Chapter 35: Shattered Secrets and Stolen Moments
980 Words
LILY
Lily stormed into the VIP room, her heart pounding, her mind fuelled by anger and betrayal.
Alina trailed behind, her face a mask of concern, unsure if she should intervene or let Lily unleash the storm that had been brewing for weeks.
Stanley stood near the window, the sunlight casting a melancholic glow over his features.
The air in the room felt heavy, filled with unspoken words and lingering regrets.
But Lily was blind to everything but him, her fury drowning out her surroundings.
"You think you can use me and dump me whenever you like?" she spat, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.
"I am not a toy at your disposal, Stanley. Do you remember when we last met? When you were screaming my name, telling me how much you missed me?"
The room fell into a suffocating silence. Stanley turned slowly; confusion etched on his face.
But Lily wasn't done.
"Do you remember how you whispered that you'd never let me go? How you held me like I was your entire world?" Her voice cracked, but she steadied herself.
"Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Because I'm pregnant with your child. But don't worry—" she added with a bitter laugh, "I want nothing to do with you. I have someone who will stand by me, who will never desert me. Someone who doesn't disappear without a word."
The silence in the room stretched, suffocating.
Stanley didn’t move. Didn’t speak. The only sound was Lily’s ragged breathing, the thundering of her own pulse in her ears.
And then—
A sharp, shattered inhale. A gasp that wasn’t Stanley’s echoed from behind her, cutting through the tension like a blade.
Lily’s spine went rigid.
The sound was delicate. Feminine.
Lily froze, the colour draining from her face. Slowly, she turned her heart lurching, to the source of the sound.
A delicate, beautiful woman sat upright in the hospital bed, her face pale but striking.
Her features were eerily familiar, like a softer, feminine reflection of Stanley.
She looked between them with wide, tear-filled eyes, her lips trembling as if she was about to speak but couldn't find the words.
No. No, no, no.
Ice spread through Lily’s veins as the pieces clicked together. The resemblance. The regal posture despite her frailty. The pain in her gaze.
Stanley's mother.
Lily's heart plummeted into her stomach.
The world tilted, her fury dissipating into cold dread.
She stood there, paralyzed, shame crashing over her like an unforgiving wave.
Her mind screamed at her to say something, to apologize, to explain—but her body acted first.
She ran.
Tears blurred her vision as she bolted from the room, her chest heaving with sobs that refused to be silenced.
Alina called after her, but Lily couldn't stop, couldn't face what she'd just done.
Down the hall, through the corridor, past the curious glances of nurses and patients.
She didn't stop until she reached the empty stairwell, where she crumbled onto the cold steps, gasping for air, her hands shaking.
How could she have been so reckless? How could she have allowed her emotions to blind her so completely?
"Lily!" Alina's voice echoed down the stairwell.
She crouched beside her, wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders.
"It's okay. Just breathe. It's okay."
But it wasn't okay. Nothing was okay.
Lily pressed her hand to her abdomen, her heart aching for the child growing inside her. What kind of mess had she dragged them into?
Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Stanley stood frozen,
The moment Lily disappeared from the room, Stanley’s breath left him in a violent exhale, his legs nearly buckling.
He gripped the edge of the hospital bed, knuckles turning white. His chest was tight, burning, his heart thundering in his chest.
She was pregnant. His child. And she thought he didn’t want them.
Ava’s voice was distant, muffled through the ringing in his ears. You need to fix this.
But all he could hear was the way Lily had said it. I have someone who will stand by me.
His mother still sat on the bed, her delicate hand pressed against her chest, eyes wide with shock.
Ava, his sister, stood near the door, confusion and concern mingling on her face.
The hospital director cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Should I... should I step outside?"
Stanley shook his head, his mind racing. He stepped closer to his mother, his voice low and uncertain. "Mum... are you okay?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes remained locked on the door Lily had just fled through.
Finally, she whispered, "She's pregnant? With your child?"
Stanley swallowed hard, guilt burning his throat. "Yes."
A tear slipped down her cheek, and she turned her gaze to him, her voice breaking. "And she thinks you've abandoned her?"
The weight of her words crushed him.
He had abandoned Lily when she needed him the most. Not by choice, but by circumstance. By duty. By fear.
He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to steady his breathing.
"Mum, I... things have been complicated. Dad's condition, the company... I didn't mean to hurt her."
"But you did," Ava said softly, stepping forward.
"You hurt her, Stanley. And if you care about her, you need to fix this."
Stanley clenched his jaw, his chest heavy with regret. He knew Ava was right.
But the path forward felt like walking a tightrope over jagged cliffs.
Later that evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the hospital, Stanley sat alone in his office.
His mind replayed every moment, every word, every expression on Lily's face. The hurt. The betrayal. The raw vulnerability.
He thought of the child growing inside her. His child. And how he'd already failed them both.
But he wouldn't fail them again.
He couldn't.
Not if it meant losing them forever.
- Writer
