CHAPTER 002
1018 Words
Chapter 002
Lily's POV
The only thing keeping me company in the silent flat is the pleasant hum of the dryer tumbling. My phone buzzes as I fold clothing and carefully stack it on the couch. Looking at the screen, I assume the message is simply another update from Nico's university. Instead I stop.
This is the group text.
I start by seeing a picture. My fingers shake and my heart stumbles as I fixate on the picture. Felipe. my man. kissing Viktoria Balancing on a balcony The same balcony from the hotel we visited before Nico was born. I know that the place is there. The way the sun spills over the building's edge, providing a golden tint across the entire picture, tells me that place exists.
The comments rush in, hearts, congratulations— all of them so... joyful. Felix and Viktoria. Everything is clearly visible.
VICtoria. You are my best friend. She is my lady of honor.
My throat gets tighter. I can't inhale. The air seems overly weighty and thick.
I tap the screen, my fingers stiff, my head whirling. I'm not even sure how I found the motivation to walk to the living room. Nonetheless, I managed to do it. Felix is standing in the kitchen looking as though he has no idea what is about to happen.
My mouth opens. My voice barely whispers. Felix, could you please confirm if this is real?
He doesn’t even flinch. He doesn't even convey a sense of regret. He simply groans and leans against the counter, crossing his arms as though he had done nothing illegal.
“You’ve been more of a roommate than a wife,” he continues, his voice cold. disconnected. As if he is not referencing our shared life. Our family.
I blink, attempting to make sense of what I am hearing. The sound is not occurring. This isn't actual. However, it is true. It’s all real.
"I; What do you imply here? Felix, could you please specify the duration of this situation? How long has this been going on? I'm uncertain whether I should be actively listening for a response.
Felix shrugs, not even looking back in my direction. "Leave it for a moment. Does it really matter? Lily, you are not quite here these days. You've been emotionally distant. It proved simple.
A frigid rage sears through me. "Thus, right now this is my fault. That's it?
His views flare. "You haven't been the same for years. Perhaps I wouldn't have had to look for someone else if you were more focused on us."
I am unable to breathe. The globe whirls around, and all I hear is my heart breaking bit by bit. I still have to finish though.
I'm looking for responses. "What about Felix and Nico? How is our son doing?
Felix sweeps a hand through his hair, his face stiffening. "Nico is already aware. He's not foolish. He observes everything.
My stomach drops. Nico is my beloved son. Does he know? He has known for what length of time?
"Why did you not tell me??" I whisper, my voice barely there. My heart is a giant weight in my chest.
He stares at me then, and there’s no regret in his eyes. “It didn’t matter.”
Like I am suffocating in my own house, I feel the room is closing in on me and I cannot breathe.
Then Nico arrives, staring from me to Felix from big eyes. Though nothing comes out, I want to scream.
"Mom... It's true," he replies gently, his voice low. Dad has been seeing Viktoria for months.
The floor seems to be falling out under me.
I am at a loss for words. What am I supposed to say? Unlike me, my son knew before.
My chest constricted, I turned aside. I have to walk away. I have to leave here now. Unlike this.
I take a bag and only pack what I can handle. It makes no difference what I consume. I simply have to get outside. I cannot remain here, in this house where everything has simply collapsed.
Felix's voice trails me to the door. Lily, you are correcting an error. Do not turn away.
I stop with a hand on the door doorknob but do not turn around. I forward only. I never turn around. If I were to turn around, I risked falling completely apart.
I head off.
I drive though I'm not sure where I'm headed. I have only the strong need to flee from this dream; I do not have a strategy.
Ultimately I find myself at Ralph's residence. My brother. I always swore to one person; I never would go back to. However, I am still present here. As I draw into the driveway, my hands are quivering.
I go without thinking about knocking. I enter the unlocked door, seeking comfort. But I hear it right away when I walk inside.
Notes. delicate. Like the wind, just it is not.
My name is:
"Lilly..."
I froze. My heart beats, my pulse hammering in my ears. The sound comes from outdoors, from the nearby trees in the garden.
The hairs on the back of my neck seem to have come alive.
I'm not sure if it's wind or anything else. Anything more. But I feel it.
I try to ignore the cold that is creeping up my spine as I move back toward the door.
It's simply a breeze here. It really must be.
Still, the sensation persists even as I go about the home trying to ignore the cold that has sunk deep within me.
"Lily?." Ralph yells in his voice. He must have heard me come in.
I turn around, feigning a smile. “Yeah, just... I need to sit down for a second.”
But my head is somewhere else. The murmurs are still whispering in my thoughts. Why did they start the instant I entered this house again? Today? Why now?
Is there else waiting for me here or just the wind?
And should it be... what then does it desire?
- Writer
