Chapter 4

Lily stood in front of the large mirrors–her eyes red, struggling to calm herself down. She tried–really hard– to erase the image burned into her mind — Ethan and Stacy, walking arm in arm. But no matter how she tried, she kept seeing them.

The bathroom was mostly empty, save for the two girls that stood taking selfies and even they soon left. From behind the closed bathroom doors, the muffled hum of the music continued. The near silence was a relief to her throbbing head, but did little to calm the storm that threatened to erupt inside her.

She glanced down at the dark stain maring the red material of her dress and sighed shakily. Turning on the tap, she grabbed a tissue from her purse and wet it. Carefully, She dabbed at the stain trying to soak up as much of the wine as possible.

“Lily…Is that you?” an airy, familiar voice spoke behind her.

Lily stiffened, her fingers freezing mid-motion. Through the mirror she caught sight of the speaker. 

Stacy Peters.

“Oh my God, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Stacy continued, stepping up to stand beside her. “We haven’t hung out in so long, I only see Ethan.” She said tilting her head slightly, as if posing for a picture. “I always sent my regards though. He mentioned you don’t like going out much.”

Lily kept her face neutral, ignoring the way her heart twisted. Of course, even when he went on business trips, Stacy was with him, she never went anywhere with Ethan. The way the press reported on their sighting of Ethan and Stacy, they must have forgotten he was married.

 “I just felt like going out.” Lily said keeping her voice even. She wasn’t going to let Stacy get to her.

“Oh, that’s nice you should go out more,” Stacy said with a too sweet smile. “Ethan always feels like he’s being a bother every time he asks me to go to events with him. Most require a plus one–you know how it is.”

Lily’s hand tightened around the tissue, her nails digging into her palm. She didn’t know how she kept her voice steady. “You have both been friends for a long time, it is only natural he asks you for help.”

Stacy hummed, applying more lipstick to her already red lips. “Yes, very good friends. How is business going?  I heard you run a… flower shop now.” She paused, turning to face Lily. The  condescending tone she used gratted Lily’s nerves  “It’s a slow-paced field compared to designing, but it suits you. You already work really hard maintaining the house for Ethan– in his absence.”

The words hit their mark, sharp and intentional. The knives disguised as praise and compliments. Lily’s breath caught and she couldn’t speak. Stacy’s eyes met hers through their reflections in the mirror, full of triumph and pity.

“Anyway,” Stacy said lightly, fluffing her wavy hair. “I should get back. You know how Ethan is–would you like to go together, so you could say hello.”

“I will see him tonight–when he comes home,” Lily forced out, fighting the tears welling in her eyes. Even she didn’t belive the words she said, Ethan hardly came home these days.

Stacy stared at Lily, her lips curled mockenly. “Of course, well it was nice seeing you, Lily. You look…different.”

Lily didn’t turn as Stacy walked out without waiting for a response, the click of her heels echoed off the bathroom tiles. Stacy had won this round. When the door shut Lily leaned against the counter, Frustration. Anger. Her vision was blurred with tears.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

She dabbed at her dress in silence and moved to the hand dryer to remove the moisture. The warm air against her skin seemed to clear her head.

Since he was having fun, so could she.

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When she stepped out of the bathroom, she didn’t go back to their booth. She headed for the bar.

“Lily, I was wondering where you went,” Chloe asked worriedly as she took in Lily’s pale face. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing” Lily lied, not wanting to worry Chloe. She knew if she mentiond what happened in the bathroom, Chole was goingn to walk up to the private room Ethan and Stacy were in and all hell would break loose. “I just… thought since I already came out, I might as well have fun.”

Chloe’s face lit up. “My dear, you’re finally seeing the light,” She turned towards the bar. “Cole, make something special for my bestfriend.”

Cole–the bartender went to mixing and served her a red drink this time. Red and bold like her dress. She took a sip as the cold liquid swarm down her troth–it was sweet, she felt warmth follow. 

With every sip, the bitterness she felt disappeared. 

Gone were thoughts of Ethan and their shell of a marriage–at least for a moment she could breath. 

Lily took drink after drink, getting lost in the music, She and Chloe moved to the dancefloor moving to the beat and soon became the centre of attention. 

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Ethan stepped out of the private room, his phone pressed to his ear sa he listened to the other person on the phone.

“Did she say where she was going?”

He didn’t hear the reply on the other end, everything grow still when his eyes landed on the dance floor.

Under the flashing light of the club the two women stood out among the crowd, one in red and one in black.

His entire body tensed.

Lily.

The dress she wore clung to her skin in ways he couldn’t ignore, smooth skin flashing trough the slit with every move. His eyes were like a moth drawn to her light. She was sparkling–glowing in a way he hadn’t seen her in a long time–the way she dance free and uninhibited–her smile wide in a way she didn’t smile at him at least not any more.

From the corner of his eyes he saw a man stepping closer behind her, his hands inching to her waist.

Jealousy coursed through him as his rage began to bubble up.

He ended the call without another word, and striding through the crowd with purpose.

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Lily was still caught up in the trill of alcohol and the music, unawear of what was about to happen. Chloe turned to Lily as the music change and caught sight of Ethan.

Shocked Chloe gasped. “Em.. Lily?”

“This is so much fun,” Lily replied not hearing what Chloe had said.

Chloe stepped closer to speak in Lily’s ear. “Ethan is here and walking towards us?”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

Before Chloe could repeat herself Ethan had already arrived behind Lily. He pushed off the man trying to dance with her and his hands closed around her wrist.

“Hey–” Lily started, ready to give the stranger a peace of her mind, she turned and saw Ethan. 

The moment their eyes met, she immediately sobered up.