08

LILY’S POV

After the first time, I tried to cook for Derek and he yelled at my face, I stopped trying to please him. It was evident that he’s a naturally angry man and he gets angry for a living. If he’s to get paid for the number of times he got angry since I came here, he would probably own two houses on this street and not one.

It was Saturday night and just like Friday night, Derek had left the house around 6 in the evening, the only difference was his dressing, he dressed casually on Friday but today, he dressed like he had an event he would be attending.

I could finally turn the lights on as I wasn’t sensitive to these types of lights. I sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn to watch one of my favorite shows. It was a marathon night by the way. I was on the third episode when my phone started ringing. I rushed towards the dining area where the phone was and saw it was Mrs. Miller.

“Hello, Lily,” She called excitedly.

“Good evening, Mrs. Miller,” I greeted.

‘Stop being so formal with me, darling, you’re my daughter-in-law now, silly,” I blushed.

“Thank you, Mrs. Miller. I’m not used to it yet,” I confessed.

“It's okay, my love,” She said something to someone on the other and of the line. “Sorry about that, Lily. Are you at the party? Did Derek take you with him?” She asked. Party?

“What are you talking about, Mrs. Miller. I’m at home,” I informed her, not sure I understand what she was talking about.

“I’m going to kill Derek when I see him,” I laughed. “Don’t worry about it, my dear. Have you received your admission letter?”

“No,” I told her, I’d been expecting it all morning but nothing came through the mail.

“Have you checked your email as well?” She asked. My eyes went wide in the realization of my mistake. I was so stupid enough to not check the other alternative.

“I’ll check it now and get back to you, Mrs. Miller,” I told her.

Full of hope, I dropped the call and opened my email. I screamed excitedly when I saw the mail from my dream university. I didn’t bother to read the rest of the email after I saw the ‘Congratulations, Lily Miller, you have been admitted into……’ I closed the mail and gave Mrs. Miller another call but she didn’t pick up, so I sent her a happy message.

She replied immediately and told me she would see me the next day to discuss the fee and everything. My excitement died down once I realized there was the issue of the school fees, I’d applied for a scholarship but I doubted if I would be given the scholarship. I can’t continue to be a burden on the Millers. Mrs. Miller had helped me a lot and I can’t believe she would have to pay my school fees for the next four years.

Disappointment clouded my vision and I switched off the TV and lay on the sofa. A lone tear dropped from my eyes as realization hit me. I need a job, I need to find a job but at the same time, I’ve never done any job in my life, what am I supposed to do.

Should I just leave everything and go back? Would Mrs. Miller be happy with that decision? Won’t she be disappointed in me?

I was wallowing in my inner turmoil for hours, thinking about the several alternatives that I could find but still, I got none. When I thought about everything I’d gone through, I realized, that going back home was not an option, it shouldn’t even be an option.

The front door was thrown open suddenly and I was thrown out of my deep thoughts. I sat up straight on the chair to watch Derek walk in with so much anger. Whoever pisses him off had probably had it coming with his bloody hand. When he turned to face me, his eyes were bloodshot. There was a bruise underneath his eyes and he had a busted lip. I wasn’t as surprised as I thought I would be about his bruises because his anger was probably a path to his destruction.

“I fucking hate him,”

Oh, God! I whispered as I watched him throw a tumbler against the wall, breaking the cup and he proceeded to pick up the second cup which was a mug. At that point, I wrapped my hand on my body as I sat on the floor, scared of him and what he could do next. He muttered some words underneath his breath and walked to his room, closing the door behind him.

I walked over to the dining area to see the level of damage he had done and I could say, he was a monster. On the broken shards of glasses was blood, probably from his feet. I walked into the kitchen to find something to pack the shards of glasses before they would hurt another person, which was me. After I’d done that, I got an ice pack and the first aid box. I wasn’t helping because he was Derek Miller but I was helping because of his mom and because I’d been there. He probably wouldn’t feel anything right now but by morning, he would think a truckload of potatoes ran over him.

I gently knocked on his door thrice but he didn’t answer, so I entered all by myself, he would probably scream again but that wouldn’t change a thing. I walked in to find him lying on his bed, his suit and shirt on the floor. His belt was unbuckled showing the edge of his underwear. I was first mesmerized by how toned his body was until I saw the bruises underneath his rib.

Did he fight in a WWE show?

“Derek,” I whispered. He didn’t stand up or look at me. He already placed an arm on his face before I entered. I sat beside him on the bed, watching him breathe angrily.

I placed the icepack on the bruise underneath his rib and he instantly grabbed my hand, stopping me.

“Sorry,” I apologized immediately.

“Get out,” It was more like a plea rather than a command. It had come out gently despite how mad he was. Before I walked out, I got a glimpse of his face, and I didn’t want to believe that was actually what I saw. It wasn’t possible, I didn’t see a teardrop from his eyes, and it was probably an imagination.