Chapter 105: Everybody’s truth
Alexander’s POV
I kept my eyes trained on Lily as she pulled away from me and walked slowly to the couch.
She had added a bit of weight and I was loving how curves looked in the pink floral dress she was wearing. Her long hair was pulled in a messy bun and her face was bare, without any make up but my Lily did not need any of that to stand out. She looked so beautiful, even more as a mother.
That’s why it hurts me that I can’t have to my self. I tried to see her and the children everyday but it wasn’t enough for me. I had not been here for a few days, not because I didn’t want to see her or our children but because I dreaded every moment when I had to leave them and go back to my empty bed.
I was so lost without them in my life and I had to do everything within my power to get her back. My mind was made up and I knew that this was the right path or the first step in getting her back in my life.
I had just poured out my heart to her. I was tired of watching her and the children be away from me. I couldn’t bear it anymore, and if I had make her listen to, I would.
I know that there was nothing I could say to justify her mother’s death but still she needed to know the real truth. I need to tell her everything so then she could judge me rightly and based on some half truth.
She picked up our children from my father and cradled them in her eyes. I could tell that she adored them more than anything and in these awful moments of our lives, they kept her sane. I was glad she had them.
I walked behind her and took a seat on the opposite side as I watched her and my father.
Her brows creased and she bit her lips repeatedly probably thinking about what I said. I prayed on whatever god that was present that she would give me a listening ear and they answered.
She narrowed her eyes at me “I’m listening.” She said quietly.
I exhaled in relief. “Thank you.” I said with a tight smile. I was glad to be given the opportunity to talk things through finally.
“I guess I should give you some privacy.” My father coughed as he eyed me cautiously. His intention was to run away because he knew that I was about o reveal everything to Lily, but I would not let him get away.
“No.!” I barked out. “Sit down!”. I ordered as I glared at my father. “It’s very important for you to be here.” I said eyeing him.
He gulped and sat down quietly, glaring at me. I couldn’t let him escape now. It was high time everyone owned up to their mistakes and actions. However sorry they might be, all actions have consequences and man must be liable for the natural consequences of his actions irrespective of if the result wasn’t desired.
Lily, on the other hand, swept her curious eyes between us, probably wondering what I was on to. I couldn’t blame her, I would be curious if I were her too.
“Now where do I begin.” I said with a dry chuckle.
“Tell me everything Alex. You have this one chance to do that.” Lily said with a glare. “If you deliberately conceal anything now and I find out later, be ready for whatever happens then.” She threatened.
I gulped and looked between her and my father. I had never spoken about this to anyone, not like I had anyone to talk to but it was too painful and tragic to speak about. I guess this was it then. I exhaled and started. “I was once in love with someone else, a long time ago.”
She gasped and stared at me in shock, my father on the other hand knew where I was going so he became uneasy in his seat. Regardless none of them spoke or tried to interrupt me. So I continued. “Her name was Daisy. Daisy Mark.”
“As in Mr. Mark’s daughter?.” She blurted out with wide eyes.
“Yes.” I said eyeing her skeptically. Has she known about her already?.
She nodded and looked deep in thought. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking no matter how much I tried so I continued talking before I could loose my courage. “I would not lie to you and say I wasn’t sure of my love for her or anything like that, I was truly in love with her. She was my first love..”
Lily coughed and looked down at our children. I desperately wanted to lift her face up to get a glimpse of how she felt about my confession but I couldn’t. “We were both young and in love with each other. Everything was great with her but it came to an end tragically.” I spat out glaring at my father.
“How so?, was it because she died?.” Lily asked with curious eyes.
“You know she’s dead?”. I asked with raised brows.
“Yes”. She said quietly. ” She must have been very beautiful, Mr. Mark told me all about her.”
“He did?”. I asked with furrowed brows.
“Yes.” She responded. “I had even visited her grave with Mr. Mark, but he didn’t tell me how she died.”
“It was not his place to say.” I said with a sad smile.
“How did she die?”. She asked looking from my father to me.
“I will tell you everything Lily.” I said with a reassuring smile and she nodded. “At the time we were dating, My father here was also training me to take over the company. He was very strict an ruthless, using various ‘techniques’ to make sure I understood everything.”
” what ‘Techniques’?.” She asked staring intently at me and glancing at my father.
“It doesn’t matter but then he..”
“It does matter Alex. Tell me everything.!” She yelled.
I sighed and glanced at me father. He had gone from being anxious to relaxed on his chair. I guess he knew it was the inevitable and he had accepted it.
I closed my eyes as I tried to distract myself from the images of what I suffered when I was younger but I couldn’t. Those images hunt me every time. I sighed and continued. “Whenever I made a mistake, he would lock me up in a dark room for days without food or water and beat me with whatever he could find until he was satisfied. At times he would law cuts on my body until I agreed to listen to him.”
“Daniel?.” She screamed looking at him in surprise. “How could you do that to your son?”. She gasped.
My father on the other hand did not respond. He didn’t even look at her or even look sorry for his actions. I know he had believed that his actions were justified.
“Oh Alex. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” She said flashing me a look of pity and I hated it. I never wanted anyone to look at me like that. It was pathetic. It made me feel weak. It made me feel like I was that boy again, at the mercy of my father.
“It’s alright.” I said in a firm tone with locked jaws. I decided to continue further with the story, it didn’t matter what he did to me, it was already done and nothing to change that. “My father disapproved of our relationship because it appeared to him that I ‘loved her too much’ and it was not good for the business. I didn’t see how that would affect my business life so I continued dating her in secret.”
“One day, I went over to the cabin where we secretly meet up.” I paused and exhaled. “I found her at the back of the house, lying unconscious on the ground with her unfinished painting beside her.”
Lily gasped and stared at me with watery eyes. I blinked rapidly as the image of her lying there flashed before my eyes. “I remember standing over her dead body and her beautiful eyes which were once full of life, stared back at me empty. I bent down with tears in my eyes as I touched her once warm body that was then cold and hard..”
“I was so devastated to find the girl I loved, lying on the ground cold and lifeless. The only soothing thing was that she didn’t suffer before dying.”
“What was the cause of her death?.” She said sniffing. She was full blown shedding tears for someone she did not know. Someone she had never met and someone who if she were still alive would have been in my life in her stead. My Lily was just like that, just a beautiful and kind soul.
“My father here was the cause.” I said with a dry chuckle.
“How do you mean?.” She asked glancing at both of us.
“He had her killed”. I spat out flashing him a deadly glare
“What?!”. She gasped looking at my father in horror. “You killed Daisy?, why?”. She asked directions her question to my father.
He didn’t respond, I know he couldn’t. He just sat quietly, staring at me.
“He killed her because apparently she was making me ‘unserious and loose focus on the business’.” I spat out, balking my fist.
Whenever I think of this it makes my blood boil and the fact that he doesn’t feel sorry make it even worse. It makes me what to cut his tongue out and make he blind, so he could just suffer for as long as he lives.
“I want to hear from him”. She exhaled and turned her watery eyes to my father. “Did you kill Daisy Mark?.” She asked with trembling lips.
He sighed and glanced at me shortly before turning to her but his eyes were on his grandchildren. “Yes.” He breathed out. “I killed her. It was necessary.” He spat out glaring at me.
“Ohh.” Lily gasped as she bawled out her eyes. Poor Lily, so sweet and innocent for this harsh world. She cried like she would for a closed one, I felt like drawing her close and comforting her. I just wanted to shield her from everything, I was afraid that too much consumption of all these evil around her would corrupt her.
“Lily there are so many things you don’t understand. Things are not as they seem.” He explained trying to touch her but she pulled away from him.
“‘Oh Poor, stupid Lily, there are so many things you don’t understand'”. She mocked. “There is not justified reason for taking another person’s life.” She yelled.
My father and I flinched instantly at the harshness of her tone. The children must have also sensed the shift in her mood and soon they began fussing in her arms.
My father tried to take one of the children from her but she just glared at him and struggled to soothe them both. “Is Mr. Mark aware of this?.” She asked, glancing between us.
“Yes, he’s aware.” My father responded.
“And he’s okay with it?”. She asked with raised brows. “He doesn’t want to press charges or anything?.” She pressed.
“Mm.” My father responded quietly and Lily sighed seeming content.
But that was far from the truth but it wasn’t my place to tell. Mr. Mark could not bring up a case even if he wanted to. There was something called power and influence, and my father had both. There were so many things he had control over and Mr. Mark knew that.
“So…” She straightened herself when the children had fallen asleep again. “What has this got to do with the death of my mother?.” She asked with a glare.
Now it was my turn to reveal my own truth and take responsibility for my own actions.