LİLY'S POV
I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care.
My heart was still pounding, my body numb from the shock of what I had just seen, the sting of what Damien had done to me. Each step away from his office felt like a triumph, but it also felt like I was walking in a fog, the weight of the betrayal pressing down on me with every breath I took.
I had slapped him. I had slapped Damien. I hadn't even thought about it. I just did it—because he deserved it. But now, as the adrenaline faded, the full reality of what had just happened began to sink in.
The sting of the slap had barely registered on him, but the impact it had on me… It was undeniable. The moment I had left his office, I knew that I couldn't go back. I couldn't pretend like nothing had happened, like I hadn't seen what I had seen.
But where did that leave me?
I didn't have answers, and it terrified me. I didn't know what I was supposed to do now. My life had been shattered, broken into pieces, and the one person I thought would hold it together had just torn it all down with his lies and his actions.
I needed space. I needed to breathe. I needed to escape from all of it.
I didn't realize how far I had walked until I found myself at the edge of the city, the cool evening air washing over me, the sounds of traffic distant in the background. I looked around—lost, confused, angry. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I couldn't go back to Damien, not after what had happened.
I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking. The screen lit up with the name "Jess" and I immediately tapped her number, desperate for her to pick up.
She answered on the first ring. "Lily? Are you okay?"
Her voice was like a lifeline. It made everything feel real again.
"I'm not okay," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I need you. Please. I… I don't know what to do."
"Where are you?" Jess asked, her voice tight with concern.
"I don't know," I muttered, looking around in confusion. I hadn't been paying attention to the streets or the landmarks around me. "I just… I need to get away. I need to clear my head. Please, Jess."
"Okay, stay where you are. I'm coming to get you."
The call ended and I stood there, staring into the horizon, my thoughts tumbling over one another. My chest felt tight, suffocated by the emotions I didn't know how to deal with. I couldn't stop thinking about Damien, about what he had done, about how much I had let him in. How had I let him do this to me?
Why had I let myself believe his lies?
I stood still, hoping Jess would come quickly. I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. I couldn't bear it. But more than that, I didn't want to be alone with the broken pieces of myself that I had so carefully tried to stitch together.
It was only a few minutes before Jess pulled up beside me in her car, her headlights cutting through the dimming light of the evening. She didn't say anything as I climbed into the passenger seat, just pulled out of the parking lot and began driving. I didn't ask her where we were going. I didn't care. I just needed to get away.
We didn't speak for a long time. The only sound in the car was the hum of the engine and the soft music playing in the background. I wanted to talk. I wanted to tell her everything, but I didn't have the words. Not yet.
Finally, Jess broke the silence. "What happened, Lily?"
I looked at her, my chest tightening again. She was watching me with such concern, but there was something else in her eyes—a deep, understanding sympathy that made me want to collapse into her arms. I couldn't do that, though. I couldn't be weak. Not now.
"I… I walked in on Damien," I started, my voice barely a whisper. "He was with her. Samantha. His ex-wife. She was… she was there. And they were…" I couldn't finish the sentence. The words felt like they would choke me.
Jess didn't say anything. She just kept driving, her eyes focused on the road, but I could feel her presence next to me, offering me a sense of comfort, even without words.
I turned to look out the window, trying to steady my breathing, to make sense of the chaos in my mind. But the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. How could he do this? How could he look me in the eyes and tell me that he wanted me, that he needed me, when all along he was still tangled up in her? The lies, the deceit—it was like a black hole in my chest that kept sucking me deeper and deeper into the darkness.
When Jess spoke again, her voice was soft, but sharp with anger. "Lily, you have to confront him. You can't let him get away with this."
I shook my head, my hands trembling. "I can't. Not right now. I can't go back there. Not after what I saw."
"I know," Jess said, her voice steady. "But don't let him get away with it. Don't let him control you like that. You deserve so much more than this."
I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. "But I thought… I thought he cared about me, Jess. I thought this was real. I thought we were building something."
"You were," Jess said, her voice full of conviction. "But he wasn't. You were a distraction for him. A toy, a placeholder. He wasn't ever serious about you. He's been playing a game this whole time, Lily."
I shook my head, not wanting to accept the truth, but deep down, I knew she was right. I had been a fool to believe in him, to believe that he could be something more than the man he really was.
We continued to drive in silence, the weight of the conversation hanging between us, until Jess finally pulled into a quiet street. She parked the car and turned off the engine.
I looked at her, not sure what to say. "Thank you, Jess. For being here."
She smiled softly, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "You don't have to thank me. You're my best friend. I'm always here for you."
I nodded, feeling the warmth of her words. But even with her support, there was an emptiness inside of me. A hole that Damien had left, one I didn't know how to fill.
"Do you want to talk more about it?" Jess asked, her voice soft.
I hesitated, my thoughts scattered. I wanted to, but I wasn't ready. Not yet.
"No," I said finally, shaking my head. "Not yet. I need some time. To think."
"Okay," Jess replied gently. "I'm here when you're ready."
I forced a smile and got out of the car, following her up to the apartment. But the whole time, I couldn't shake the feeling that the storm inside of me was just beginning.
And soon, I would have to face the consequences of everything that had been buried beneath the surface.