CHAPTER 008

Chapter 008: Lilith’s Dangerous Game and a Shocking Revelation!

Dinner had been unbearable. Rowan had barely spoken to me, his eyes darting between his phone and Lilith’s too loud laughter from the other side of the table. I stood at the sink, scrubbing plates that weren’t even mine, as my mind turned over with frustration. The maid installed a water tank on the flat roof and positioned a ladder inside the house to access the water. She then pumped it into a bucket, which she dragged into the house every morning and night for me to wash with, if I remembered to ask for it.

I turned off the faucet and stacked the last plate on the drying rack, but I didn’t go upstairs. Voices. The voices in Rowan's study were low and sharp. I froze, straining to listen. It was Rowan and Lilith.

Lilith hissed, slowly through the thick wooden door, ‘You’re losing your grip.’ “She’s starting to notice things,” he said.

Rowan’s voice was tense. “She doesn’t know anything.” “It wouldn’t matter even if she did.”

My breath hitched. Were they talking about me? I crept closer, silently on the cool tile. The voices grew clearer.

Lilith chortled. ‘She’s not as stupid as you think’. It’s you who’s slipping. You let her stay first, and now you’re giving her hope.”

Rowan shot back, “I haven’t given her anything.” “It’s easier for everyone, so she stays.”

Lilith snapped, “For you, maybe.” “But when she finds out the truth, what then?”

It was a thick, heavy pause. I pressed myself against the wall and pressed myself to hear more, my heart racing.

Finally, Rowan said, his voice dangerously low. “She will not find out.” “Because you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

A sharp, bitter laugh came from Lilith. “Don’t forget, Rowan. I know things, things you wouldn’t want her to know.”

Rowan growled, his voice growing with each word. ‘Enough,’ he said. “Stop pushing me if you don’t want me to push you.”

“Or what?” Lilith interrupted. "Will you choose her over me?" "That's never going to happen," we both know.

Curiosity overcame my fear, and I leaned in. I turned, adjusting my weight, unaware that the floorboard beneath my ass was creaking. The study went silent. Footsteps approached the door, and my stomach dropped. I rushed back to the sink, grabbed a towel, and pretended to dry my hands.

Lilith stepped out first, the study door opening. Her eyes caught me instantly, keen and calculating. Her face spread with a slow, cruel smile.

Sarah asked lightly, venomously, “Eavesdropping, Sarah?”

I laughed nervously, shaking my head. “I was just finishing up here,” he said.

“Hmm.” Her heels clicked softly against the tile now; she took a step closer. You’ve always been so curious. “You know, it’s a dangerous habit.”

She turned, and Rowan appeared behind her, his expression unreadable. He looked at me for a moment before turning to Lilith. “Go to bed,” he said curtly.

Lilith pouted but didn’t argue. Her shoulder touched mine as she brushed past me. She said goodnight to Sarah sweetly, even if her tone could not have been more hostile.

My throat was too tight to form words, so I didn’t respond. His gaze heavy on me, Rowan lingered for a moment longer. And then, without a word, he went upstairs with Lilith, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

The silence was deafening. I held onto the towel as if it were the only thing keeping me from falling over. Lilith’s parting words played over and over in my mind: *“It’s a dangerous habit.”* What did she mean? What was she threatening Rowan with?

I turned off the kitchen light and climbed the stairs, each step heavier than the last. I closed the door softly behind me and sank onto the edge of the bed. I tried to put together the pieces of their conversation in my mind. What truth was Lilith referring to? And why did Rowan need to keep it so secret?

A soft knock on the door startled me. I frozen, my heart pounding. “Who is it?” My voice trembling, I called out.

Lilith stepped inside from the door, which creaked open. Her smirk was firmly in place as she leaned casually against the doorframe. “We need to talk,” she said.

I stood quickly and folded my arms, replying, “I have nothing to say to you.”

A low, mocking sound, Lilith laughed. “Oh, Sarah. You seem to be constantly on the defensive. “Don’t you think you’ve got it all figured out?”

My jaw clenched, and I stayed silent.

Her gaze pierced; she stepped closer. You think Rowan is the villain in your story. It’s not that he’s just some cold, unfeeling monster. But I’ll tell you something; there’s more to him than you know.”

“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I’m not interested in whatever games you’re playing.”

Her smirk widened. “Oh, but you should be. These ‘games’ are about you, Sarah. “They’ve always been about you.”

I refused to let her see my fear; my stomach turned. “It’s not working if you’re trying to scare me.”

She tilted her head and she echoed, ‘scare you?’ “No, Sarah. I'm being honest with you. You didn’t marry Rowan out of love or duty. He married you because he wanted you. Trust me, it wasn’t for your charming personality.”

I curled my hands into fists at my sides. “What are you talking about?”

Slowly Lilith circled me as if she would toy with her prey. “Rowan has secrets. Big ones. And you? ‘You’re the key to keeping them hidden.’”

I stepped back, shaking my head. “You’re lying.”

Her eyes gleamed, and she whispered, “Am I?” “Think about it, Sarah. Evaluate the actions he has taken. Observe how he handles you and how he gazes at you. ‘Does that feel like love to you?’”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Her words were getting into my head, seeding thoughts I couldn’t dispel.

“Like I said, you get no idea what you’re a part of,” Lilith said. “But you will. You’ll figure it out sooner or later. And when you do...” Her smile turned wicked, and she trailed off. “I hope you’re strong enough to handle it,” he said.

With only a handful of Starfighters remaining, she leaned in close and whispered. You have no idea what he’s done for you. Or to you.”

She straightened and walked to the door before I could respond. She said over her shoulder, her tone almost cheerful, “Goodnight, Sarah.” “Sweet dreams.”

After she shut the door behind her, I was alone with the storm in my head. I sat down on the bed, my body shaking. Her words repeated through my head, eerily like a song in the chanting wounded.

What was Rowan hiding? What had I done for him—or to him? Why did Lilith seem so sure that I would never discover?

My thoughts spiraled, and I stared at the ceiling. Every time Rowan would interact with him... Every time she threw in a cruel word or cold glance, she looked at him with... It all had a new meaning. Was it all part of some bigger plan? Was I unknowingly participating in a game?

Darkness pressed in around me; the night stretched on. I couldn’t sleep; I couldn’t shut out the questions that were screaming in my mind. Lilith also made the decision to part with some parting words, ones that were taunting and challenging, and ones that I couldn't ignore.

What was the truth? How much longer could I live without knowing it?