Chapter 61
As soon as the money arrived , Aria smiled faintly and contacted the store she’d used last time to custom – order a brand new set of equipeñanć .
At Larkridge High School , the dismissal bell rang . Valerin packed up her stuff and looked at Lily . “ Lily , come to my
“ Okay , Ms. Gibbs Lily got up and followed her out .
The classroom exploded into noise ,
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Someone muttered , “ Lily’s dad almost killed Nathan’s sister , and she’s still showing up to class like nothing happened . Coldhearted much ? ”
“ Shouldn’t she be considered Nathan’s sister’s savior , though ?
“ Honestly , it’s weird . Lily looked like she knew her dad was gonna snap . She bolted so fast . ”
“ I was there . I can vouch – it definitely looked like that . ”
The class buzzed with gossip , basically suggesting that yesterday’s whole thing had been staged by Lily and her dad , just to cozy up to the rich and powerful .
Suddenly, Nathan shoved his chair back , the screech cutting through the noise like a knife .
Nathan glared hard at the loudest guy and stormed out , tossing back a cold line . ” you don’t know what happened , shut the hell up . ”
“ I don’t really like you . I don’t want your help . I don’t like you . Nathan could practically hear the words pounding in his head .
Nathan cursed under his breath and kept walking until he found himself standing outside the teacher’s office .
Nathan muttered another curse and was about to turn away when
Lily asked , “ Ms. Gibbs , can I ask for Nathan’s sister’s contact info ? I need to return something to her . ”
* Nathan probably has it . You can ask him , ” Valerie replied
Lily asked again , “ You don’t have it yourself ? ”
–
No , I really don’t , ” Valerie said .
Lilly said , “ Okay then . ”
The conversation stopped . Nathan quickly tiptoed away , scared he’d be accused of eavesdropping
Nathan walked a few more steps , then turned back , humming a random tune and dragging his feet like he was just passing by .
Lily got closer and closer . Then , they brushed past each other .
Nathan stopped and turned to glance back . He thought maybe Lily would ask him for Aria’s contact info … but she didn’t ,
‘ Maybe she thinks Aria and I have a terrible relationship ? It isn’t great , sure … but it isn’t so bad that- “ Nathan thought .
Nathan paused . He thought he didn’t even have Aria’s WhatsApp .
Pulling out his phone , Nathan opened a group chat , found Aria , and sent a friend request.
Nathan murmured , “She only came to the school because of me . It’s normal to add her . Doesn’t mean I’m giving in
After class , Lily got back to the dorm . She didn’t hit the books again .
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Instead , Lily climbed into bed , turned to face the wall , and shut her eyes , thinking about how to get Kathair to give
It was winter . Snow blanketed everything . Ten – year – old Lily , dressed in thin clothes , shivered under a threadbare blanket .
The sound of a key turning the lock made Lily jerk in feat . She clutched the blanket tighter , her small body trembling
After a rustle of movement , the door was kicked open with force , Leon lifted the quilt and pulled her up .
The stench of alcohol hit her like a punch , followed by the sting of a slap and a string of cursos . “ Why the hell didn’t you heat the water ? I bust my ass st day working and you can’t even do that much ? ”
Lily cried and shielded her head , explaining through sobs , “ Dad , the power’s out ! I couldn’t ! ”
Loon kicked her hard , sending her crashing to the floor . “ You’re just like your mom ! Both of you wishing I was dead ! She found herself a new man , laughing behind my back . What the hell was she laughing at ? Huh ? Answer mel ”
Slaps , punches , and kicks rained down on Lily .
yaren’t you talking now ? ” Leon kicked her again , rage twisting his face . “ Tell me , if I killed you , would she come back ? ”
“ Why a
Struggling to lift her head , Lily saw Leon storm into the kitchen .
Terror jolted through her . Lily scrambled up and bolted toward the door . She didn’t want to die .
Through the snow and the night , the little girl ran barefoot , falling , getting back up , running again .
Behind her , Leon’s drunken curses echoed louder and louder , but the houses grew smaller and smaller , and finally , there were no more people in sight
Then , Lily saw something she would never , ever forget . And she stopped dead in her tracks .