The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel Chapter 161

The Bookstore.

“You know, we should have that checked,” Nathaniel said, pointing to her head.

Serena chuckled. “Everybody gets headaches. We’ve just been stressed lately—over the Holts and… had too much sex.”

She saw the look in Nathaniel’s eyes. He clearly wasn’t pleased with how casually she said it.

“Anyway, where are we going?” she asked.

It was five in the afternoon.

She had two hours of rest after lunch. Her headache was gone, and Nathaniel had made plans for them to go out.

“It’s a surprise,” he said, putting his hand on the small of her back. “Come on. We can call the kids on the way.”

They met with the security team at the hotel lobby and hopped into Nathaniel’s car. On the road, he called the twins using his phone.

“Mommy, I miss you,” Sebastian said. “When will you be back?”

“Hey, baby.” Serena smiled. “In a few days.”

“Do I already have a baby brother?” Sebastian eagerly asked.

“Ah.” Serena cleared her throat. “No, baby. It’s not that easy.”

“Why not?” Sebastian asked, genuinely puzzled.

Alisa appeared on the screen, listening to her brother’s reasoning.

“Well,” Serena said carefully, already regretting this call, “babies don’t just happen because people are together.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

Then Sebastian said, very reasonably, “But you were together before. That’s how we happened.”

From the corner of her eye, Serena saw Nathaniel press his lips together. He offered no help whatsoever.

Serena closed her eyes. “That was… different.”

“How?” Sebastian asked.

“Because,” Serena said, choosing her words like stepping on landmines, “your daddy and I need to—”

“Talk?” Sebastian supplied helpfully.

“Kiss?” Sebastian added.

“Pray?” Alisa asked this time.

Serena cut in quickly. “No. Not exactly.”

“Oh,” Sebastian said, disappointed. “Then you’re doing it wrong. But it’s okay. You can try again tomorrow.”

Alisa nodded profusely. “Please, Daddy. I want a sister.”

“Nathan,” Serena tried to pass the ball to him, “why don’t you tell your children what trying means?”

There was a very long silence before Nathaniel cleared his throat. “…I’ll explain when you’re older.”

“Okay,” Sebastian agreed easily. “So tomorrow, then? I’m a day older.”

“That depends,” Nathaniel said. “Your mom decides when babies are allowed to happen.”

The kids turned to her, begging.

They were at Serena’s favorite bookstore in Velmon. She used to buy a book or two from this very place every month. Whether it was about information technology, science, or novels, she made sure to take home two or three books each time.

But it wasn’t just her. Nathaniel was also a wide reader, and whenever they came here together, he’d grab a book or two as well.

“I booked the entire bookstore so we can have the place to ourselves,” Nathaniel said with a smile. “You can choose any book you like, and you can read some of them here. We can stay until midnight.”

She used to do that too—just linger in the bookstore and read with coffee. The bookstore was also a café, with lounges for customers to settle into.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Thorne, Miss Vander,” the store manager greeted, guiding them to the rows of bookshelves.

They wandered through the shelves together, searching for books they wanted to buy.

“Oh, God. I lost my copy of this book,” Serena said, grabbing a novel.

When she turned into the next aisle, her eyes gleamed. “These are the latest textbooks on artificial intelligence. I need this.”

She looked at Nathaniel. “We’re working on AI-powered massage chairs. This could actually help.”

“What about you? What did you get?” Serena asked.

Nathaniel raised a newly released research book about brain tumors. “The author is a neurosurgeon I’ve been trying to recruit for the institute. The best way to convince him is to understand his passion.”

“Good thinking,” Serena agreed.

Then Nathaniel walked past two aisles and found another book. He showed it to Serena. “Plus, this. Gotta walk the talk.”

The book title was: How to Be an Effective Secret Lover.

Serena laughed her heart out. She was so amused her eyes watered. “Seriously, you need a guide for that?”

“I like to be thorough,” Nathaniel seriously said. “This… is uncharted territory.”