Chapter 7 : Calm in my chaos
1387 Words
Lillian’s POV
My anxiety grew with every step I took toward the living room.
Each step felt like walking toward judgment. My chest tightened, my stomach twisted, and the memories of the posts—the lies, the insults, the criticism—kept repeating inside my head like a broken record.
Those words.
The things they called me.
Whore.
Barren.
Disgrace.
I clenched my hands as I walked, trying to steady my breathing, but it wasn’t working.
When I entered the sitting room, Darian was already there.
He sat calmly on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, his posture relaxed but commanding. His eyes were fixed on his phone, his expression serious as he read something on the screen.
I didn’t need to ask what he was looking at.
It could only be one thing.
The post.
The lies Taryn had written.
And the thousands of comments from people who didn’t even know me, yet felt entitled to destroy me with their words.
My chest tightened even more.
I stood there quietly, unsure if I should interrupt him. He seemed completely absorbed in whatever he was reading.
For a moment I wondered if I should just leave.
But I knew I couldn’t.
I cleared my throat softly, pretending to cough just to get his attention.
Darian lifted his head slowly, his gaze finding me.
And in that moment, I felt completely exposed.
His eyes moved across my face, taking in everything.
The swollen eyes.
The trembling hands.
The fear I was trying desperately to hide.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
And that silence… that silence terrified me more than shouting ever could.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered before he could speak.
The words slipped out automatically.
I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for.
For the humiliation?
For bringing trouble here?
For existing?
Darian’s brow lifted slightly.
“Why are you apologizing?”
His voice was calm. Not cold. Not warm. Just steady.
I blinked, confused.
Huh?
Wasn’t I supposed to apologize?
Why did he ask me that?
Before I could figure out what to say, he spoke again.
“Whatever it is, let’s eat first. The food is ready.”
For a moment I thought I had heard him wrong.
Eat?
Did he just say eat?
My mind froze.
He called me here… for dinner?
Wasn’t this about the post?
Wasn’t he going to question me?
“Why are you still standing there?” his voice interrupted my thoughts.
I blinked again.
“Oh… yeah. I’m coming.”
I quickly walked toward the dining table.
When I reached it, my eyes widened in surprise.
The table was filled with dishes.
Not just random food.
My favorite food.
Every single one of them.
I stared at the dishes in disbelief before looking at him again.
“Thank you, Darian.”
He glanced at me.
“For what?”
“For the food. These are all my favorite.”
“Oh,” he said casually. “I didn’t know.”
I gave a small smile, though I wasn’t sure if I believed that.
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
Or maybe he noticed more than he let on.
We started eating.
The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t peaceful either.
My mind kept wandering back to the post, the insults, the humiliation spreading everywhere.
After a few minutes, Darian suddenly spoke again.
“So tell me,” he said calmly. “Why did you apologize earlier?”
I froze.
“What?”
“You apologized the moment you saw me,” he said, looking at me. “Did you do something wrong behind my back?”
My eyes widened immediately.
“No! No, I didn’t!”
“Then why did you apologize?”
I hesitated.
“You can’t just apologize for nothing.”
I lowered my gaze.
“It was… a mistake.”
He nodded slightly.
“Alright.”
For a moment we returned to eating.
Then Darian spoke again.
“I saw it.”
My hand froze in midair.
“What?”
“The post,” he said simply.
My heart began beating faster.
“I… I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble here.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Ana.”
“But I did,” I insisted softly, my fingers curling into fists. “I brought all this mess here.”
“I said you didn’t do anything wrong.”
His voice was calm, but firm.
Then he asked the question.
“Is any of it true?”
The question was direct.
Not accusing. Not angry.
Just factual.
I looked up at him.
“No,” I said firmly, even though tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
“I have never had an abortion. I never cheated. I am not barren. He barely came home. He was the one who betrayed me.”
Darian watched me quietly.
He didn’t look disgusted.
He didn’t look doubtful.
He was simply studying me.
After a long moment, he nodded once.
“Alright.”
That was it.
No interrogation.
No suspicion.
Just that one word.
Alright.
Something inside my chest loosened slightly.
“You… believe me?” I asked quietly.
“I believe what I see,” he replied. “And I don’t see a woman capable of those things.”
My throat tightened.
Relief mixed with disbelief.
“The comments…” I whispered. “They hate me. Everyone hates me.”
Darian set his phone down and leaned back slightly.
“Strangers on the internet do not know you.”
“But they are destroying me,” I muttered bitterly.
“Only if you let them.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t understand. My reputation—”
“Reputation,” he interrupted calmly, “is not built in a day. And it is not destroyed in a day either.”
I stared at him as his words slowly sank in.
“You endured the divorce,” he continued. “You endured betrayal. Do not let words finish what he started.”
I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.
“I can’t ignore it,” I whispered. “They are calling me names… saying things I can’t even repeat.”
“Then don’t repeat them.”
I let out a weak laugh.
“It’s not that easy.”
“I didn’t say it was easy,” he replied calmly. “I said don’t let it enter you.”
But it already had.
Those words were stuck inside my mind.
Whore.
Barren.
Disgrace.
Green snake.
I felt suffocated.
“They are congratulating him for choosing Emily,” I said bitterly. “They are celebrating me being replaced.”
“And that bothers you?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “Because it feels like I lost. Because it feels like she won. Because it feels like I was erased.”
Darian’s gaze softened slightly.
“You left that marriage,” he reminded me. “Do not act as though you were abandoned.”
His words hit me harder than expected.
It was true.
I was the one who signed the divorce papers.
I was the one who walked away.
But still…
“This public humiliation wasn’t part of the plan,” I said quietly.
“Then you underestimated him,” Darian replied.
It stung.
But it was the truth.
Silence filled the room again.
Finally I asked the question that had been sitting in my chest.
“So… what are you going to do?”
He stood up slowly.
“I don’t know yet,” he said.
“I haven’t figured it out.”
My heart sank slightly.
“Get some sleep,” he added.
“Maybe by tomorrow, you will have thought of what to do.”
“But I can’t sleep now,” I protested quietly. “I’ve been sleeping all day.”
Darian looked at me for a moment.
Then he said something unexpected.
“Then get dressed.”
I blinked.
“For what?”
He turned and began walking away.
“I don’t like questions,” he said calmly.
And with that, he left the room.
Leaving me standing there, confused.
But one question kept repeating in my head.
Why did he ask me to get dressed?
- Writer
