THE TRAP IS SET

Two weeks had passed since Lily had made herself at home. Redesign works were going on in her own house so she was staying at Damian's for the mean time, and each day Calla found herself more and more isolated. Lily spent every day in the house, and at night, she shared Damian's bed. Meanwhile, Calla could barely bring herself to eat at the table, too intimidated by Lily’s presence. The women never spoke to each other. Whenever Damian left the house, Lily would ignore Calla completely, and Calla retreated to her room, avoiding any interaction. Their silence was suffocating, yet it was the only way Calla could keep herself together.

That day, as Calla went out of her room to the kitchen in search of food, her nerves were on edge. She had skipped breakfast because Lily and Damian were eating together. Her stomach growled, but her mind was consumed by the strained tension in the house. She grabbed some bread from the kitchen and began eating. As she chewed, a voice from behind startled her.

"Finally, the scaredy cat comes out of the bag."

Calla turned, surprised to see Lily, who she thought had left the house.

"Why are you so surprised? Were you stealing something?" Lily taunted.

" You must have been so hungry, filling your mouth with bread like an hungry dog. Eat your fill." Lily said, eyeing Calla with disgust written all over her face.

Calla swallowed and finally managed to respond, "I've been staying out of your way because I don't want situations like this. I don't want anything to do with you. Let’s just ignore each other like we've been doing."

"Let's just ignore each other." Lily imitated her voice and burst into mocking laughter.

Lily smirked, unfazed. "What do you want me to do then? Because you've been on my mind... bothering me so much. And you know what I hate the most? When things bother me. It makes me want to get rid of you. I hate it when things bother me."

Calla scoffed at Lily's unhidden hate towards her. “How could you say that? How did I bother you? I haven't been doing anything.”

"Your living here alone is enough to bother me. You're staying with Damian."

Calla’s voice was low but steady as she replied, "How does that count as bothering you? I'm just minding my business. We haven't even said a word to each other until now. The only business you have is with my husband. So, please, just leave me alone."

Lily's laugh was bitter. "Your husband?" She scoffed. "The man who clearly doesn't love you? You can only call a man your husband if you're happy and in love with each other. I wonder why he even married you and why he wouldn't give me details about how he married you."

Calla felt the sting of her words but refused to show it. Ignoring her, she turned to leave. But Lily grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Remember this: I'm the type of person who gets rid of anything bothering me. And I want Damian all to myself. The only way to do that is to get rid of you. Do you understand? If you don't want me to get rid of you, you leave first, okay?"

Calla met her gaze, her voice cool. "He married me for a reason. Do you really think he'll just let you get rid of me like that? Do you think he would let me leave?"

Lily’s smile grew cold, the challenge clear in her eyes. "Do you think I’ll do it directly?"

Calla ignored her and walked away quickly.

____

Later that evening, Calla was called to the living room by a maid, who said Damian wanted to speak with her. She wondered why Damian wanted to speak to her and doubted it for a while but it was time for Damian to return from work, so she believed the maid, Calla made her way out of her room. She stood at the top of the stairs, looking down into the living room to ensure Lily wasn’t around. But as she scanned the space, there was no sign of Damian.

Suddenly, she heard Lily’s voice behind her.

" Hey, cutie"

Calla looked back immediately. "What do you want now? Where’s Damian?"

Lily spoke with a false tone of sadness. "Calla was going somewhere, and then she slipped on the stairs... she was running..."

Calla's eyes widened, and before she could react, Lily continued, her voice taunting, "I told you I’d get rid of you."

With a swift motion, Lily tried to push Calla down the stairs, but Calla, quick on her feet, avoided the attack. The next thing Calla knew, Lily lost her footing and tumbled down the stairs.

The door opened at that moment and Damian rushed into the room just as Lily’s body hit the floor. His eyes locked on Calla, and before she could process what had happened, he was by Lily’s side, checking her for injuries. His gaze flickered toward Calla, cold and accusatory.

"Calla! What have you done?!"

Calla stood frozen, unable to comprehend the situation. Her mind raced, but it felt like her body was paralyzed. She rushed down the stairs, kneeling next to the unconscious Lily, but Damian was already on the phone, calling an ambulance.

"Get away from her! You murderer!" he shouted, his voice filled with fury.

"I didn’t push her, Damian! I swear, she tried to hurt me and fell! Please believe me!"

But Damian was no longer listening. His face remained a mask of cold indifference as the first responders arrived, followed by the police. They quickly apprehended Calla, reading her her rights, and she felt the sting of the handcuffs as they restrained her.

Damian’s expression never wavered as he ordered the police to lock her up. Calla’s pleas fell on deaf ears, and her heart shattered as she realized how alone she truly was in this world.