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He called Lyra while he fed Marigold lunch. His line went straight to voicemail. He sighed, looking at Marigold. He'd changed her four times already and didn't even bother with pants this time.
"This is Lyra. Please leave a message."
There was a soft beep, and he swallowed. "Lyra, please give me a call back. Please."
He set his phone down and gave Marigold another scoop of food. Marigold giggled and started to blow raspberries spraying her food all over him. He jumped back, wiping at his face.
He smiled at her as she giggled. She slammed her hands onto the carrier seat’s sides, splattering the food spilled on her.
"We need to have another bath," he told her with a sigh.
In moments like this, he should feel grateful, but he wasn't. He felt like Marigold was missing out on the proper help she needed. It was clear he couldn't take care of her.
His phone rang, and he looked at it, seeing it was Lyra. He quickly picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Stop calling me," she said in an irritated voice. "I don't need you leaving me voicemails and messages all day."
"Lyra, can we please talk?"
"I'm going to message you the address where you can send my last check."
He frowned.
"And you should probably throw extra money in there for all the bedroom services that I gave you."
"Lyra, please. I just need a few minutes, so we can talk."
"I don't want to talk, Timber. I want to be treated like a human being. A person with feelings. I'm not coming back. So, stop calling me. Send me my check and leave me be."
She ended the call, and he sat there numb. He glanced at Marigold, who giggled, and he heard her pooping again.
After getting Marigold down for her afternoon nap, he called the council. He demanded a meeting. He needed to get them to side with him.
If he wanted Lyra to come back, he needed to get them to agree. He would beg if he had to. He would fucking give them whatever they wanted if he could just have Lyra.
He looked around his house, seeing the mess that it was. There was a full garbage can and milk powder on the floor. The kitchen sink was full of dishes, and the living room had three loads of laundry untouched. He needed Lyra.
He got Marigold packed up for the meeting. He had his fingers crossed it would go well.
TWENTY-TWO
LYRA
Lyra hardly slept through the night. She tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. She couldn't turn her mind off, either.
She just kept replaying her argument with Timber. She could still see the hurt look in his eyes when she told him she was quitting. It was seared into her brain.
But she knew it was for the best. She refused to be a mistress and had warned him from the very beginning. But she knew that everything hadn't been his fault.
But he was hiding her, and she couldn't handle it. While it wasn't like he had a wife, he did in a way. The council wouldn't approve of them, and he would continue to keep her hidden. That wasn't a life for her.
"Lyra, are you awake?"
Her mother called down the hallway, and she groaned. She just wanted to curl under her sheets and never come out. But she had to find a job. She had to get moving.
She changed after a long shower and headed down the stairs. She found her mother had made her breakfast, and she sighed.
