Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

Lily's heart pounded as waves of pain washed over her.

Suppressing the growing unease, she climbed a few steps and stopped at the entrance. She looked at the digital lock she had personally chosen and raised her hand to enter the code. "Incorrect password." The mechanical voice shattered the last thread of hope within

her.

The password had been changed.

Nadia was puzzled; she couldn't comprehend Lily's actions.

"Ring the doorbell. Why are you entering a password? What? Do you think this is your house?"

Nadia motioned her aside, pressing the doorbell instead.

The double wooden doors opened, and Sarah poked her head out, then pulled the door open when she saw them.

"Ms. Lynde," Nadia greeted respectfully, unaware of Sarah's boyfriend's identity.

From the rumors online and the opulent neighborhood, Nadia assumed the reports were accurate.

Her tone toward Sarah was more reverent now. Though respected in the design world, she was just a designer. Sarah was the vice president of Nova Group, with Xavier at her side and a future as a wealthy wife.

She had nothing to do with wealth and luxury at all. Thinking this, she glanced at Lily standing stiffly beside her.

"Lily, greet Ms. Lynde," she whispered urgently.

It was as though the doorway marked a division between worlds.

Seeing Sarah dressed casually and relaxed inside the villa filled Lily with overwhelming emotions. Those emotions swelled until she could barely breathe.

"We know each other; no need for formalities," Sarah replied lightly, ushering them inside. "My boyfriend has mysophobia; I'd appreciate it if you wore shoe covers."

Nadia moved ahead, slipping on the shoe covers and scanning around.

"Ms. Lynde, this artwork in your foyer is stunning-is that a pair of rings? I feel like I've seen those rings somewhere. Aren't they limited edition?"

The sketch in the foyer was a drawing by Lily, featuring her and Xavier's wedding rings.

It was not a common limited-edition piece from a magazine; it was a unique design she'd chosen from an obscure brand. It looked familiar to Nadia because Lily still wore the woman's ring on her left hand. Though she'd been planning the divorce for some time, she'd forgotten to take it off.

Xavier, on the other hand, had never worn his.

At that moment, the ring felt like burning metal in her hand. Lily instinctively pulled her hand into her sleeve. She felt like a joke.

"No, it's not." Sarah glanced at Lily, her voice half-amused. "I don't know where my boyfriend got it, but I don't like it and plan to throw it out."

Nadia looked surprised. "That painting must be worth a lot! Will your boyfriend be okay with you just tossing it?"

She didn't understand art but assumed it was valuable since wealthy people didn't typically buy cheap things.

Shrugging, Sarah replied, "Since I'll be living here, anything I don't like will be removed. And if he doesn't clear it out, I'll handle it myself-he won't object."noveldrama

Her words, thick with double meaning, made Lily grip her bag strap tighter. She bent down to adjust her shoe covers.

Taking advantage of the moment, Sarah whispered to Nadia, "My boyfriend's here too, but he has a certain status. Please don't mention our relationship-just pretend you don't know." "Got it!" Nadia agreed, miming zipping her lips. Lily adjusted her shoe covers and entered the villa behind them.

As they passed through the foyer, the familiar colors and patterns of the interior hit her hard. With each glance, her chest tightened, and her eyes stung.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the man lounging in the living room, and she couldn't hold back the moisture welling in her eyes.

Xavier, sitting with legs crossed and leaning casually on the couch, looked at her with a flash of surprise in his eyes.