42: Leave Now

Lilian's POV.

The atmosphere in the living room was so thick with tension that I found it difficult to breathe.

Cole stormed out of the room after seeing us, and he called out parents immediately. They were already on their way home when they got the call.

He didn't utter a word to us after that, he just packed his belongings and left the mansion, leaving us to face the aftermath of our actions.

My mother sat on the couch, her hands clasped together while her legs shook on their own. My stepfather on the other hand just kept pacing up and down, visibly restless.

Since they arrived, they'd not uttered one word, yet I'd already cried my eyes out. Regret rested on my shoulders like a heavy weight and no matter how much I sobbed, the feeling remained.

Leon and I stood beside each other, the both of us occasionally exchanging glances between each other. We knew we shouldn't have explored this, but it was too late to make amends.

My eyes darted over to my mother who now had tears rolling down her cheeks. The sight of that shattered my heart, making me cry even more. She'd never been in tears in so long, and now I'd caused her to cry.

“Mom.. I'm sorry,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

My mom didn't react, the tears just kept flowing on their own. I glanced over to my stepfather who was still pacing back and forth. What could I even say to him? Nothing.

I returned my gaze to my mother, her face now turning pale as she sobbed silently.

“Mom, I'm–I’m sorry,” I raised my voice, audible enough for everyone in the room to hear.

She darted her eyes towards me, those orbs glistening with no emotion. That sent shivers down my spine.

“You're sorry? That's strange. Were you sorry before you got caught?” She asked, her voice still sounding so calm and collected, like she wasn't hurt at all.

I parted my lips, but no words came out of my mouth. I shook my head, tears pooling at the sides of my eyes.

“Mom…I'm so sorry…I didn't–”

“Does that change anything Lilian?! Does it? Why would you do this to me?! What in the world were you thinking?!” My mother yelled, shooting up the chair.

Her chest heaved as she glared daggers at me.

My body trembled from her words, my heart palpating with fear. Despite being twenty years old, I still felt so afraid of my mother. She'd never been mad at me in so long so seeing this made my knees weak.

She stretched a hand forward, pointing an index finger at me, “I know what you did. Leon is too reserved. You must have seduced him! I'm so disappointed in you!”

Those words struck me like bullets, shattering whatever was left of my heart. I tried to hold back my tears but they wouldn't stop flowing.

Just then Leon stepped forward, “No, she didn't seduce me. We were both–”

“Shut your mouth son! Just be quiet! I expected you to be responsible enough to handle things around here. Instead, you lost control and even have the effrontery to still speak?!” Leon's father thundered, his voice reverberating through the room.

Leon's lips snapped shut, his jaws clenching as his head dropped. But I saw through the stiffness he was showing my parents. I saw the way his brows furrowed, the way he struggled to breath. He was just as hurt from this.

“Mom, I promise, I can make amends. Just give me another chance,” I implored, having no idea how I planned to change things.

At least, we could start from the part where we completely avoid each other.

My mother scoffed, her head shaking in disapproval, “You had all the chances in the world to stop this abominable affair but you didn't. How do you expect my marriage to work after this?”

My resolve grew weak as hot air burst out of my lungs. She was right. They could never have a peaceful marriage if they knew their children were in each other's bed.

I didn't realize when I dropped to my knees, my eyes reddening from the tears pouring from them.

Leon started talking again, “I know our actions were wrong. We should have never gotten involved with each other in that manner. But please, see it from our perspective…we love each other.”

Those words were supposed to find a common ground for this situation. However, the way my stepfather halted in his tracks screamed danger more than peace.

“Do you even realize how selfish that sounds? You really want us to end our marriage because of you two? Unbelievable,” My stepfather growled.

“Leon, I expected better from you. If she'd initiated this, you could have avoided it. Do you realize how this will tarnish our reputation? Forget about mine, think about your father. Why? Why did you do this?” My mother questioned, her voice cracking softly as she sobbed even more.

At this point, every sex episode we had now felt so painful to remember. I felt like going back into time to erase every single one.

Whatever relationship I shared with Leon had grown based on frequent sexual exploration. If it had just ended on that night where he fingered me, then maybe we'd not be here today.

Regret wrapped around my lungs, making me gasp for air amidst my tears. I had no idea what to say or what to do anymore. I just wanted all of this to end.

“Please mother…I'll take any punishment you have for me. Just forgive me please,” I begged, my voice cracking with desperation.

My mother's face turned icy, her hands crossing over one another, “Forgiveness? I don't know. As for your punishment, you'll be leaving the country. And you won't come back until your stepbrother is married.”

I wished my ears weren't working fine but I knew they heard the right words.

What?

I'd leave everything behind for one mistake?