Twisted Vows

Chapter Four

“I think he's obsessed with you.” Ava said. She had been watching them the whole time, holding two cups of coffee in her hands. She had gone to get them for both Lily and herself so they could study together and have some coffee time.

“No, he's not obsessed with me, Ava.”

“Yes he is, you can't tell me you didn't see the way he was staring at you in class the whole time.” She said, handing her the cup of coffee. Her mind flashbacks to Peter and the way he stared at her, she saw the same man she had slept with and the way he was so vulnerable that night. She felt something real like the way she had felt the other night.

“He was only asking if I was okay, and besides I'm way beyond his type he can't be obsessed with me.” She said as she collected the coffee from her and was sighing tiredly.

“If you say so… That reminds me. You've been acting really strange today, what's going on?”

Her heart skipped a beat. She hated the fact that everyone was making her remember her little secret which made her feel so much guilt, she wanted to feel regrets but then again she couldn't. That night was something special to her, something she had never felt before. She couldn't say she felt love but it was real__to her in fact it was everything she could ever dreamed of.

“Me? Strange? Nah… I'm perfectly alright.” Ava stared at her strangely, because Lily acted really weird and funny. She could never tell her bestie she spent with Peter last night, not that she didn't want to tell her but couldn't bring herself too. She checked her phone and found out she was late for work. “Oh no! I'm late for work.”

“But we haven’t ev…”

Cuts in. “I've really got to go or I'll be a dead meat tonight.” She said as she scurried up as fast as her legs could carry her.

---

Lily’s heart raced as she hurried up the stone steps leading to the Keller mansion. The grand estate loomed above her, its towering pillars and pristine façade casting a shadow over her as the late afternoon sun dipped low. She fumbled with her backpack, her fingers trembling as she checked her watch. She was late. By just a few seconds, but she knew it would be enough to set Calissa off.

She had run from school as fast as she could, her legs burning with every step, but the traffic lights had slowed her down, and now she was dreading what awaited her inside.

Steeling herself, she pushed open the heavy front door. The moment she stepped into the grand foyer, the air seemed to shift, thick with tension. Her pulse quickened, and her breath caught in her throat as the familiar, cold voice of Calissa Keller cut through the silence.

"Forty seconds late."

Lily froze mid-step, her heart pounding as she turned toward the source of the voice. There stood Calissa, poised and immaculate in her designer dress, her eyes narrowed with disdain. Beside her, Nicole leaned casually against the banister, a smug grin stretching across her face. She looked Lily up and down with a scornful gleam in her eye, like a cat toying with its prey.

Lily opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could utter a word, Calissa’s voice grew louder, filled with icy fury.

"How dare you walk in here late, like you have no respect for this family!" Calissa’s sharp tone reverberated through the grand hall, each word landing like a blow.

Lily flinched, her feet glued to the floor as Calissa’s words washed over her. She tried to form a response, but her throat felt tight, and her voice caught.

"I’m sorry, Mrs. Keller," Lily finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper. "The lights—"

"Excuses!" Calissa snapped, her eyes flashing. "You think we’re running a charity here? You’re here because of our generosity, and this is how you repay us? Late, ungrateful, useless!"

Lily shrank back, her chest tightening with anxiety. She hated this—hated the way Calissa looked at her, like she was nothing, like she was a burden they had to tolerate. Her stomach churned with the familiar sense of helplessness that always came when she was caught in Calissa’s crosshairs.

Nicole, standing by with her arms crossed, let out a low, mocking laugh. "It's bad enough you want to look so much like me. Now you're acting like a decent maid. Mother, maybe you should punish her more. She clearly doesn't learn her lesson. Why don’t you teach her how to respect you properly?"

Lily felt her cheeks burn with humiliation as Nicole’s words hit her like a slap. She glanced toward her, but Nicole’s smirk only widened. Her laughter was sharp and cruel, echoing in the hallway.

"You know, Lily," Nicole said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness, "I think you’d be better off just leaving if you can’t even follow simple instructions."

"That’s enough, Nicole," Calissa barked, but there was a glimmer of approval in her eyes. She turned back to Lily, her lips curling into a sneer. "Maybe Nicole’s right. Maybe we’ve been too lenient with you. Nicole's fiance will be here very soon, we can't have him confusing him with your copy cat face.”

“Please stop.” Lily pleaded her voice sober and almost teary.

Lily’s eyes widened as Calissa took a step closer, her hand lifting in a menacing gesture. Panic flared in Lily’s chest. “Stop what?” Calissa asked. Lily knew what was coming—Calissa had hit her before, but never in front of Nicole. This time, though, the anger in her eyes was more than Lily had ever seen, and she braced herself for the blow.

But before Calissa’s hand could connect, a deep, authoritative voice echoed through the hall, freezing everyone in place.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Lily’s heart lurched as Peter Blackwell’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. He stood in the entrance, his tall frame casting a commanding presence as he looked directly at Calissa, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

Calissa’s hand dropped instantly, her face flushing with embarrassment. She stumbled back a step, startled by the intensity of Peter’s tone. Nicole straightened up, her smug expression faltering as her eyes darted nervously between her mother and Peter.

"Mr Blackwell," Calissa stammered, her voice suddenly sweet and soft, as though she could mask what had just happened. "I... I was just trying to correct her. She was late again, and we can’t have that, now can we?"

Peter’s gaze didn’t waver from Calissa, his eyes dark and unreadable. "You were about to hit her." His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it that made the air around them feel heavy.

Calissa’s mouth opened, then closed as she struggled for words. "I—I wouldn’t have—"

"Don’t lie to me." His words were quiet but filled with authority, making even Nicole tense beside her mother.

“Peter!” Nicole ran to his embrace stopping from raising another voice at her mother just because of Lily. “You're here.”

“Yes, Mr Blackwell. We're happy to have you here, it's such an honor.”

Lily could barely breathe as Peter turned his attention to her, his expression softening just slightly. "Lily, are you alright?"

Her throat felt tight, and for a moment, all she could do was nod. The tension was so thick, it felt like she was standing in the eye of a storm.

"Go upstairs," Peter said, his gaze never leaving Calissa's. "I’ll handle this."

Lily hesitated, glancing nervously at Nicole, who was glaring daggers at her, then at Calissa, who still seemed too stunned to speak. But Peter’s presence gave her the courage to move. Without another word, she nodded, turned, and hurried toward the stairs, her legs trembling beneath her.

As she ascended the staircase, she could still hear the murmur of Peter’s low voice, calm but firm, as he continued to speak to Calissa. She didn’t know what he was saying, but she knew one thing for certain.

Peter Blackwell had just saved her from something far worse than being late.