"Oh...is that so ?" Zared raised his eyebrows while continuing to smile. Gabriel nodded and took his leave. Riley's brows were knitted together as Zared turned to her. "I had to tell you were my frien-""I understand" she said with her lips pressed together with a slight smile. Both of them had their dinner and soon settled on the couch with blankets and N*****x on. Zared showed Riley to his room and asked her to be there for a few minutes while he settled and decorated the living room with fairy lights and candles laying down the snacks he brought earlier. He turned off the lights and brought Riley downstairs. Lily watched from upstairs, her hands resting on the grill, she watched them sit on the couch, smile at each other and hug each other as they watched the TV. She sighed and went back to her room. 'As long as he is happy' she thought and pressee her lips. Lily was the strongest when it came to hold on to hope and be happy in other's happiness. All she wanted was his love and
Lily came downstairs at the same time Zared was on his way to his room. The staircase was located at the other end of the hallway and Zared's eyes caught her. Zared stopped and stared at her from the distance as Lily avoided making any eye contact. She looked down and proceeded to walk towards another staircase leading to the living room when Zared's words made her stop. "What we're you doing upstairs?"Lily turned and made sure not to look in his eyes. "Nothing""Talking to your lover on the cell phone huh?" he said in an annoyed tone. "My cell phone is not with me""What were you doing then? looking at him? what? is he outside the house? ""I don't have a lover""As if" he scoffed and turned around but then turned to face Lily again. "You didn't even make dinner" he raised his brows. "Not yet" "Look at me when I'm talking to you" he said forwarding his steps. He leaned near her face so that only a few inches were left between them. Lily lifted her eyes to look into his but f
Lily shook her head again."You expect me to believe you?" he chuckled "I wasn't allowed to date anyone, because of dad"Zared nodded slowly in realisation. "No one wanted to date me either" "I understand that part" he said making Lily look down. "Remember what I said, I won't repeat it again" Lily didn't respond as Zared turned and left for upstairs. Both of them made their way to their rooms and lied on their beds. Zared was staring at the ceiling while lying. He recalled what he felt earlier, with Lily. He didn't know what it was but he knew it was wrong, wrong to feel that way because he already had a girlfriend. He thought about Riley, he always felt at ease with Riley, he felt joy and he was calm and happy, but with Lily? Not the same thing. There was something different, he felt the chaos that surrounded him when he was close to her. She made him feel butterflies. His heart beats fastened and his chest heaved, his emotions would be at peak and he would over react. He lik
The day passed by as a rough one for him as well as his employees. He was in extreme rage, rage which he had no control over. Lily was on the terrace, sitting on the swing and swinging while looking up at the sky, playing with strings falling from the neck of her frock. Zared's actions and his face from so close up and his eyes, oh his eyes, specially his eyes, never left her mind. She was still lost in those thoughts, she was now starting to interpret things, things she wasn't sure if but some where wanted to be. She liked it when Zared got mad about her talking about getting a boyfriend, she thought it was wrong though, wrong because he had a girlfriend, he was breaking her heart if he had any feelings towards Lily and Lily felt bad for Riley as well as herself. It was Zared's birthday tomorrow. She got to know when she first fell in love with him and googled him. She saw his birth date, July 23rd and remembered it ever since, she wanted to make it special , she wanted something b
Zared turned and left for Riley's house as Lily was running to her room crying. She fell down midway but got up and started running again. She slammed the door and fell down crying and screaming, she was being mentally tortured, she couldn't take it anymore, it was too much for her. It's not that she didn't like being close to Zared, but it's that he humiliated her every time and never respected her. It was like he stabbed her heart every time, she screamed calling to God and sceeamed while crying. She was too tired, too tired now, she wanted to be happy, to be at ease, she didn't want Zared to treat her like this or anyone to treat her like this, she was just 18, just 18 and too young to be married? too young to understand stuff? too young to know certain things? too young to be mature? but was she not too young to be tortured? not too young to be physically abused? not too young to be called a wh*re? Lily knew no one could answer the questions arising in her mind because no one t
"I'm sorry, love. I'll need to leave early. ""But why? " she looked sad. "Mom wants me to go home before it's 12 o'clock" he said with a sense of apology. "Can't you just say you're home? " she said pleading him. "I would've, but she wants me to face time her with Lily on reaching home. ""Just stay, maybe she won't even remember? ""She remembers everything, she's mad that I was making excuses and she hung up on me, look this is was she texted me." he showed her the text he got from Clarissa. Riley sadly pouted then nodded. "You can leave after a while, she wants you there before 12 right? ""Yeah, right, but that's what she says when she wants me to reach there at 11 and then she can say that it's too late and I should've left when she got mad. I can't let her be upset for long, she's the most important person for me. ""Fine, there is nothing you can do anyways. " she said looking down at her hands and Zared smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, love. I would've stay
But it was too late, he was already in, she stopped in front of him as he frowned. "What? " he was confused as to why she came running and then stopped right in front of him. She shook her head and Zared came forward. "My mom asked me to come home early and face time her with you. "Lily's mouth formed an O as she realised why Clarissa was saying he'd be home soon. She was happy anyways and smiled widely. "I was enjoying my time happily until again, you had to mess it all up, don't you get tired of messing everything up for me? Why can't you just get your own life? ""But, I didn't do anything this time? " she looked at him innocently. "Mom wanted me to be at home because 'Lily must be feeling lonely' how is it not your fault ? it's you everytime. " Lily sighed and lowered her gaze fidgeting with her fingers. Zared moved past her as Lily turned to ask him. "Dinner? "Zared didn't respond and Lily assumed her voice was too low for him to be heard, she knew it wasn't that, but s
Zared sat up. "What else did he say? Did he talk to you? "He asked while getting up from his bed. "He asked if I was your wife"Lily lied without stopping. She checked the time and it was 11:58.Both of them made their way to the terrace, Lily ran to the front and made sure she climbed slowly checking the time, so It was exactly 12 when they reached. The hands of the watch stopped at 12 and Lily climbed the remaining two steps hurriedly and as both of them entered the terrace area she screamed. "HAPPY BIRTHDAYYY!!" Lily shouted joyously. Zared's eyes widened, he looked at Lily and then the whole terrace, which was filled with balloons and fringe curtains and lights and what not. He looked around stunned and then lastly his eyes stopped at Lily. "What is this?" he asked, still stunned. "I prepared all this, for you. Happy Birthday. " she said smiling cheek to cheek. Many time one couldn't read Zared's expressions easily and this was one of those situations. Lily stared at Zared
For one fleeting moment, Lily felt him there-with her, surrounding her, a warmth that would linger in her heart long after she walked away from his home for the last time. "Oh, what have you done Zared." She said aloud. "Why did you have to do it, it was all your fault for turning your fate, why make me suffer by doing this." She sat on the couch with her head in her hands. Clara's home was dim when Lily returned, the faint glow of a lamp spilling light into the hallway. Her steps were slow, almost hesitant, as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Aaron was pacing near the window, his phone clutched tightly in his hand, while Clara sat curled on the edge of the couch, her head snapping up the moment the door creaked. “Lily!” Aaron’s voice cut through the silence as he rushed towards her. “Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?” Clara stood, her eyes wide with concern. “You didn’t answer your phone. We thought… we thought something happ
The clock on the wall ticked loudly, each second stretching longer than the last. Clara sat on the couch, clutching her phone tightly in her hands, her thumbs hovering over the screen as if another call might suddenly bring an answer. “Aaron…” she said quietly, her voice trembling. “It’s been hours. She’s not picking up. Where could she have gone?” Aaron stood by the window, his back to her, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. His phone was already gripped in his palm, the screen blank after too many unanswered calls. “She wouldn’t just disappear like this,” he said, his voice sharp, his frustration barely contained. “Not without telling someone. Not after everything that’s happened.” Clara’s eyes shone with worry as she whispered, “What if something happened to her, Aaron?” Aaron turned, his expression softer now as he looked at her. “Don’t think like that. She’s okay. She has to be.” But even as he said the words, doubt gnawed at him. Without another word, Aaro
Lily hesitated but eventually said, "Did you see how he did it?" She looked up at Aaron. "Did you see how he was found ? Laurent, the pictures on the news, they were so disgusting, he had...you must've seen." "I did." Aaron noticed the disgusted look on her face. He once again recalled how he had done it. How he had screamed like the goat when it is sacrificed, how his eyes went rolling behind showing only the white part. How he had joined his fingerless hands in front of him in order to be forgiven. "Maybe he deserved it...Zared, for what he did, Karma, they say?" She asked. Aaron nodded in response but remained silent. He knew he was betraying her, betraying her trust, taking advantage of the situation she was in, the trust she had at this vulnerable stage of her life. In the quiet of the room, Aaron’s guilt festered, hidden beneath the surface. Lily didn’t need to know the truth-not tonight, and maybe not ever. But that was for him to decide after. Aaron's mind was in t
His hand moved to the doorknob, twisting it slowly until the latch clicked open instead of knocking in case she was asleep. Peeking inside, he expected to see her resting, maybe curled up in the blankets. Instead, he found her awake, sitting stiffly on the edge of her bed. The moonlight cast a silvery glow across her features, making her appear ethereal and distant. She was staring out the window, her expression blank yet hauntingly sad, as though she were lost in a memory she couldn’t escape. She didn't deserve this, didn't deserve such a tragedy, she was way too nice for this world, for Zared. He didn't deserve her agony, her tears, her sleepless nights. Aaron hesitated again but finally stepped inside, giving a soft knock on the door to announce himself. The sound made her blink, breaking her trance. She glanced at him, her gaze piercing for the briefest second before it dulled again, returning to the view outside the window. Without waiting for an invitation, Aaron move
Lily didn’t respond to Clara. She stared out the window, her mind replaying every second she’d spent with Zared, searching for answers that would probably never come. She thought about what thoughts must have consumed Zared when he decided to end his life. Was he thinking about her? Was he blaming her? Was he guilty of what he did? Or he just couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him? But again, why would she hold so much importance in his life for him to give it all up. His family, the company, his friends-though Lily knew none. Maybe it was a punishment? From god ? Maybe he wanted Zared to die in exchange of Laurent, maybe because he killed him? Maybe this was his revenge? She shook her head shooing all the thoughts away. The three of them were now back at Clara's house, the silence was comfortable, no one wanted to talk, Aaron, however wanted to comfort Lily, make her believe that it wasn't her fault. He knew she must be blaming herself, she was the last person to t
Lily, Aaron, and Clara walked briskly down the sterile, cold hallways of the hospital, their footsteps echoing, at the end of the corridor, where Zared’s parents and Aaron’s parents were standing together, faces etched with grief. The moment they approached, Lily saw Zared’s mother, her tear-streaked face crumpling further. “He’s already been moved,” Zared’s father said, his voice hoarse. “To the freezer. They’re preparing him for the funeral.” Lily froze mid-step, her heart sinking. She hadn’t realized how desperately she’d wanted to see him one last time. Her lips parted, but no words came out. “Why so soon?” Aaron asked, his voice laced with disbelief. “It’s the procedure,” Aaron’s father said, his voice heavy. “Once the body is declared and cleared, there’s no waiting.” Lily clenched her fists at her sides, overwhelmed by a mixture of grief and frustration. The chance to say goodbye was ripped away. All she had now were the memories-and the haunting, unanswered qu
A single tear rolling down his cheek before he collapsed back onto the bed, lifeless. "No,no,no,no." The news anchor’s voice filled the silence. “Zared Williams, known for his innovative contributions to technology and his efforts towards hi company, was pronounced dead at 10:47 p.m. Doctors have confirmed that his death was caused by the disconnection of critical life-support machines. Despite being close to a full recovery, it appears Mr. Williams made the decision to end his life. What the doctors are calling an apparent suicide." Tears welled in Lily’s eyes as her chest tightened painfully. She turned to Clara, who was still frozen in place, her hand trembling against her lips. “This…this isn’t real,” Lily murmured, shaking her head as if trying to wake herself from a nightmare. “It can’t be.” Clara finally looked at her, her eyes glistening with tears. “It is, Lily,” she whispered. “He’s…he’s gone.” Lily stumbled back, her legs weak beneath her. The weight of the news c
The room was pure chaos. The steady rhythm of beeping machines was replaced by an ear-splitting alarm. The doctor barked orders, his voice sharp and frantic, cutting through the panic like a blade in the air. The nurses scrambled back on his orders, their faces pale and wide-eyed as the doctor positioned the paddles against the man’s lifeless chest. His hands trembled, betraying his own fear as he pressed down. "Charging—300 joules! Everyone clear!" The first shock jolted Zared’s body violently off the bed. His chest arched, his head lolled to the side, but the heart monitor remained flat, no sign of change. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep. "Again!" The doctor’s voice cracked under the strain. Sweat dripping from his forehead. Another shock. Another desperate jolt. Zared’s body slammed back down onto the bed with a sickening thud once again, limp and unresponsive. The nurses exchanged frightened glances, their hands hovering, unsure of how to help. "Don’t stop compressions!
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I wasn’t trying to make this complicated, Aaron. I just wanted to be honest with you and get our friendship back on track. That’s all.” His gaze softened slightly, and for the first time in days, she saw the tension in his shoulders ease. “I believe you,” he said quietly. “And I’m glad you told me. But…” “But what?” she prompted, tilting her head. Before she could process it, Aaron stepped forward, reaching out and gently grabbing her arm. In one swift motion, he pulled her closer, his chest solid and warm against her as her head brushed against him. Her breath was caught in her throat, she tilted her head back to meet his gaze. His silver eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her heart pound faster and faster. They had the same look in them like the other day-when he said he wasn't just a silly boy. There were two Aarons, Lily had determined now, one was with the intense look and the other...it was the silly one.