Chapter 73
Chapter Seventy-Three
Lily
“Get me out of here,” I mutter as soon as I open my eyes. I don’t care who’s here to hear me.
Stasia yawns and rubs the back of her neck, tilting her head from side to side. “Well, once you have clearance to be discharged, that’s the first thing I’ll do,” she replies with exhaustion and humor.
Selene sits on the opposite side of the bed and takes my hand gently, her touch warm and reassuring. “We almost lost you there.” Her eyes are puffy and red.
“Where’s Serafina?” My voice rises in pitch as panic sets in. “Is she with Mom?” They exchange a knowing look.
“She’ll be staying with me,” Stasia finally replies with a steady tone. “She moves into her dorm at the University next week for orientation.”
My eyes begin to swell and a knot forms in my throat as I nod. Both my sisters hold my hand and stand over me. One brushes through my hair tenderly, while the other brings our entwined hands to her cheek.
“You’re welcome to stay as well,” Stasia offers to me.
“Or if you want more privacy,” Selene adds with a hint of practicality, “you can stay with me and have the third floor of the house. We never use it.”
I notice Selene’s wrist is bandaged. “What happened?” My concern deepens
Stasia bursts into laughter as she teases. “Only Selene would hurt herself after bitch slapping someone.”
“Who??” I question. It’s out of character for Selene to ever resort to violence.
“Take a wild guess. She’s not in this room,” Selene replies, maintaining her characteristic sweetness, yet I can hear a hint of amusement.
“So you know what she did,” I reply, lowering my gaze.
“Honestly, it’s not as bad as what she’d normally do,” Stasia injects.
“I could have forgiven her. Gambling is an addiction.” I clear my throat. “But expecting me to marry Alessio to clear a debt…”
When I look up, neither one of my sisters holds a judgmental or pitying look in their eyes. Instead, they seem almost relieved that I’ve finally come to my senses.
“Now that you see her true colors, why don’t we tell you the rest?” Stasia says in a more serious tone.
And they do. Both my sisters finally confess all the treacherous things our so-called mother has done over the years. The manipulations, betrayals, and lies that have woven a web of deceit. By the end of it, I am in tears.
“What will happen to her now?” I ask as I think of our fractured family.
“Permanent house arrest,” Stasia states firmly. “We have paid off her debt to avoid anyone else coming after us. And she will never be able to leave the house without supervision again.”
“That doesn’t sound like something you’d do.” I arch a brow.
Selene chuckles before turning serious. “Stasia practically wanted to burn her at the stake, but we need to look out for Serafina. Just as Stasia did for me and what we did for you.”
“How can you let her get away with it?” I try to sit up in the hospital bed.
They help me adjust, making sure I’m comfortable with their hands steady on me.
Stasia takes a deep breath as if gathering her thoughts. “Dad often said, ‘We learn through making the mistakes, not by the warnings of our mentors.’ Maybe it wasn’t the right choice in this scenario, but I think that’s what Dad would recommend.”
Selene looks at me. “Did you want to see her?”
“Would it be awful if I said no?” I reply with a heavy heart.
“We don’t want you to regret not saying anything to her face,” Selene replies. “Cameron has her outside in case you change your mind.”
“You think I should?” I furrow my brows. Uncertainty swirls inside me.
“We said our peace.” Stasia nods at the memory. “And it was surprisingly refreshing. I can actually look at her without wanting to murder her.”
I nod slowly. “Okay. Let her in.”
Selene steps out, and when she comes back, there is Mom, following in behind her. Mom stands at the edge of my bed, her lips pressed into a thin line, arms crossed. She says nothing, her eyes on me like I’m the biggest inconvenience in her life.
“Good to see you too,” I mutter, shifting to try and put a little more distance between us, my leg protesting in pain. “Do you love? Any of us?”
Mom’s eyebrows climb, and she turns her attention to Stasia. “Are you trying to turn all my daughters against me?”
“Oh, this is all your doing,” Stasia replies, placing her hands on her hips.
Mom shifts her attention back to me. “I love you all more than I love my own self. Whether you believe that or not is up to you.” Her voice cracks.
“I dug myself into a hole and tried to get out of it. You happened to get caught in the wildfire. It wasn’t right, and I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting it.
” She looks between Stasia and Selene. “Same goes for you both.”
None of us reply at first, feeling the weight of her words on our shoulders. Despite this all, I feel bad for my mom.
I clear my throat. “Be honest, Mom, were we just trophies for you?”
“You’re all my biggest pride and joy. If you felt like I was using you all as pawns to feed my own ego, that’s not how I see it.”
“What is Serafina going to be told?” I question the room.
Selene replies, “Mom will help pack up the car with all her things to move into the dorm. After that, she is to have minimal contact with Serafina.”
Mom speaks up. “Should you choose to never speak to me again, Lily, I’ll respect that. Just know I’ll never stop loving you.” Now tears swell up in her eyes.
“I don’t know how to feel right now,” I confess.
“Well then, I’ll just wait for you to reach out if that’s what you choose.” She places a hand on my foot, giving it a grip of affection. “Hope to see you around, Lily.”
I watch her walk out and not even spare me a glance back. As soon as the door shuts, the tension in the room clears. Wiping away tears, I sniffle. There’s a knock on the door. We all look at each other, and then Selene goes to open it. She lets the person in.
“Lily,” Alessio’s voice breaks through the stillness, a warm smile lighting up his face. “That was a scare.”
He strides over to me, his hand reaching out, enveloping mine in a comforting grasp.
But as I look into his eyes, a tide of guilt crashes over me, relentless and suffocating.
Alessio has shown me nothing but kindness, his heart wide open, yet I am trapped in a lie I can no longer sustain.
How do I tell him that my heart belongs to another? That I cannot marry him?
“Can we have the room?” he asks my sisters, and they nod, slipping out like shadows. Alone now, the weight of the world presses down on me, nausea swirling in my stomach.
“Lily,” he begins, his voice steady yet laced with vulnerability. “You know I love you. And I know you love me, but…” he hesitates, the truth hanging heavy in the air. “You don’t love me like you love him.”
My heart races, each beat echoing the pain of what I must say. “I’m so sorry, Alessio. You deserve so much better than this.”
“I do,” he admits, his gaze unwavering. “And so do you.” He straightens, resolve etched across his features.
“I spent all night thinking. If we marry, you’ll spend the rest of your life resenting me for taking you away from him.
I won’t have that. I’d rather keep you as a friend than not have you in my life at all. ”
I grip his hand tightly, a desperate plea in my eyes. “So, you don’t hate me?”
His smile is soft, yet it carries the weight of unspoken love. “I could never hate you. Killian, on the other hand…” A gentle laugh escapes his lips, but it’s tinged with a hint of seriousness. “If he screws up, he knows I’ll come after him.”
“Is he here?” I ask, a mix of hope and fear clawing at my insides.
“He’s tying up a few loose ends before he leaves,” Alessio replies, his tone serious. “It was part of our deal.”
“Deal?” I echo, confusion swirling within me.
“If I let him save you, he’d leave,” he confesses, each word slicing through my heart. “All his resources and territory are now mine. All of that just to spare his life for your sake.”
My heart swells at his sacrifice, gratitude flooding my veins. “Thank you, Alessio.” But then, the weight of his words sinks in. “He’s leaving?” My eyes widen in disbelief.
“He’s passing his title to Donal and rerouting everything to New York. Then he’s off back to Ireland.” Alessio pulls out two plane tickets, the finality of it all crashing over me. “I hope you come back to visit when he’s in town.”
I take the tickets, my name and Killian’s glaring back at me on a one-way flight to Ireland. “So he’s allowed back?”
Alessio smirks, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “As long as you’re with him and he treats you well. I’m keeping him on as a consultant. We’ll see where that takes us down the line.”
Overwhelmed by a surge of emotion, I lean forward and pull him into a tight embrace, my heart aching with the bittersweet weight of it all.
“Be good, Lily,” Alessio whispers as he pulls away, his lips brushing my forehead in a tender farewell. In this moment, I realize how deeply he cares for me, and the enormity of what I’m losing settles in my chest like a heavy stone. The love I have for Alessio will forever be bittersweet.