All Chapters of Beneath the Surface : Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

Lila’s POVThere are moments in life when the walls of a house stop feeling like shelter and start feeling like a cage.I had not meant to trap myself here. At first, I told myself it was a choice, that I needed the quiet, that I did not want the gossip and that I did not owe anyone in the neighborhood an explanation. But now, weeks into it, I could admit the truth which is I was hiding.The mirror betrayed me every morning. The swell of my stomach no longer something I could disguise with oversized sweaters or the flowing dresses I once relied on. The bump had grown too obvious, shaping me into something I could neither ignore nor hide from.And with it came the stares.The last time I had stepped outside, really stepped outside Mrs. Harrington from down the block had paused mid step, her grocery bag hanging limp in her hand, her eyes flickering from my face to my belly before she forced a tight smile. She did not say a word, but she didn’t have to. The silence was louder than anythi

Lila’s POVThe morning after felt different, it was lighter and I just could not place why.I woke earlier than usual, lying still in the quiet house, staring up at the pale ceiling as the soft rays of sunlight crept through the curtains. The air was cool, the kind that carried the faintest whisper of autumn.I had been bracing myself since last night, replaying the sight of Drew crossing the yard toward my father, bracing for my father's reaction and the clatter of anger. I had gone to bed convinced that breakfast would be unbearable and that my father’s silence would sharpen into a wall of steel I could not pierce.But when I stepped into the kitchen that morning, I found something else entirely.My father was already at the table, reading the newspaper with his reading glasses slipping slightly down his nose. My mother on the other hand was at the stove, humming softly to herself, flipping eggs in the pan. It looked ordinary, deceptively so, like any other morning.“Good morning,”

Lila's POV The afternoon light spilled softly over the parking lot as we stepped out of the hospital. The wind was cooler than it had been that morning, brushing against my face in slow, tender strokes. I held my report and list of supplements the doctor said I needed to buy close, the ultrasound photo peeking from between the pages, its faint gray outlines reminding me of the tiny heartbeat we had just seen.Drew walked a few steps ahead, silent, one hand tucked in his pocket. For a while, I wasn’t sure what to say. The air between us carried an odd kind of calm, not awkward, but layered with something deeper, something I wasn’t sure I had words for.He turned to open the car door for me. “You okay?”I nodded, climbing in. “I am just tired, it’s been a long morning.”“Yeah,” he murmured, starting the engine. “A good one, though I hope”A good one indeed.I didn’t say anything, but the words lingered in my chest. It was true, in its own quiet way, it had been a good morning. Watching

Lila's POV The drive back home was quiet and peaceful. It was the kind that lingered when words felt unnecessary, when both people had said enough, yet somehow not everything. The hum of the car engine filled the air between us, soft and steady, almost soothing.I sat angled toward the window, watching the blur of the streetlights pass by. The city was obviously known for its chaos but the some parts here still had that small town calmness with slower cars, fewer faces, and air that felt less suffocating. I felt lighter even though I was in the city I dreaded so much.Drew’s voice broke the silence after a while, low and deliberate. “You are quiet.”I smiled faintly without turning. “So are you.”“Yeah,” he admitted, a small chuckle escaping him. “Guess I’m still thinking about everything we talked about.”I glanced at him. The dashboard light cast a warm glow on his face with his strong jawline, furrowed brow and eyes soft in thought. It struck me how different he looked from the ma

Lila's POV I woke up feeling lighter than I had in weeks. The air in my room felt softer somehow and the sunlight spilling through the curtains was warmer than usual. For the first time in a long time, my chest did not feel like it was being weighed down by everything that had gone wrong. Maybe it was the talk with Dad last night or maybe it was hearing him say the words I had needed to hear since everything fell apart. Either way, I didn’t want to question it too much. I just wanted to hold on to that small feeling of peace, the kind that did not demand anything from me, only asked that I breathe and keep going. I sat up slowly, resting my hand on my bump. “Good morning baby,” I whispered, my voice still hoarse from sleep. The baby kicked softly, as if answering back, and I smiled despite myself. For a few quiet minutes, I stayed like that, listening to the faint hum of the ceiling fan, the distant sound of a car driving past the house, and the steady rhythm of my own breathin