Chapter 841: Heartbreak
Lily knew something was wrong. The feeling gnawed at her, a deep, persistent tension in her stomach making her feel queasy. The doctor had said her father would be okay, so why did she feel like everything was about to fall apart? She couldn’t explain it, but she couldn’t ignore it anymore either. A short nap had offered some rest and with that a clarity that something was definitely up and so the unease had returned as soon as she woke up.
Needing answers, Lily walked quickly to her mother’s hospital room. Her mother lay motionless, her face pale and tired, as if the past few days had aged her years. Lily’s eyes went to the small purse on the chair. She reached for it and rummaged through it, finding her phone. A quick press of the power button confirmed it was dead.
"Figures," she muttered. Glancing at her mother, who remained still, Lily hurried out to the small store downstairs, bought a charger, and returned. She plugged in the phone and waited as the screen stayed black, each second dragging. Her eyes darted back to her mother, who shifted slightly, a frown creasing her forehead. The sight made Lily’s heart ache.
If her father insisted on the divorce after he woke up, things would only get worse. Her mother had already suffered so much—losing Lily’s older sister and then the distance that had grown between them. Their family was fragile, and Lily feared what the coming days would bring. Even though this woman had long stopped loving her, she could not help but feel for her.
She stepped closer to the bed and gently brushed her mother’s hair back, wondering how she would face what was coming. Maybe she could try and convince her father again to give her a chance. With him sick for now, it would even give her mother something to focus on, someone to take care of. That would be good for her.
Her mother’s hand twitched slightly in her sleep, and as Lily reached out to cradle it, rubbing warmth into the frail fingers, a sudden, jarring cacophony erupted from her phone. The continuous, sharp beeping of incoming notifications cut through the quiet room, making her jump. Heart pounding, she hurried to silence it, pressing down on the screen until the room fell silent once more.
But the brief calm was short-lived. A knot of unease twisted in her chest as she glanced at the screen. Dozens—no, hundreds—of missed calls stared back at her, the names blinking urgently. Cai. Meredith. Even some of her former coworkers. Confusion clouded her expression. Why would any of them be calling her, and why so relentlessly?
Her frown deepened, eyes darting over the barrage of notifications. The missed calls were overwhelming, but it was the messages that sent a chill skittering down her spine. She quickly tapped to open her texts, scanning through Cai’s frantic attempts to reach her. The worry in his words was palpable, yet none of them explained what was going on.
"Lily. Are you okay? Call me?"
"Lily? I need you to call me. We need to talk. Is everything alright?"
"You are not in the villa or the guest house? Where are you? Why did you leave?"