Chapter 2

The events after rushing out of the hotel room went by in a blur.

Lily wasn't quite sure how she had managed to make it back home, only when the colder than usual night air hit her skin, did her mind clear up a bit.

Her heels clacked noisily against the pavement as she stumbled into the quiet sanctuary of the house. The moment she stepped through the door, her legs gave way beneath her and she collapsed on the floor, definitely bruising her knee.

But the pain didn't register. Her mind was too occupied with the betrayal and the harsh reality of the night, to register the stinging sensation of a scraped knee.

This was supposed to be the happiest night of her life, she thought. It was meant to be the turning point, yet, her life felt like it had been shattered into a thousand jagged pieces by the discovery she made today.

She felt her chest tighten, as though invisible hands had reached in and squeezed at her heart without mercy. It throbbed unevenly—wild, desperate—like it was searching for something it had already lost, or better yet, trying to deny the truth she had seen.

Her husband was cheating on her... and not only that, but with her own best friend!

How could they? How could they both betray her like this?

She had trusted them, loved them with her heart, and they had repaid her with betrayal.

A choked sob slipped past her trembling lips. She wanted to scream. To curse. To rage. To throw and destroy things. But, she couldn't.

Instead, her body began to tremble, her breath caught in her lungs. She struggled to breathe, feeling a wave of panic crashing over her, threatening to pull her under.

It felt like a nightmare. A nightmare that she never saw coming. But she should have. She should have seen this from a mile away with all the signs flashing in front of her.

The reason William had stopped touching her. The reason he had stopped coming home as of late. The reason Isabella had always seemed to have new designer bags, new jewelry—gifts Lily had chalked up to her best friend’s mysterious “side hustles.”

Had Isabella been laughing at her all this time? Was she the subject of their jokes, the butt of their private jokes?

At the bitter reality which had been staring her right in the face, Lily clenched her hands tightly, feeling her nails dig into her palms.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen, startling her. She placed her hands protectively on her belly, her heart pounding against her ribs as she waited to see if she'd feel the pain again.

"You're okay," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"It's going to be alright, baby," she repeated, more for herself than the baby, before taking a deep, shaky breath and forcing herself to calm down.

Her mind raced as she tried to think back, how long had it been? How long had she been living a lie?

How long had William been cheating on her? How long had he been making a fool of her?

Had the last six years of her life been a joke to him?

A bitter laugh bubbled in her throat, and tears rolled down her cheeks as the realization sunk in.

Of course, it had been. How could it not?

After all, William had made it perfectly clear, hadn't he?

She was nothing more than a name on a piece of paper, a bore, an unrefined woman, and the only reason he had married her was because of the wish his grandmother made.

Lily felt her heart break and a painful lump formed in her throat.

All this time, she had been trying to live up to his standards. Trying to become the perfect wife he deserved.

All this time, she had put his wants before hers. But, all her efforts, everything, had been for nothing.

Because the truth was, no matter how hard she had tried, no matter how much she had given him, she was not the one William loved. She was not the one he desired.

She was not the one who would make him happy.

That was yet another reality that made her chok back a sob, feeling her heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

But, as the pain spread through her body, she realized something. She was done being the fool.

Done being the one who always sacrificed herself for the sake of others. Done being the one who was constantly hurt and betrayed.

Because, enough was enough.

If William didn't want her, didn't love her, didn't respect her, then, he didn't deserve her either.

With a new resolve burning inside her, Lily wiped her tears and got up from the floor.

She was done crying. Done feeling sorry for herself.

If not for her own sake, then for the sake of her unborn child.

She couldn't allow anything to happen to such an innocent child, she thought, deciding for now, she should rest, and she would confront William when he got back.

With that thought in mind, she headed towards the living room. Her steps were sluggish as she moved. In front, the couch seemed like heaven, the cushions inviting her into a world where her heart didn’t hurt quite so badly.

She collapsed onto it, curling up, trying to block out the world. Her hand returned to her stomach, protective and gentle.

She couldn’t let the pain consume her.

She had to survive this—for the child. The one good thing to come out of all the pain.

She didn’t know when her eyes drifted closed. But sometime later, the darkness was interrupted.

A warm sensation grazed the side of her neck.

Lily shifted slightly. Half asleep, she tried to brush off the disturbance, until she felt it again.

A pair of lips, soft and familiar brushed her collarbone, followed by wondering, yet equally familiar, long fingers.

Immediately, the sleep disappeared and her mind jolted awake. Her eyes flew open just as quickly and her breath hitched when her eyes landed on the person in front of her.

Hovering above her with his hand sliding along her waist and his lips kissing her skin in a hungry manner, was none other than William, her husband!

In a flash, the scene she had witnessed at the hotel replayed in her mind and disgust rose fast.

“W-what are you doing?”

Pressing her hand against his chest, she tried to push him away. But in an instance, her wrists were seized and her hands pinned above her.

Her wide eyes met William’s dark and cold ones, his expression unreadable. And then,

without a word or warning, he leaned in, closing the space between them and capturing her lips with his.