Chapter 9 — Spoken Bonds

Emelia's POV

What in the actual hell? What did Lily mean by that?

I was completely blindsided. Even with these doubts, I didn't think the extent of their "friendship"  ran like this. Victor had reassured me time and time again.

So had he been lying this entire time?

I could just barely hold back my tears, but I clasped my hand over my mouth so I could.

I remained hidden in the shadows as I diverted all of my attention to their conversation.

Despite not being the type to generally eavesdrop, I knew in this instance, I needed to. I needed to hear just exactly what was going on between them, even though I wasn't sure if I could take any more heartache for the night.

But it was time I found out the extent of their relationship—the truth. Even though I knew it'd hurt me.

"Don't start, Lily. I'm not the one to blame here!" I heard Victor say.

"Why are you so afraid to face the truth?" Lily almost screamed. "The truth that your marriage was a mistake, just like mine!”

"You don't get to talk about my marriage like this. It's not that simple!" Victor snapped. "Marriage may be a joke to you, but it isn't to me. Things have changed."

I wanted to see what his expression was, but I had to stay hidden.

"The only thing that's changed is that you've become a coward!" Lily hissed. "You only have Emelia fooled because you're covering up the truth!"

Victor growled, and I could feel his frustration through the wall. Yet, when I expected him to argue back, he said nothing.

"I just…" Lily began crying again. "I just wish we could go back in time to how things used to be…"

To my shock, Victor remained quiet. The silence was deafening.

My mind became dizzy after everything I've heard, but what killed me the most was how Victor didn't refute Lily's last statement.

Did he also yearn for the past? Did he wish for a time when we hadn't met? Did he actually regret marrying me?

The thoughts clawed in mind like a rabid animal. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to eavesdrop, but even then, I still didn't imagine it was going to hurt like this.

The air around me became suffocating, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was run away. I had to get out of there.

I peeled myself off the wall and rushed for the exit. My heels clicked harder against the floor in my haste, and I didn't realize how noisy I was until I heard a voice call for me.

"Emelia?" Victor called out.

I ignored him and continued down.

Still, the distance didn't prevent a certain someone's voice from grating against my ears like nails on a chalkboard.

"And you say your marriage isn't a joke?" Lily sneered. "Emelia's spying on you! Look at how she doesn't trust you—look at how controlling she is!"

Lily's comment felt like a fire ignited in my soul. Even after everything she's done to stir things up between me and Victor, she still dared to hurt me even more. 

I shoved my way past Victor and grabbed the annoying woman by her coat's collar.

"You have some nerve running your mouth about me!" I shouted.

Lily's eyes grew wide with fear. "Victor! Help me! Get her off of me!"

"Emelia!" Victor rushed towards me. "Stop, you're not thinking straight! Calm down, please!"

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" I snapped my head back at Victor and snarled. "This "friendship"—if you still want to call it that—is nothing but a cover! I'm tired of the one being wronged! I'm tired of being a damn doormat!"

"Get her off of me! She's choking me!" Lily cried, and pretended to cough as if she were losing air.

"Emelia! This isn't you!" Victor snapped.

I growled in frustration and shoved Lily towards Victor. "You know what? Fine! Protect her—choose her. You've shown me which one of us it is you actually value."

I ignored the shouting behind me as I stormed out the building. As the car roared to life, I sped away from the venue with their conversation replaying in my mind.

All the betrayal I'd suffered over the past few days sent me into a downward spiral of anguish and heartbreak. It was like a thick, dense fog clouded my mind, and no light would be bright enough to cut through it.

'Don't worry too much…'

'My little knight…'

'You're safe now, Lily…'

'My best friend—my number 1…'

'I need to take care of her…'

'I wish we could go back to how things used to be…'

Victor's and Lily's words echoed as I sped down the road. I couldn't believe that my marriage was being reduced to this—as if I was the mistress.

What did I do to deserve this? Why was this happening to me?

I couldn't help the tears that fell down my face.

I just wanted this pain to end.

HONK! HONK!

A loud honk snapped me back to reality, but it was already too late. 

A vehicle from the across street slammed into my side with a deafening crash. My car rolled over twice, and the impact jolted my senses.

I blinked but could hardly open my eyes to process what had just happened. Suddenly, my eyelids felt so heavy.

All I could hear was the sound of alarms blaring around me. My head felt like it was about to explode, too. I could smell smoke coming from the car, and there was a weight crushing down on my body that made it hard for me to move.

I painfully tried to crane my neck to the side as a small, rectangular light caught my eye. I inched slowly towards it with my hand.

Black tendrils crept at the sides of my vision as I could feel myself fading in and out of consciousness. I mustered what strength I had left to reach my now cracked phone that lay beside me.

I was able to tap the phone icon and press on the contact that I knew I called last. Then I placed it on speaker.

It picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" A familiar, grating female voice chimed.

Lily.

Even though my throat was on fire, I managed to say one word. "H-help…"

"Who is that?" My savior's voice inquired.

Victor… Please… 

I didn't have the strength to call out anymore.

"Just some annoying telemarketer trying to scam you!" Lily lied. "Come on, we still have a night to ourselves!"

Just as the phone slipped from my hands, so did my consciousness into the black of nothingness.