Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
November 23rd, 2022
Mei Chen’s Fundraiser
T he house was immaculate, polished to a perfection Lilia found absurd. The chandeliers gleamed, the floors shimmered, and an army of waiters weaved through the crowd, serving champagne on silver trays. Guests milled about, smiling, laughing, and exchanging pleasantries, while the distant strains of classical music floated through the air, punctuating the laughter and clinking glasses. The entire evening seemed like a cruel joke to Lilia.
Her mother, of course, was in her element—standing by the grand staircase, entertaining the elite like nothing had changed, as though her daughter wasn’t under a cloud of suspicion, her every movement scrutinized. Lilia sipped her champagne from the corner of the room, tucked away like a forgotten detail in the otherwise pristine picture. Her gown was elegant—floor-length, satin, with a muted shade of burgundy that seemed appropriate for the evening—but she didn’t feel like she belonged in it. She felt trapped, her breath tight in her chest as she watched the world move around her.
“Quite the event, isn’t it?” a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
Lilia glanced up to find Professor Jameson approaching her, a woman by his side, glued to his arm. Lilia raised her glass to her lips but said nothing.
“More like a spectacle,” she muttered, eyes scanning the crowded room before they dropped back to her champagne. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she added quickly, realizing she hadn’t acknowledged the woman beside him.
Jameson chuckled softly, entirely at ease. “I’m not sure you’ve met before. Lilia, this is my girlfriend, Phoebe. Honey, this is Lilia Chen.”
Phoebe stepped forward with a radiant smile, her blonde hair catching the soft light as she extended her hand. Her striking blue eyes seemed to bore right into Lilia. “You wrote that paper on the fragility of human nature that was published in the Hawthorne Review, didn’t you? It was beautiful,” she said, shaking Lilia’s hand warmly. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Lilia felt a twinge of discomfort as she grasped Phoebe’s hand, her smile weak and forced. “Thank you,” she replied quietly. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Jameson’s arm slid around Phoebe’s waist, drawing her closer. “Well, we should make our rounds,” he said with a soft smile. “It was nice seeing you, Lilia. I see you’ve also found suitable attire,” he added, gesturing vaguely to her dress.
Lilia’s lips twitched in a semblance of a smile, though her shoulders slumped slightly under the weight of his gaze. “Thank you,” she murmured.
Jameson gave her a last lingering look before guiding Phoebe away, disappearing into the throng of guests. And just like that, Lilia was alone again. Alone with her thoughts, with the oppressive weight of the night bearing down on her. Her mother was only a few feet away, beaming as she charmed a small circle of admirers, as though her daughter’s life wasn’t slowly unraveling. As though this wasn’t just a distraction from the inevitable, the looming reality that every ticking second brought her closer to the possibility of being locked behind bars.
Lilia shook her head bitterly, setting her empty glass down on a nearby table. Spotting a waiter passing by, she snagged another glass of champagne from his tray without a second thought. Maybe she could forget, just for a little while.
“Easy there, turbo.” A familiar hand reached out, snatching the glass from her hand just as she raised it to her lips.
Lilia looked up to find Sebastian standing before her, his expression halfway between amusement and concern. He was dressed sharply in a suit, his dark hair curling behind his ears in that familiar way that always softened the sharpness of his features.
“You’re the last person who should be commenting on my sobriety,” she muttered, her tone halfhearted but tinged with affection.
Sebastian grinned, twirling the champagne flute between his fingers before setting it back down. “You look handsome, by the way,” she added quietly, tugging at the lapel of his suit. “Very dapper.”
He chuckled, clasping her free hand. “Come on, let’s dance.” He gestured toward the dance floor, where couples were swaying in time to the soft music.
“No,” Lilia groaned, pulling away slightly. “Seb, I really don’t want to.”
“Listen to me,” he whispered, leaning in closer. “If you let them see that they’re getting to you, then they win. So screw them. Come here.” He pulled her gently toward the dance floor, ignoring her weak protests.
Reluctantly, Lilia allowed herself to be drawn into his embrace, her arms slipping around his neck. She could feel the eyes on her, the whispers passing through the crowd like an invisible current. “Everyone is looking,” she murmured.
“Let them look,” Sebastian shrugged, pulling her closer. “Fuck them.”
Lilia scowled, her gaze flickering across the room as she caught people whispering behind raised hands. “They’re probably going to think I’m dating you now,” she grumbled.
Sebastian smirked, leaning in close. “Should we kiss?” he teased.
Lilia glared up at him, punching his shoulder lightly. “Shut up.”
They swayed in silence for a few moments, Sebastian’s chin resting on her shoulder. She could feel his breath warm against her skin, and for a fleeting second, she let herself relax into the comfort of his presence. But then his voice broke the silence, low and hushed.
“He misses you,” Sebastian murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “Like hell.”
Lilia’s eyes darted over Sebastian’s shoulder, finding Augustus standing across the room, sandwiched between his father and older brother. He looked miserable—his eyes sunken and lifeless, his face pale and drawn. He was a ghost of the boy she used to know, and the sight of him made her chest ache with something she couldn’t quite place.
“This is all one big mess,” Lilia whispered, her voice heavy with guilt.
“You should’ve told us,” Sebastian said softly, his words laced with disappointment.
“It was a mistake,” she admitted, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “We just wanted to forget it even happened. It’s not like it mattered that it did—Willow was his only choice anyway.”
Sebastian fell silent, his grip on her tightening slightly as they continued to sway. Then, after a long pause, he spoke again, his voice so low she almost didn’t hear him.
“In five minutes, go to the rose garden,” he said, his tone urgent.
“What?” Lilia pulled back, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“The rose garden,” Sebastian repeated, his eyes glancing over his shoulder. “He’ll meet you there.”
Lilia followed his gaze, her breath catching in her throat as she realized Augustus was no longer standing with his family. He was gone.
“Go,” Sebastian urged, nodding toward the back of the house.
Without thinking, Lilia hiked up her dress, pressing a quick kiss to Sebastian’s cheek before slipping through the crowd, her heart pounding in her chest as she made her way toward the garden.
The night air hit her like a shock to the system, cold and biting as she hurried toward the garden, her dress billowing around her legs as she ran. The soft scent of roses filled the air, mingling with the distant hum of the party still going on inside the house. And for a brief moment, Lilia felt free. Free of the expectations, the whispers, the fear that had been choking her for weeks. Free to just exist, if only for a moment.
She reached the garden, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she slowed to a stop. The roses glowed softly in the moonlight, their petals pale and delicate against the dark sky.
And then she saw him. Augustus. Standing at the edge of the garden, his face bathed in the silvery light of the moon.
Without thinking, Lilia stepped forward, her heart hammering in her chest. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for, and dreading, all at once.
The garden was quiet, the sounds of the party muffled by the walls of the house behind them. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting long, soft shadows across the rosebushes. The sweet scent of the flowers filled the air, but it did nothing to calm Lilia’s racing heart as she stood before Augustus.
They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of everything left unsaid hanging between them like a fragile thread ready to snap.
“You look beautiful,” Augustus said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“Thank you,” she whispered back, her voice soft.
More silence. The air between them grew heavy, charged with tension.
“Are you okay?” Augustus asked, his voice breaking slightly.
Lilia’s gaze dropped to the ground. “Are you?” she countered softly.
“It doesn’t matter.” Augustus’ voice was raw, tinged with something darker—fear, guilt, desperation. “They’re ripping you apart in the media right now. There are articles saying . . . well, I’m sure you’ve seen them.”
Lilia swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. Of course, she had seen them. The headlines, the gossip. How she’d been jealous of Willow. How she wanted Willow dead so that she could have Augustus all to herself. The words felt like poison seeping into her veins, eating away at her.
“I’m fine,” she lied, the words hollow and fragile on her lips.
Augustus shook his head, his expression softening. “You’re horrible at that,” he said, his tone gentle but firm. “You’ve never been the best at lying, especially not to me. So please don’t start now.”
Lilia looked away, her heart aching as the truth clawed its way to the surface. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “I’m not okay. The entire town thinks I killed my best friend—my mother can’t even look at me, and I’m probably going to be arrested.” Her words came out in a rush, a flood of everything she had been holding back.
“I won’t let that happen,” Augustus said, his voice steady, though his eyes betrayed his own uncertainty.
She shook her head, the emotions too much to bear. “I’m not okay,” she finally admitted, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
Augustus took a step closer, his eyes searching hers, pleading. “Tell me what to do,” he whispered, his voice breaking with desperation. They were so close now that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin.
Her pulse quickened, and her breath caught in her throat. The world around them seemed to fall away, leaving just the two of them standing in the garden, the air thick with unspoken words and emotions too powerful to contain.
They were inches apart now, so close she could see the pain in his eyes, the longing etched into every line of his face. Her heart pounded in her chest, and before she could stop herself, she closed the distance between them.
Their lips met in a fierce, desperate kiss—hungry, loving, and filled with every emotion they had been holding back for so long. It was a kiss born of frustration, of fear, of guilt, and of love, all tangled together in a mess of passion. His hands slid up to cup her face, pulling her closer, and she melted into him, losing herself in the warmth of his embrace.
“I love you,” he broke away to whisper.
“Gus . . . ”
“You have ruined me, Lilia Chen. I am completely and utterly ruined by you. I’ve spent every day trying to bury what I feel for you, but I can’t do it anymore. I won’t. This love—this is my truth. I want it all with you, and I need you to know that. In a world where everything else falls apart, my love for you is the one thing I am sure of.”
The kiss resumed, becoming more frantic, more urgent, as if it was the only way they could communicate all the things they had left unsaid. She could feel the pounding of his heart against her chest, matching the frantic rhythm of her own. It was raw, emotional, and all-consuming—an escape from the crushing reality that waited just beyond the garden walls.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless and dazed, their foreheads pressed together, the world seemed to stand still for just a moment. Neither of them spoke, the weight of their kiss lingering in the air, heavy with the things they couldn’t say.
But the moment was fleeting, and soon the reality of their situation crept back in, the weight of it pressing down on them once more. Lilia closed her eyes, her breathing uneven as she tried to steady herself. She didn’t want to let go of this moment—of him—but she knew they couldn’t stay here forever.
“We’re going to be okay,” Augustus whispered, his voice soft but resolute.
Lilia opened her eyes, searching his face, trying to find some shred of comfort in his words. She wanted to believe him, wanted to cling to the hope that they could somehow survive this nightmare together.
But for now, in this brief moment, they had each other. And for the first time in what felt like forever, that was enough.