Chapter 57
Lily’s POV
Tyler and I sat in silence, the weight of everything that had come to light pressing down on us like a storm cloud that refused to pass. I still couldn’t believe it–Emily, the girl I had spent years resenting and mocking, was now connected to one of the most powerful families in the country, the Williams family. Her status would soon far surpass mine, and the idea of her being on equal footing with Keith made my skin crawl.
“How is this even possible?” Tyler muttered, his face a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “Emily, of all people, tied to the Williams family? It just… doesn’t make sense.
I shook my head, anger bubbling beneath the surface. “It doesn’t matter who she is now. It doesn’t change the fact that she hurt me, that she ruined everything between me and Keith. I won’t forgive her, ever.
Tyler gave me a weary look. “Lily, Keith and Emily both were drunk that night. You can’t hold that against her forever. None of them were thinking straight.”
I scowled at him. “Is that supposed to be an excuse? Just because they were drunk doesn’t mean she’s off the hook. I was with Keith. She knew that. But she still did what she did.”
His sigh was heavy with frustration. “I’m not saying she’s innocent, but
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you need to see that things were complicated. You’ve been holding onto this grudge for years, and it’s consumed you.”
I stood up abruptly, unable to hear any more of his attempts to justify Emily’s actions. “You’re wrong, Tyler. I’ll never forgive her. And if you were a decent brother, you wouldn’t either.”
He stared at me for a moment, his expression unreadable, before finally shaking his head. “I just don’t understand what you want, Lily. Do you want to stay bitter and angry forever? What’s the endgame here?”
I clenched my
the anger surging like a wildfire. “The endgame? I hope that killer gets to her before she can enjoy any of this. I hope she suffers like she made me suffer.
Tyler’s face twisted in disgust, and he pushed himself up from the couch. “You sound crazy, Lily. This obsession with Emily… it’s not healthy.”
I watched him walk away, my chest tightening with resentment. He had let me down, like everyone else in my life. No one was on my side. Not
anymore.
I ran upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me as my thoughts. raced. Keith, who had been so distant after that awful dinner party, hadn’t spoken to me since.
Every time I tried to call him, he either ignored my calls or gave me the cold shoulder. I couldn’t help but hate Emily for it, knowing she was the reason everything in my life was falling apart.
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I needed to talk to someone, anyone, who would understand. I grabbed my phone and called Nancy, hoping she would at least take my side.
When she picked up, I didn’t waste any time. “Nancy, I can’t believe this! Emily, of all people, tied to the Williams family! Do you know what this means? She’s going to be on equal footing with Keith, maybe even surpass me. I can’t stand it!”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “Wait… what? What are you talking about? What happened with Emily?”
I sighed, frustration bubbling to the surface. “You don’t know? The Williams family–the most powerful family around–turns out they’re Emily’s biological parents. And now, Keith won’t even talk to me because he overheard me threatening Emily about Zane. Everything’s falling apart.”
Nancy’s voice was sharp when she responded. “You threatened Emily? And brought Zane into this? Lily, what were you thinking? That’s way over the line, even for you.”
I felt a rush of indignation. “What? You’re blaming me for this? Keith was the one who distanced himself! It’s not my fault.”
“You crossed the limits this time, Lily. You went too far,” Nancy said, her tone firm but calm. “Insulting Zane like that… threatening Emily about him? And lying to Keith about everything? That’s on you, not Emily.”
Her words stung, like a slap in the face. “Keith is the victim here, not
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me?” I scoffed, my voice rising in anger.
Nancy sighed heavily. “Lily, you’re playing with fire. You’ve made mistakes, and it’s time to take responsibility for them. Telling the truth is the only way to move forward.”
I felt my chest tighten, my breathing shallow. “I can’t do that. Do you know how disappointed everyone would be? I can’t afford to let them down like that.”
“You’ve already let them down by hiding the truth,” Nancy replied. “Admitting it now might be hard, but it’s the only way to make things. right.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “No, Nancy. I’m not going to tell the truth. I can’t. It would ruin everything.”
“Sometimes, things need to fall apart before they can be rebuilt,” she said softly before the line went silent.
I threw my phone onto the bed, frustration gnawing at my insides. The truth? What good would the truth do now? I wasn’t willing to lose everything I’d fought for just to ease someone else’s guilt.
The anger simmered within me, stronger than ever. And as I sat alone in my room, all I could think about was how much I wished Emily had never come back into my life.
But the reality was, she was here to stay, and nothing would ever be the
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same again.
