chapter five
1080 Words
Lily started to wake up. It was still morning, and the sun had not yet quite come up, yet her thoughts were already running. Her dreams were messy, the laughter of Daniel and the jangling of glasses in the ballroom tumbled around with the intense stare of Sebastian on the rooftop. She turned slowly in bed, the sheets soft but cold beside her. As expected, Sebastian had not returned to their shared suite last night.
She did not know whether she should feel relieved or hurt.
Her feet were bare, and she slipped into a silk robe in the armchair. It was a silent house--too silent. Her bare feet touched the marble floor, and she pulled on the silk robe left on the armchair. The house was too quiet—too quiet. The sort that curled and stretched like smoke over the brain. She entered the kitchen, but paused when she heard someone come down the stairs. It wasn't Sebastian. And she knew the sound of the help—they moved with practiced silence.
This... was different.
She went up the staircase cautiously, her hands touching the smooth glass railing. Below stood a man in a beige coat. Broad shoulders. Familiar presence, but not someone she recognized outright.
She was facing his back, yet how he glanced around the art pieces in the hallway seemed... intimate.
The butler came through the side hall, startled. “Sir, you weren’t expected—”
“I don’t need an appointment to visit my own brother’s house,” the man said smoothly, turning.
Lily froze.
Brother?
His eyes moved to hers, as though he had been expecting to see her there.
‘Hello,’ he said, in a voice little more than a whisper, but authoritative. “You must be the wife.”
Lily descended slowly, feeling as though every step made the floor colder.
“I’m Adrian Blackwood,” he said, extending a hand. “Sebastian’s older brother.”
She hesitated, then shook it. “Lily.”
He studied her, head tilted. “I know.”
She blinked.
Adrian held that gaze for an extra moment before he looked away. I am sorry, I have come unexpectedly. I just got back from Tokyo last night. Heard some... interesting news from Ava.”
The name stung.
"Is this your business?" she asked, calming her voice.
Adrian’s lips curled faintly. “Everything is my business when it comes to Sebastian. And Ava.” He walked slowly around the grand piano in the hallway, fingers grazing the top as he studied her. “You know, you look... different than I imagined.”
Lily’s chest tightened. “How did you imagine me?”
He paused, then said, “Less... honest.”
“What do you mean?”
Adrian stopped, finally fixing his sharp eyes on hers. “You’re not like Marianne. Or Ava. "You don’t play games, do you?” His voice softened. “That’s dangerous in this family.”
Lily remained silent.
He walked past her then, toward the door.
“I shouldn’t be here. "Sebastian would lose it when he finds out. He paused with one hand on the knob. “But I’ll leave you with this...”
She held her breath.
“Don’t trust everything," he says. Especially about Marianne. Not all ghosts stay dead.”
The door closed behind him.
Sebastian did not come home till late in the evening. He was as dashing as ever, but his tie was undone, and his eyes were darker than usual.
Lily was sitting in the living room, curled up on the couch, reading through Daniel’s hospital report. “Long day?” she asked carefully.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he went to her, pulled the report from her hands, and placed it on the table.
“Don’t worry about him tonight.”
“I’m always worried,” she murmured.
“I know.”
He took a seat beside her, too close. She could smell the faint scent of cologne and scotch.
Then, out of nowhere: “Did anyone visit?”
Lily blinked. “Why?”
“I have cameras,” he said simply.
Lily’s mouth parted.
“So why ask me?”
He met her gaze. “Because I want to know if you’ll lie.”
She drew a slow breath. “Your brother came by.”
Sebastian’s face went stiff.
‘He didn't stay long,’ she added quickly. “He said... some strange things.”
“What did he say?”
“That not all ghosts stay dead.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened. He suddenly rose and went up to the fireplace. “He should’ve stayed in Tokyo.”
“Why does he think you’re hiding something from me?” Lily asked, her voice low.
“Because Adrian sees ghosts where there are none.” His tone was clipped. “He’s always done that.”
Lily stood. “You said the contract was about honesty.”
Sebastian turned to her, eyes locked. “You want the truth?”
She nodded.
He took a breath. “Then here it is. Adrian was in love with Marianne. That’s the secret. And she chose me.”
Lily felt her spine straighten. “Then why did Ava say you were going to marry Marianne?”
“Because she believed it too.”
He stepped closer. “Marianne and I had history. But history doesn’t mean destiny. I broke things off a week before she died. Ava never forgave me for it.”
Lily swallowed. “And the locked door?”
“Not now.”
“You promised—”
“Lily.” His voice dropped dangerously low. “Some truths are weapons.”
She flinched.
Then, barely audible: In a very low tone: I am not ready to bleed.
Lily looked at him with a pounding pulse.” Neither am I.”
That night, as Sebastian retreated to his study, Lily remained in her room. Her thoughts chased her like shadows.
Adrian. Ava. Marianne.
Sebastian’s secrets weren’t buried—they were burning beneath her feet.
But she couldn’t leave. Not with Daniel still in that hospital bed. Not when the money meant keeping him alive.
Instead, she made a decision.
Tomorrow, she'd return to the hospital, not just for Daniel, but to speak to the nurse. Ask questions. Dig deeper.
She needed to find out what Marianne had to do with her brother.
Because if there was one thing Lily had learned...
In Sebastian's world, nothing was ever just a coincidence.
- Writer
