Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Last night with Lucas was incredible.
The ideas he gave me about the cafe—I can't wait to speak with Nettie about it. I hope she likes the idea. I want to get started planning now.
I wanted nothing more than to get lost completely kissing him, but something stopped me.
Was I ready to dive into a new relationship?
All of this stuff with Lola is like a shadow just hanging around.
Of course it is my own doing. I chose to write under a pen name.
I chose to keep it a secret and not tell him yet.
Soon. I will have to tell him soon.
Luckily today is not that day.
The café finally quiets after the morning rush.
The machine stops hissing; the air smells like cinnamon, and fresh flowers.
I move with ease, stacking mugs, humming under my breath, nudging the pastries into neat little rows.
A cool edge hangs at the doorway, but the sun coming through the front glass means it's almost spring.
My phone buzzes in my apron pocket.
LUCAS: Still thinking about last night.
I read it twice and then tuck the phone away before I can spiral.
‘Earth to Lilah,’ Marley calls from the pastry case, smirking. ‘You’ve been emotionally gazing at carbs for, like, a full minute.’
I laugh. ‘Just thinking.’
‘Well, think less. Wipe more.’
I pick up a cloth and swipe the counter, the weight in my chest lighter than it’s been in weeks. ‘Oh, must’ve missed the staff update,’ I tease. ‘When did you start working here?’
The bell over the door jingles. I look up to greet the new customer. My spine tightens before my brain catches up.
Justin.
He strolls in like he never left anything broken behind.
Calm and smiling in his navy blazer, his hands in his pockets. ‘Still doing the almond croissants?’ he asks, eyes on me.
My blood goes cold. I grip the counter harder than I mean to.
Marley straightens behind the register. ‘We’re sold out,’ her tone could freeze milk.
Justin leans on the counter. ‘Figured I’d swing by. Thought we could talk.’
Wrong café for a redemption arc.
Marley must have been thinking the same thing. ‘Not really the time,’ she snaps.
‘I won’t be long,’ Justin replies smoothly, glancing at me. ‘You’ve been busy, haven’t you?’
A flicker of shame blooms in my chest, not because I’d done something wrong, but because for a second, I feel caught and exposed. Like I’d left a door unlocked and he’d walked right through it.
He taps his fingers on the counter, casually. ‘I saw Marley’s TikTok about this book. The writing felt eerily similar to things I’ve heard you say.’
I freeze. Unsure what to say.
‘I thought I should read it, you know.’ He continues tapping his fingers. ‘The Year Before You…’ He lets his words hang.
I blink. ‘You knew about the book the whole time I was writing it.’
‘Sure,’ he spits out. ‘But I didn’t know how big it would get, so fast. Suddenly everyone’s obsessed with Lola Reid and her devastating honesty.’ His smile curdles. ‘Imagine finding out your relationship’s been rewritten into a paperback and you’re the villain readers love to hate.’
My voice is steady, almost quiet. ‘You were gone before the first review even came in. Don’t pretend the story changed you.’
Justin’s jaw twitches. ‘You should’ve told me.’
‘I did,’ I say. ‘You just didn’t care until other people did.’ I take a breath. ‘You’re the one who left, Justin. You used my words to walk away. Why does it matter now?’
He leans in slightly, lowering his voice, ‘You think your little fanbase will still fawn over you when they know Lola Reid isn’t some mysterious author? That it’s just you, hiding behind a pen name so no one sees the cracks?’
‘You mean the ones you left?’ Marley shoots back. ‘Real classy.’
Justin ignores her. ‘I could tell them.’
My stomach drops. The words weren’t loud, but they landed like a slammed door. He’s always knew how to weaponise silence. Now he is using my own story as leverage.
‘You won’t,’ Marley says coldly. ‘Because deep down, you know this has never been your story.’
Justin steps back, shaking his head. ‘Maybe not. But she made damn sure I’d be remembered in it.’
I meet his gaze. ‘Literally no one knows that I’m Lola, and no one’s assuming you are the ex in the story.’
‘What is it that you want Justin? To let people know you are the piece of shit ex- boyfriend?’ Marley snaps.
His smirk sharpens. ‘Come clean, Lilah, or I’m sharing your dirty little secret with the world. Maybe get a viral video of my own.'
‘Viral something,’ Marley mutters. ‘But I don’t think it’s in the form of a TikTok. Such a dick.’
‘You are going to post a video about me, that’s it?’ I ask him.
He huffs. ‘I want money.’
‘Money? You want money?’
‘Yes, one hundred thousand. You owe me that much. I deserve a cut, seeing as though you wrote it about me.’
‘Absolutely not,’ Marley responds.
‘You have forty-eight hours,’ he retorts, as he storms out.
As the door clicks shut, Marley moves to my side. ‘Hey. Are you breathing?’
I nod, but my hands are shaking. Marley takes them gently, grounding me.
‘I didn’t write him into that book,’ I whisper. ‘I wrote what I didn't have it in me to do.’
A long pause stretches between us. Nettie steps out from the back, apron dusted with flour, her brow furrows. ‘Everything alright out here?’
Marley opens her mouth, but I speak first. ‘Just a bit of a rough morning.’
Nettie looks between us for a moment, then nods slowly. ‘Well, I just finished today’s prep. Why don’t you take the rest of the shift off, Lilah?’
I hesitate, not because I don’t want to leave, but because leaving used to feel like giving up. But maybe now, it could mean something else.
Choosing peace, I say, ‘Are you sure?’
She gives me a kind smile. ‘Go and breathe. You’ve been holding a lot lately. I can see it in your shoulders.’
Marley raises a brow. ‘Told you your stress posture is loud.’
‘I’ll cover the rest of the day,’ Nettie assures me. ‘And Marley, if you're staying, make yourself useful and stop rearranging the croissants into inappropriate shapes.’
Marley gasps. ‘They're abstract.’
I peel off my apron with trembling fingers, tucking the journal deeper into my bag, and follow the light spilling through the door. Not because I have a plan, but because I can't stay small in the places I’d grown out of.
Journal Entry - Saturday 6th of September
Telling the story is the brave part. Writing it down and publishing it, watching strangers underline my heartbreak and call it profound. The real courage is standing behind it when someone tries to twist it into something it never was.
Justin didn’t break the truth. He just reminded me why I built a world to escape it. But I’m tired of hiding behind chapters and pen names. I want to live out loud. Even if my voice shakes, even if not everyone claps. This story is mine. It always was.
xx