Chapter 83

Chapter 83
Lila’s POV

The day was over quickly, even after Vivian had interrupted and said her piece before walking off.

I went back home and the moment I stepped through the front door, the quiet of the house pressed in on me like a blanket I didn’t want.

Garrett was already there, leaning against the armrest of the couch with his phone in hand. He looked up the instant he heard me, his gaze sharpening the way it always did when it landed on me.

“You’re back,” he said, slipping the phone into his pocket. “How was the check-up?”

I set my bag down carefully, buying myself a few seconds before answering. “It was fine. Routine as always.”

“Routine?” His brows pulled together. “Did they say anything? How’s the baby? How are you?”

“Well... I’m fine,” I repeated, moving past him and toward the stairs. My throat felt dry, my words clipped. “I just need a shower. It’s been a very long day.”

He didn’t push immediately, but I felt his eyes on my back as I went upstairs. His presence lingered even when I closed the bedroom door and leaned against it, heart beating just a little too fast.

I hadn’t lied, not entirely. The check-up was fine. Everything was fine, went fine. At least, that’s what I told myself. But Vivian’s voice had followed me home, louder in the silence of these walls than it had been earlier.

“You don’t even know him, Lila. You think you do, but you don’t. You never stop to use your brain when it comes to Garrett. That man, he’ll hurt you. Not because he hates you, but because he doesn’t care enough not to.”

At the hospital, I had brushed it off. I had smiled tightly, shrugged, pretended her words slid right off me. Vivian always had something to say, always pushing her opinions like daggers dressed in silk. I told myself she was bitter, envious, projecting her own pain.

But here, in the quiet, her words replayed with cruel precision.

“You don’t know him.”

I remembered Garrett’s anger a few days ago, the way his voice had risen, sharp and cutting when he thought I wasn’t telling him enough. The memory made me press my palm to my chest, as though I could steady the tremor crawling up my ribcage.

“Use your brain for once.”

Was I being blind? Too willing to believe that what he gave me now, the support, the gestures, the sudden presence in my life, was enough to erase the cracks?

“You’ll get hurt, Lila.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, fingers curling into the duvet. At the hospital, I had laughed softly and brushed it away, acting as if Vivian’s dramatics were just that, dramatics. But her words refused to leave, they still lingered and echoed at the back of my mind.

Now they're pressed against me, clawing up the back of my neck until even the air in the room felt heavy.

I suddenly heard Garrett’s footsteps coming from downstairs. There was a brief pause, as though he debated coming up. Then, his voice called out, steady but tinged with concern.

“Lila? You’re sure everything’s alright?”

I swallowed hard, steadying myself first. “I said I’m fine!”

Silence followed. Obviously not the kind that brought peace, but the kind that thickened the air, made it harder to breathe.

I buried my face in my hands. The truth was, I didn’t want to talk, not with him at least. I didn’t want to try to untangle what was mine and what was Vivian’s warnings.

I didn’t want to speak only to be dismissed or misunderstood later. Because what if she was right?

What if I told him how I felt, and he brushed it aside the way he had before, like my doubts were just noise, like I was being ungrateful?

“I’m fine, Garrett. Probably just tired, that’s all.” I added, making sure it sounded real enough to him.

“Use your brain.” Vivian's words echoed in my head once more, like I was missing something.

I had hated that she said it. Hated it even more that part of me, the part I buried deep, wondered if she was right.

But more importantly, why was she there at the hospital? When I entered the hallway, I noticed that she was waiting, laning against the wall.

Did she wait for me to get there?

I hadn’t finish processing my thoughts before Garrett interrupted. He knocked once on the door before opening it. I turned around as he stepped in, cautious, as if he already sensed the fragility in the air. His gaze softened when it landed on me sitting at the edge of the bed.

“You’re pale,” he said, crossing the room. “Talk to me. Don’t just shut me out.”

Don’t shut you out? After you did the same to me and didn't care?

I forced a small smile on my face, the type that didn’t reach my eyes. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

“You keep saying that.” He crouched in front of me, searching my face. “Lila, if something’s wrong, I need to know.”

The words almost broke me. Almost. Because I wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that this time, if I spoke, he would hear me. But Vivian’s voice slithered in again, whispering, You’ll get hurt.

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. “Nothing’s wrong. Really. Just… let me rest, Garrett. Maybe after a night’s rest, I’ll be better.”

He studied me for a long moment, jaw tightening, but finally he nodded and stood. “Alright. Rest up. But if you need anything, you tell me.”

I smiled, genuinely this time, and he must have seen it.

When he left, I lay back against the pillows, my body sinking into the mattress. I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if he’s being real or if this is another act or....

I don’t know anything anymore. And I hated myself for that.

But this cold, quiet comfort, it soothed the ache in my chest.