Chapter 15 15

Chapter 15 15

Lily's POV

Hannah had called a dozen times now. The gallery director called too. They were all trying to be supportive, but I could hear the worry in their voices. And it wasn’t just for me. It was for the name of the gallery.

My debut had been postponed indefinitely. Sponsors were pulling out. The handful of collectors who had been interested went silent.

All of the work I’d taken, it was gone.

My parents had called from Ohio, bewildered and afraid. I’d lied and promised everything would be O.K. But my mother’s concerned voice continued ringing.

“Lily, sweetheart, maybe you should come home for a little bit.

Part of me wanted to. Longed to retreat and make believe none of this had transpired.
My phone buzzed. Marcus. My friend from art school.

"Offer still stands. Come to California. Stick with me through all this smoke.”

It was tempting.

Another buzz. Aiden.

"Please let me see you. We need to talk."

I hadn’t known where he was since the news broke. His attorneys had counselled us to remain apart. So he’d been at his penthouse and I’d been here, stuck in both places.

I missed him. But whenever I thought about him, I also thought of Victoria in that hospital bed. How all the fingers were pointing at me.

What if they were right?

There was a knock at my door that startled me. Hannah was there, with bags of groceries and a set expression.

I opened the door and in she came.

“You look awful,” she said flatly.

"Thanks."

"When did you eat last?" She began to unpack bags in my kitchen. "Actually, don't answer. I'm making you real food."

"I'm not hungry."

"I don't care. You're eating anyway." She pulled out vegetables, pasta. “And we’re going to talk about what you are going to do.”

"There's nothing to do. My career is over."

"Stop that." Hannah shook a wooden spoon at me. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"Hannah—"

"No. Listen. Victoria Sinclair is some calculating psycho who staged suicide in order to get herself attention. Anyone who knows anything knows that. The press will eventually get it.”

"Will they?"

“Wait a week and they’ll have moved on to the next scandal.” She started chopping vegetables. “Now, the question is — what are you going to do? Hide here? Or fight back?"

"Fight back how?"

“You’re one person with a billionaire boyfriend with resources and connections.” She looked at me. “Unless you want to leave him too.”

I sank onto my couch. "I don't know. Maybe I should."

"Do you love him?"

"I—" I stopped. Did I? "I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Stop overthinking. How do you feel when you’re with him?”

I thought about Aiden. About the way he observed me. On how safe I felt in his arms.

"Alive," I whispered.

"Then there's your answer." Hannah squeezed my hand. “The thing is, do you love him enough for it to be worth fighting for?”

Before I even had a chance to reply, my phone vibrated. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Lily Monroe?" A woman's voice, professional.

"Yes?"

“This is Nurse Patterson at Chicago General. There’s a patient of mine who wants to speak to you. Victoria Sinclair."

My blood ran cold. "What?"

She said she has to talk to you. Doctor says it might help settle her, if you want to come down.”
“I don’t agree with that.

"I'm under orders to let you know. Visiting hours are until eight."

She hung up.

Hannah stared at me. “That better not be who I think it was.

"Victoria wants to see me."

"Absolutely not. That's insane."

"Probably." Standing up, I pulled on my jacket.

"Lily, what are you doing?"

"Going to see her."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Maybe. But I’ve got to hear what she says. Face to face." I looked at Hannah. "I need to end this."

But Hannah protested till she finally gave in. She pestered me to text every fifteen minutes.

The hospital was more accessible than I anticipated. I provided Victoria's name and they escorted me to the psych ward. Fourth floor, room 412.

My heart raced as I walked down the hallway. What was I doing? This was crazy.

But I was too tired to be scared anymore. If we were going to finish it, it had to be now.
I found room 412 and knocked.

"Come in," Victoria's voice called.

I pushed open the door. Victoria was in the hospital bed, wan but immaculate. Her hair was coiffed; her makeup understated. “She didn’t look like somebody who’d tried to commit suicide.”

"Lily." She smiled. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"I almost didn't." I stayed by the door. "What do you want?"

"To talk. Woman to woman. No games this time."

“That is how you are, everything for you is a game.”

"Fair enough." She patted the chair next to her bed. "But sit anyway."

I sat, against my better judgment. But my phone remained in my hand, recording.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Fine. It was so theatrical, wasn’t it?” She laughed. “The pills, the note, the ambulance. Quite the performance."

My stomach dropped. "You're admitting you faked it?"

"Of course I faked it. You really thought I was going to kill myself over Aiden Cole? She leaned back. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not suicidal. I'm strategic."

“You staged a suicide attempt for tactics?”

“That’s my I’m-staging-this-so-Aiden-knknows-what-he’s-putting-me-through face. To make you see that too." Her eyes hardened. "And it worked. Your career is in ruins. Everyone hates you."

“What reason would you have to tell me this?”

“Because I want you to know. I will never stop. I will never give up. Aiden is mine." She leaned forward. “And I don’t care what I have to do to get him back.

I gazed steadily at her, now seeing her distinctly. Not as an adversary but as a shattered someone. Someone who was so desperate and deranged that she’d gone way over the line.

“But you don’t even love him,” I whispered. "You're obsessed with him."

"Don't psychoanalyze me."

"I'm just stating a fact. If you loved him, wouldn’t you want him to be happy?”

"That's naive."

"Maybe. But it's true." I stood up. I came here thinking you could say something that would make me leave. “But what you have done is shown me how wrong you are.”

“I could annihilate you,” said Victoria, her voice sharp. "One phone call and—"

"Do it." I met her eyes. "Make your calls. Destroy my career if you can. But you will never make me walk. Because I actually do care about Aiden, unlike you. The real Aiden. Not the billionaire. The man."

Victoria's face twisted with rage. "You stupid little girl. You have no idea what you are going into.”

"I think I do. I’m running against a desperate woman who refuses to acknowledge that she lost.” I headed for the door. "Goodbye, Victoria. Get some help. Real help."

I left before she could answer. My hands were trembling, but I felt lighter. Stronger.

I'd faced her. Stood up to her. And I was still standing.

I whipped out my phone so fast and dialed up Aiden. He answered immediately.

"Lily? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm at the hospital. I need to see you."

"The hospital? What happened?"

"I'm not hurt. I'll explain everything. But Aiden, come and get me. Right now."

"I'm on my way."

I waited outside, not near Victoria's room. A car arrived for Aiden twenty minutes later. He jumped out, rushing over.

"What were you thinking?" He pulled me into his arms. "Going to see Victoria alone?"

“I wanted to hear what she had to say.” I pulled back. "She admitted it. The suicide attempt was fake. She staged the whole thing. I recorded it."
His eyes widened. "You what?"

I held up my phone. "I recorded everything. Including her admission."

His mouth broke into a slow smile. "You brilliant, crazy woman."

"I'm tired of being afraid. Tired of hiding." I took his hands. "So I'm making a choice. I'm choosing you. I'm choosing us. I don’t know what that means, but I’m in.”

"Lily—"

"Let me finish. I know your past. I know it’s going to be messy. But I don't care. Because I am happy when I’m with you. Really happy. And I'm not giving that up."

He took my face in his hands, his eyes bright. "I love you. God, I love you so much."

"I love you too."

He kissed me then, long and needy. When we finally released each other, both of us were smiling.

"Let's go home," he said.

"Your place or mine?"

"Mine. It's bigger. And has better security." He grinned. “Also, I’ve been dying to have you back in my bed.”

We got in his car and drove to his penthouse, the whole time holding hands. As soon as we got in, he pulled me over.

“I was so scared,” he whispered. "So scared I'd lost you."

"You didn't. I'm right here."

"Promise me you'll stay."
"I promise."

We walked into his bedroom stripping off clothes on the way. This time there was no lag. Just want and need and love.

He laid me on his bed gently. "You're so beautiful."

"Stop talking and touch me."
He smiled and complied with that request. His hands explored every inch. When his mouth came next, I was even lifted from the bed.

"Aiden, please."

"Please what?"

"I need you. Now."

He straddled me, positioning himself between my legs. When he finally pressed in, we moaned together. It felt perfect.

She and I started to step in unison, at a glacial pace. But as the demand increased, the pace quickened. His hands gripped my hips. I crossed my legs around his waist.

"Look at me," he commanded.

I did, holding his gaze. It was almost too intense.

"I love you," I gasped.

"I love you too."

The pleasure continued to build and I finally couldn’t hold on any longer. I shattered, crying out. He followed seconds later.

We lay tangled together afterward. He pulled me close.

"Stay here tonight," he murmured. "And tomorrow night. And every night after."

"That's a big commitment."

"I know. But I want it. I want you here. In my home. In my life. In my bed every night."
I smiled. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. I'll stay."

We ended up falling asleep in each other’s arms. I had a sense of peace for the first time in days.

It was my phone that woke us early, a buzz on the nightstand. Aiden groaned.

"Make it stop."

I grabbed it. Thomas Reynolds, Aiden's lawyer.

“It’s your lawyer,” I said, shaking Aiden. "It might be important."

He played it on speaker, answering the call. "Thomas. It's six in the morning."

"It's good. Or bad." Thomas sounded energized. "Victoria Sinclair left the county last night."
We both froze.

"What?" Aiden said.

"Her apartment is cleared out. Bank accounts reveal transfers to foreign bank accounts. She’s on a plane to the Cayman Islands.” He paused. "But there's more. She bought before she went. Large ones."

"What kind of purchases?"

“She took control of the Morgan Gallery. For the location of Lily’s show.”
My stomach dropped. Victoria owned the gallery.

"She owns it?" I whispered.

"Controlling shares, yes. And she left a message. “She’ll contact us within the next three days with her last ultimatum.”

We sat quietly after Thomas had hung up.

“I was saying, she owns the gallery,” I repeated.

"She does. And she’s going to use it against us.” He took my hand. "But we'll figure this out. Together."

I wanted to believe him. But with the morning light streaming into my room, I couldn’t shake the premonition that Victoria’s last ultimatum was going to alter everything.