Chapter 28: Before the Silence
1166 Words
Lily woke to the scent of freshly brewed coffee and the soft shuffle of footsteps approaching.
She opened her eyes as the morning sunlight filtered through the curtains as Stanley brought breakfast to Lily's bedside, a tray in his hands with a steaming breakfast spread. His smile was tender, eyes tracing her face as if memorizing it anew.
"Good morning, love," he whispered, setting the tray beside her. "You deserve a feast after last night."
She smiled sleepily, heart fluttering with the warmth of being cared for. He helped her sit up, fluffing the pillows behind her, and fed her small bites of toast and fruit.
The intimate simplicity made her heart ache with love.
The warmth of his gaze made her cheeks flush. "Eat up, love," he whispered.
After breakfast, Stanley leaned closer, brushing a stray hair from her face. "Come on, let me help you wash up." he carried her to the bathroom, helping her undress.
The bathroom filled with steam, the scent of lavender soap curling into the air. Stanley's hands were gentle, his fingers tracing her curves with reverence as he lathered her skin.
His lips followed, pressing soft, lingering kisses to each place his hands touched.
Every brush of his fingers, every kiss, stoked the fire between them, the sensation intimate and consuming.
He washed her slowly, carefully avoiding her injuries but lingering over every untouched curve.
"You have no idea what you do to me," he murmured, his voice thick with desire.
When he knelt to rinse her legs, his kisses turned bolder, and Lily trembled beneath his touch.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, her breath hitching as he explored her body with worshipful reverence.
"Stanley..." Her laughter mixed with soft gasps, filling the space with desire and tenderness.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, rising to capture her mouth in a deep kiss. He guided her under the spray, holding her as if she were made of glass and fire all at once.
When they stepped from the shower, Stanley wrapped her in a towel, his eyes lingering on her curves.
Stanley suddenly remembered the family ring he had left at his mother’s
"Wait here," he said with a playful grin. He returned moments later with a small piece of paper, his eyes glinting with mischief.
Dropping to one knee, he took her hand, wrapping the paper like a makeshift ring around her finger.
"Lily, will you marry me with this makeshift ring until I can do it properly?"
he said, his voice rich with humour and affection.
Lily's laughter echoed through. Lily laughed through tears and accepted, the joy in her heart eclipsing the mock proposal's humour.
"Yes," she whispered, her eyes shining with emotion.
They shared a kiss, sweet and unhurried, their foreheads pressed together in a moment that felt suspended in time.
Then, reality shattered the magic. His phone buzzed, sharp and urgent. He ignored it at first, unwilling to break the moment. But when the screen flashed again, his face drained of colour.
Lily saw the shift instantly. His entire posture changed—shoulders tensing, fingers twitching at his side.
"Stanley?" she asked softly, fear creeping into her voice. "What’s wrong?"
He swallowed hard. For a moment, he looked torn—like he wanted to tell her, to let her in. But then he shut down, masking the storm beneath practiced control.
"I—I'm sorry," he murmured, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "I have to go."
"Stanley, wait—"
But he was already pulling on his shirt, his movements rushed, frantic.
"I promise I'll explain later," he said. But even as he said it, his voice was laced with guilt.
And with that, he was gone.
Confused, Lily watched him leave, her heart heavy with worry.
Moments later, her phone rang. It was her mother, her voice thick with emotion.
"Are you okay, Lily? We've been so worried. Please come home."
Lily fought back tears, assuring her mother and siblings that she was safe. Yet, her mother's sobs echoed through the line, breaking Lily's heart.
After the call ended, the silence was deafening.
Needing comfort, Lily called Zain. His voice was heavy with concern.
"I'll be there in ten," he promised.
When he arrived, his brows furrowed with worry, his jaw tight. As he helped her gather her things, he broke the silence.
"Lily," he asked softly, "why do you keep going back to him? Why do you let him hurt you?"
Her eyes filled with tears, but she had no answer. Not one she could articulate.
She wanted to believe in Stanley, in love, but the weight of uncertainty pressed heavily on her chest.
Zain didn’t push further. He only offered his steady presence, helping her out and into the car.
As they drove, the tension sat between them, heavy and silent.
---
Meanwhile, Stanley was thrown into chaos.
Stanley drove like a man possessed, the roads a blur. His heart hammered as Marcus's words echoed in his mind—his parents had been in an accident. His father was in a coma, his mother bedridden.
The weight of fear and responsibility crushed his chest, each breath a struggle.
When he arrived at the hospital, chaos greeted him.
Doctors, nurses, family friends—all clustered in concerned huddles. His mother lay pale and silent, her arm bandaged, her face a map of pain. His father, motionless, hooked to machines that breathed for him.
Stanley's world tilted.
Suddenly, his life wasn't just his own.
Stanley drowned under the weight of responsibilities, the business, the legacy, the weight of the empire—all of it landed squarely on his shoulders. He didn’t have the luxury of grief. There were meetings to attend, strategies to consider, investors to reassure.
And Lily...
His heart ached, but there was no time.
Her messages flooded his phone, her calls came one after another, but he couldn't answer. He couldn’t bear to show her this side of his life, the chaos and darkness.
Not yet.
His mind was consumed, his heart split in two. He disappeared into his duties, ignoring Lily's calls and messages, each one a stab to his conscience.
---
The days bled into weeks, weeks into two long, silent months.
Lily's heart ached with every unanswered message, every missed call.
Doubt consumed her, but deep down, a small ember of hope refused to die, even as the silence between them stretched into shadows.
Had she been wrong to trust him again?
This was a man who had just promised her the world, then suddenly disappear silently into the night.
Confusion gnawed at her heart, every unanswered message like a knife twisting deeper. She wanted to believe in him, in them, but the silence was a wall she couldn't break through.
She didn’t know that Stanley fought battles she couldn’t see, shouldering a world that was crumbling under the weight of loss and duty.
And neither of them knew that the tragedy was far from over.
- Writer
