A first impression is not always the last, and that was the case for Maddox regarding Lydia. Maddox still remembered the day where he first met Lydia in the skin of his step mother and he also remembered the hatred that instantly grew for her in his heart.

But that was no more the case. The hatred may not have given way to love but it has definitely subsided. It has been taken over by a feeling of compassion. Maddox was completely moved by Lydia's sufferings.

That morning after his father left a shattered Lydia crying on the floor, Maddox walked towards her. He did not know how to start a conversation with her, nor did he know how to ease her grief. But finally, they both ended up sharing their feelings and pains with each other.

"Mrs Lydia. Don't cry."

As Lydia looked up towards Maddox, the latter noticed a fresh bruise near her right eye. A bruise which was similar to one which his mother bore years ago. Back then, when he innocently asked his mum how she got hurt, she said that she bumped into the door. Maddox was, at that time, too young to understand that Miranda was lying and that his father must have hit her. But now, he was a grown up boy. Seeing Lydia's bruised face made it clear to the young guy that she has been beaten up by Evan.

Maddox helped Lydia stand up. He led her towards the dining room table and got her seated down. He brought her some water and sat on a chair beside her, ready to embark on a conversation with his stepmother.

"Mrs Lydia, please don't cry for a man like him. Stop these tears. Please handle yourself."

"Maddox, I'm... I'm really sorry dear."

"Why are you saying sorry?"

"I have wronged you and your mother. Forgive me. Today, I am only being punished for my wrong doings."

These words made Maddox realise that Lydia was indeed the woman for whom his father left his mother. He looked down, afraid that the past hatred might reflect in his eyes again.

"But... but why did you do this?"

"Maddox... I don't know if you will understand me or not. At times, I don't understand my past decision myself. But today I am happy that you asked me about the reason I did all this. I am happy that you are hearing me out."

"I asked because I feel I need to know about it. Tell me Mrs Lydia, why did you marry my father when you knew he was already married?"

"Maddox, you know, when I first got acquainted with your dad, it was a few months after the death of my parents. My parents... my mum and dad... both of them died in a car accident," Lydia broke down in tears as her words made Maddox's chest tighten.

Maddox shivered as he remembered the day Lydia visited him after Miranda's death.

"No! You don't know! You can't know how I feel! No one can understand this pain unless that person has also lost a mother."

He realised how much his words must have hurt her that day. He ignored that Lydia has also lost her mother. And she has lost both her parents in one single day.

Maddox gazed at Lydia's grieved face as she managed to continue to talk amidst her sobs.

"My parents died and they left behind a lot of property, cars, huge bank deposits, this house and also a lot of emptiness and pain. An emptiness no wealth could fill. When a neighbour of mine suggested to take Evan as driver, I immediately agreed as I did not even know how to drive at that time. Your father seemed to be such a nice person. After a year that he has been working as my driver, we got quite close to each other. He was always too kind towards me. Today, I might say that maybe he was even flirting with me. But back then, I only took it to be his kindness towards an orphan.

One night he came to my house, knocking at the door. I opened to see him in a disturbed state. That was the night he learnt that your mum was pregnant. He came to my place, crying. Saying that he did not want a child. He said he was not ready for that due to his financial position. I explained to him that a child is God's gift.

You know Maddox, in that accident where my parents died, I was severely injured. I have even undergone an operation, I was saved but the doctors said I would never become a mother. Never."

Lydia cried and Maddox could not retain his own tears as once more, he recalled his past words.

"You are not my mother! You are a stepmother! And a stepmother can never be a mother.

The word mother is not even fit for you. I'd rather call you a step-monster.

You don't even deserve to be anyone's mother."

Maddox wanted to say how sorry he felt. He wanted to voice out his feelings. He wanted to ask Lydia forgiveness for all the harsh words he threw at her. But his throat felt dry and he could not manage to say a word.

"Maddox, after I narrated that ill fate of mine to your father, I told him that he should not say he is not ready to become a father. He then told me that he is afraid that Miranda might be carrying someone else's child, not his. I was shocked and felt sorry for him. He told me that Miranda has always manipulated him to get married to her. He said that she was engaged to her cousin David, but that she broke her engagement to settle down with Evan as he was rich. And he said that the day his parents disowned him for having married Miranda against their wishes, Miranda distanced herself from him and started having an affair with her previous lover, David."

"This is not true! This is not the truth, Mrs Lydia."

"I know my dear. But at that time, I didn't. I even told Evan, if he felt that the child is not his, he should get a DNA test carried out to know who the father is. But he said that he did not want to humiliate his wife. His words made me respect him more. I thought he was a genuine person. But I was wrong.

Evan kept supporting me in my pain and I also shared his. He finally returned to his house few days later but we kept seeing each other as he was still working as my driver. We grew so close to each other, I even started feeling love for him. But I never admitted that to him because I knew... I knew he was married.

One day, Evan himself told me he loves me. Yet, he said that although I'm in his heart, he cannot desert his wife because of the kids. Once more, he gained more of my admiration," Lydia stopped to drink some water and then went on.

"Another day, while I was with him. We drove by a children's park. Upon seeing so many parents with their kids, I got emotional, remembering that I will never have a family of my own. And maybe I would not even have a life partner. That was the day your father promised to marry me. I was hesitant because he was an already married man, but he convinced me. He reminded me of how bad his wife treated him, he reminded me of all his so-called pains. Today, I can say, he played with my feelings. And he accused his innocent wife," Lydia sobbed.

"We eventually got married secretly but it did not stay a secret for long. People started talking about it and I was afraid that your mum would get a hint of it. I felt that I was betraying her. I told Evan that it was time to inform her. He did not want to. I decided to do it myself. But I came to know that your sister, Elisa, was struggling with cancer. I did not want to add up to Miranda's pain.

Then came a day I will never forget - the day I first met Miranda face to face."