happen, and he will not be wrong in doing so. Anyway, good night. I don't think I can take it any longer."

“Do you want me to drop you off?” He asked her worriedly. He knew very well what Miranda had been going through.

"Don't worry. I will be fine. Thank you, though." With that, she walked away.

Eric was perplexed as to why Miranda was speaking so closely with the doctor. Both of them seemed to know each other well. Dr. Harold appeared to be quite old for her, so they being in a relationship seemed unlikely.

"Your ex?" The blonde asked him with whom he was dancing.

"Something along those lines." He told her in a hazy manner.

"Well, it's clear that you still love her, and I believe she does as well." The blonde stated.

"I believe it is too late for that." With that, he left the blonde on the dance floor alone. He was clearly not interested in continuing their conversation.

He ran into someone again while looking for his daughter.

"God, can't you see where you are going?" The unknown girl glared at him.

He was about to reply when she again spoke angrily.

"You! Eric, right? No wonder she left." The strange girl then walked away.

He rolled his eyes and looked around for Lizzy, and when he did, they both left for home.

Eric had no idea how he felt. He was relieved to see Miranda again, but he was also enraged at the same time. He was also feeling guilty because Lizzy still had no idea who her mother was. He kept these facts from her in order to protect her.

God only knows what new twists and turns his life will take.