Chapter 122: Your First
Lily watched as Zayn moved around the kitchen haphazardly. It was clear he didn’t know where items were placed and had a tough time figuring out what he was looking for.
He pulled out pans, only to put them back, and stared at ingredients like they were foreign objects.
‘Do you need some help?’ Lily signed when he finally turned to face her.
“No. Actually, yes,” He sighed in defeat, “Do you know which one’s the cast iron pan?”
Lily chuckled a little as she pointed him in the right direction.
“Thank you,” He replied with a small smile before gathering the ingredients by the stove.
Lily got out of her seat and walked over to his side. She looked at him, staring down at the ingredients.
‘Are you sure you’ve cooked before?’ She signed, asking again.
Zayn bit his lip, “No, not really.” His earlier confidence faltered as he gripped the edge of the counter.
“I know what I said. I didn’t mean to lie about it,” He rambled, running a hand through his hair. “When I was enslaved, we had to survive on anything we could get our hands on. Rodents we would grill over the fire. Roots we found in the forest. I thought it would be the same.”
“When Grayson and Xavier took an interest in me, they made sure I was fed just enough to live and not die. All for their entertainment.”
The last words came out bitter, and Lily knew he meant. The fighting pits, the torture her father and brother inflicted on him for their entertainment. Just as she had suffered.