Chapter 661 Tending Love Like a Garden
Taylor had once loved Samuel. But that love was gone.
The black Bentley cut through the night, slicing past pools of amber light as it rolled away from the curb. To Taylor, those few seconds felt like walking through the entirety of their seven-year marriage — the highs, the lows, the sweetness, the bitterness. All of it.
She had seen Samuel running after the car. But what would happen if she stopped? Exchange a few polite words? Pretend they could salvage something?
No. This uneasy truce they had now was the best they could hope for. At least they were not sworn enemies. Whether Samuel suffered or not was no longer her concern. He had made his choices.
Still, there was a heaviness in her chest that lingered all the way back to her apartment. She went upstairs, turned on the hall light, and slipped off her coat. As she reached to hang it, her phone buzzed. A message from Julian.
Julian: [My mother made pizza. I brought you a few slices — just heat them up. There's fresh milk in the fridge. Warm it before bed.]
Taylor read the messages more than once, and the tension in her brow slowly eased. Love, she thought, was like tending a garden. With someone as thoughtful as Julian, it was easy to let the weeds of the past fade away.
She warmed the pizza and milk, put on a record, and sat alone at the dining table. A vase of flowers stood at the center — a gift from Julian earlier that evening. He always brought them. Over time, she had grown used to their scent. Every now and then, she'd find roses on her pillow — a quiet surprise.
After a shower, she answered Julian's call, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, towel-drying her hair as his low, intimate voice filled her ear. Lovers in their prime always had more to say than the night could hold.
Julian knew when to press and when to pull back. That was part of his charm. Taylor, in turn, gave back enough to make him feel wanted. In every way — body and mind — they fit.
As the night deepened, longing crept in. Just as Taylor was saying goodnight, Julian stopped her.
"Taylor."
"What is it?" she asked.
He smiled through the line. "Let's go skiing for New Year's. My parents will be staying in Evergreen City, so we can take Luna to Emerald Harbor. Just the three of us."
Taylor loved skiing. She hesitated only to check her schedule. "I can spare two days," she said.
"Two days is plenty," Julian replied without missing a beat.
He had an important international video conference the next afternoon, so they agreed Taylor would pick up Luna from school and wait for him at the villa. Emerald Harbor was close enough for a drive, which suited them both.
When they finally said goodnight, the warmth between them lingered.
Julian set his phone down, still smiling. The sweetness of this relationship was undeniable. Even at that hour, he went downstairs to instruct the staff to prepare for the trip.
Hearing the plan, the housekeeper's mood lifted. "Ms. Montague works so hard. She deserves a break — and it will be good for the three of you to spend time together. Luna hasn't had a proper holiday in ages. She'll be thrilled."
Julian gave a small, pleased smile.
The housekeeper continued packing when Julian's phone rang. He thought it might be Taylor, but the name on the screen made his expression cool. Cressida.
He stared at the phone for a few seconds, then ended the call and blocked her.
The housekeeper noticed but said nothing.
Across town, Cressida stared at her phone in disbelief. Blocked. The insult hit like a slap. Rage trembled through her. How could he treat Taylor so differently? She was Luna's real mother. She would make him regret this. She would make Taylor regret it too.
In the mirror of her luxury hotel suite, her face was a map of bruises, her eyes burning with defiance.
At dawn, she appeared outside Julian's villa. Sunglasses hid the damage, and her designer coat kept her looking composed. She told the gate guard she wanted to see Julian. After a long look, he called inside.
But it wasn't Julian who came out — it was the housekeeper from the night before. The one who had worked for the Learmond family for years, who had watched both Julian and Efrain grow up. She had always felt sorry for Efrain, and she had no patience for Cressida.
She spat at Cressida's feet. "Shameless. I've never seen anything like it — a widow chasing her late husband's brother, trying to take his wife's place. You think Mr. Learmond can't find a wife, so he has to settle for a spiteful woman like you?"
She stepped closer. "Let me tell you something. Mr. Learmond and Ms. Montague are getting married after the New Year. They're happy. They're going skiing for the holiday — with Luna. A family of three. And you? You're just making a fool of yourself."
She spat again and walked away.
Cressida stood frozen. She could not believe what she had just heard. Worse, she could not believe she had been treated this way — by a servant. It had to be Taylor's doing, she thought. Taylor wanted to take her place as the lady of the Learmond family.
No. She would not allow it.
She would take Julian back. She would take Luna back. No matter what it cost.
The snow crunched under her boots as she clenched her jaw, teeth grinding with fury.
She had never been humiliated like this in her life.
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