Chapter 19 19

Chapter 19 19


Kyrian went completely still. For a moment, the only sound in the room was Lily’s uneven breathing as she shifted restlessly on the bed, her fingers clutching at the sheets.

“Clinton…” she whispered again.

Kyrian’s jaw tightened, his muscle ticking sharply as his hands curled into fists at his side. The quiet of the room turned suffocating, pressing on him, mocking him.

He stared at her, at the woman lying in his bed, calling another man’s name like it was the only one her heart recognized.

A bitter scoff almost escaped him, but he swallowed it down, his throat tightening instead.

He took a step toward the bed, the movement instinctive, almost involuntarily. His gaze lingered on her face, drawn to the faint crease between her brows, the way she seemed trapped in whatever dream held her.

For a fraction of a second, he felt an urge to shake her awake, to pull her out of it, to..

“Please….. don’t…” Lily muttered again.

Kyrian’s expression hardened instantly. Whatever urge that had risen in him vanished instantly, replaced by something colder. He turned away so abruptly, dragging a hand through his hair as he exhaled harshly.

He couldn’t stay here. Without another glance, he strode towards the door and yanked it open. The quiet click of the door closing behind him echoed louder than it should have. He didn’t stop walking until the room and her were far behind him.

Morning light filtered softly through the curtains as Lily stirred, her body stretching against the mattress. Everything felt calm and normal until her hand brushed against the empty space beside her. Her eyes snapped open.

She pushed herself upright immediately, her heart picking up as she tried to piece together the night before.

“Please, let us not have done something,” she thought, pressing her lips together as she searched her memory.

Her mind came up blank.

She pressed a hand to her temple, trying harder, forcing herself to remember. She had gone to bed first. She recalled turning her back to him, keeping as much distance as possible between them.

After that… nothing. No blurred flashes, no half-formed memories, just sleep. She relaxed a bit. Good, nothing went wrong the previous night.

Her gaze drifted towards the couch. The blanket was folded neatly, untouched, as though it had never been used. If he hadn’t slept there, where had he gone?

Lily exhaled slowly and got out of bed. There was no point thinking about where he slept.

She hurried to the bathroom for her bath. After that, she walked to the wardrobe and opened it. Everything inside belonged to him. She sighed, tightened her bathrobe and made her way to the room that was once hers. It was close to his.

When she moved into the Brandon family, grandmother had asked that her room be close to his so she could take care of him very well.

There were only a few clothes in the wardrobe. The only clothes there were the ones Kyrian had bought her, which she deliberately left behind while leaving the house.

Now, standing before her opened wardrobe, she had no choice. If she wanted to make it to work early that day, she had to pick one outfit and quickly as well.

She reached in and picked a simple outfit; one she knew wouldn’t draw attention. As she changed, a strange feeling settled in her chest. Wearing clothes he had bought felt wrong, like she was still tied to him in ways she was trying to escape.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She needed to leave, go back to Claire’s house, get her things and head to work. She was already cutting it close.

Lily grabbed her bag and stepped out of the room without looking back. The house was quiet, which was one thing she was grateful for. Grandmother wasn’t an early riser, so she had no need to trouble the old woman with her morning greeting before leaving.

She moved quickly down the hallway, hoping to leave without running into anyone. The last thing she wanted that morning was another confrontation.

But just as she reached the bottom of the stairs….

“Going somewhere?”

Lily stopped. Her shoulders stiffened before she turned around. Tracey stood a few steps away, her arms neatly folded across her chest. She looked perfectly put together, not at all like someone who had been injured the night before. If anything, she looked refreshed and satisfied.

Lily didn’t have energy for whatever Tracey had up her sleeves.

“I have somewhere to be,” she said curtly, turning to leave.

“Stay away from him.”

“Excuse me?” she said without turning.

Tracey took a few slow steps closer, her footwear making a soft noise against the floor. She stopped in front of Lily, blocking her way.

“You heard me,” she replied, her voice still calm. “Stay away from him.”

Lily turned now, her patience already wearing thin.

“Move,” she said quietly.

Tracey smiled. “Who do you think you are?”

Lily’s fingers curled into her palm. She was not in the mood for this. She sure knew she had a long working day ahead of her.

“Get out of my way,” she repeated, her voice low and tight.

Tracey let out a short laugh this time.

“Or what?” she asked mockingly.

Then she leaned closer, lowering her voice to make it feel like a secret.

“Do you know that Kyrian was with me last night? He was in my bed. It felt so good cuddling with my boyfriend last night.” She let out a soft, almost breathy laugh, her fingers brushing absently against the sleeve of her robe.

Lily didn’t move.

Tracey watched her closely, as if searching for the smallest crack in her composure.

“I knew he would come,” she continued, her voice light and almost fond. “Kyrian has always been like that. He can’t stand seeing me in pain. No matter how much time passes, he always comes back.”

She paused briefly.

“He stayed with me the whole night. He steadied my ankle and ensured that I didn’t catch a cold.”

Lily’s grip on her bag tightened for a second before she loosened it again. Her face was blank, revealing nothing. No anger, no hurt, no surprise. Just a quiet stillness.

“I see,” she said simply.

Tracey blinked, clearly not expecting that kind of response. The faint smile on her lips faltered for the briefest moment before she recovered.

“I thought you should know,” she added lightly.

Lily nodded once, her gaze steady. “Thank you for telling me.” There was no tremor or hesitation in her voice. And somehow, that made it worse. Tracey’s eyes narrowed, studying her, trying to understand why there was no reaction to feed on.

In the next second, everything happened too fast.

Tracey stumbled backward, her foot twisting as she let out a sharp cry. Her body dropped towards the floor and she clutched her ankle dramatically.

“Ah!” she screamed. “My ankle!”

Lily froze. For a moment, she couldn’t process what had just happened.

“Tracey!” Kyrian’s voice rang out. His footsteps came fast, descending the stairs in long strides.

“Why would you do that?” he snapped, his voice sharp with anger.

Lily blinked, stunned.

“What?” she said, her voice rising in disbelief. “I didn’t…”

“You pushed her. Why will you want to hurt someone who is already hurt?” he accused, crouching beside Tracey.

Tracey clung to his arm immediately, her face pale with practiced pain.

“I just wanted to wish her well and ask the maids to serve her breakfast before she left,” she said weakly. “I didn’t expect her to…” her voice broke off, as if the rest was too painful to say.

Lily stared at her. The audacity! The sheer audacity of it. She knew Tracey was capable of a lot of things but she didn’t expect her to pull this stunt this morning.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

“I didn’t push her,” she said firmly, her eyes locking onto Kyrian’s. “You saw that, didn’t you?”

But his expression didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened.

“Then how did she fall? You’re not suggesting she hurt herself, are you? She’s already injured. Why would you do something like this?” he said coldly.

Of course, he would believe Tracey, without giving her a chance to explain herself.

“Fine,” she said calmly.

Kyrian frowned, confused by the sudden shift in her tone. Before he could react, Lily stepped forward. She reached down and grabbed Tracey by the arm, pulling her upright.

Tracey gasped in surprise, clearly not expecting the movement.

“What are you…”

Smack!

The sound echoed sharply through the hall.

Kyrian froze.

Tracey’s head snapped to the side, her eyes wide in shock. Before she could recover, the second slap landed just as hard as the first.

Smack!!

A heavy silence. Lily released her slowly.

“Now,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm in her chest, “you can say I hurt you.”

Tracey stared at her, completely speechless. Kyrian remained frozen for a second longer, as if his mind had not caught up with what he had just witnessed.

Lily didn’t wait. She turned immediately and walked toward the door. Behind her, she could feel their stares burning into her back. She had no regrets. She only wished she had slapped Kyrian as well for he deserved it.

The door opened, then slammed shut. And Lily walked out of the Brandon house for what she hoped would be the last time.