“I have something to tell you!” They choruses at the same time, surprising each other.
“You go first.” Tony decided to be a gentleman and hear what she had to say first but, Lily was too curious about his information to let things be.
“No. Let me hear what you have to say first.” She countered, hoping to buy some time for herself.
Shaking his head in refusal, Tony pressed. “You go first, Lily. Don’t worry, I won’t chicken out.” He added with a reassuring smile.
After a few seconds, Lily nodded and decided to go first.
“I…” She started but was interrupted by Tony.
“Wait! I don’t think it’s wise to do this here.” He said, looking around. “Come with me.” Tony grabbed her hand and led her to his office, ignoring the stares from some of the nurses.
Lily didn’t care anymore about what others had to say or their judgmental stares, not when her life was in danger. She just wished that the nurses would pay more attention to their critical patients rather than prying into her and Tony’s lives.
Once they arrived at his office, Tony pulled Lily to the sofa and made himself comfortable beside her. He didn’t want her telling him her secrets in an open space as he was sure she wouldn’t be comfortable with it.
“Alright, Lily. Tell me, what’s wrong?” He said with his hands pushing a strand of loose hair away from her face.
Thanks to the long walk to his office, Lily seemed to have calmed down and was now in a better state than when he met her in the hallway.
“The thing is..” She started. “I got a text from an unknown number.” She confessed and Tony’s body tensed as he hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking.
“It was from Louis.” Tony gripped the seat tightly and clenched his jaw in anger. He had a feeling it was going to be Louis but he didn’t want to believe that someone had given him Lily’s new number.
“How the fuck did he get your number?” Tony groaned before he could stop himself.
“I have no idea. I don’t think I know anyone who would do that around me. Unless he paid one of the nurses in my team to do it.” She sighed, hoping she was wrong about the last part.
“What did he say?” Tony could feel his blood boil and his mind race with murderous thoughts.
“He…he…” Lily blinked the tears away. “He did all of this because of me, Tony,” Lily whispered with her head lowered.
“He said he did this to show me that killing wasn’t something he couldn’t do and it would become worse if I don’t return to him in the next two days.” Her eyes watered and her voice broke as she spoke.
“He threatened to kill you, Tony, and this time around, I could hear the determination in his voice. He wasn’t shitting around, Tony.” She added in a shaky breath and Tony immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug.
Her sobs weren’t loud but he could tell that they were deep with how her body shook at every sniff. Seeing her in that state made Tony wonder if it would be right to tell her about what he heard.
“What are we going to do, Tony? Look at how far he is willing to go just to prove a point to me! He let innocent people die and inflicted pain on so many people just to prove a point.”
“That man is a psychopath!” Lily cried.
Tightening his hold around her and caressing her arm, Tony reassured her. “You’re right, Lily. He is a psychopath but guess what, I am a doctor and I have a little knowledge about people like him so, if he wants to be a crazy man, we’ll treat him as one.” He said and for some reason, Lily calmed down after hearing him speak.
A few minutes passed with her being wrapped in his arms while he continued to caress her soft skin. Then, Lily remembered that she wasn’t the only one who had something to say.
“What about you, Tony? What did you want to tell me?” She asked, raising her head so she could see his face properly and he lifted one of his hands from her body to scratch the back of his head nervously, his biceps flexing in the process.
“Uhhh..” He hummed.
Tony didn’t want to tell her about his findings anymore as he knew it would only make her worry more. He had barely gotten her tears to stop. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry again and knowing her, she was going to worry if she heard about Louis’s plans.
But, he had promised.
“I overheard Louis’s conversation with one of his gang members,” Tony said and sighed loudly.
“You are right, Lily. Louis is planning to kill me in a few days.” He said in a flat tone and Lily’s eyes widened in horror.
Even though she was already aware of this fact, hearing him confirm him increased her panic level.
“Oh my God!” She exclaimed, clasping her hand over her mouth.
“I can’t believe this is real.” She shook her head in disbelief. Lily could feel a fever coming. Her head and neck were hot and she felt dizzy. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that the recent happenings and findings were taking a toll on her body.
There was an eerie silence for a few minutes as neither of them said anything. Instead, they found solace in each other’s arms.
Then, Lily had a thought.
“If I go back to him, do you think all of this will be over?” She blurted with her head facing the ground.
“I mean, all of this started because I left him. I don’t mean to sound like a hero or anything but, isn’t it better to give one life and save a hundred? If I return to him, he’ll stop acting out and everyone will be safe.” She said and raised her head to meet Tony’s sharp gaze.
“I know it’s not what you want to hear but that is the only way to stop all of this and protect everyone around me, yourself inclusive,” Lily added and clicked her fingers, realizing her idea wasn’t so crazy after all.
“I should return to him and beg for forgiveness. I know he’ll….” Tony’s lips crashed on hers before she could complete her sentence, shutting her up completely.
Shocked by the sudden kiss, Lily kept her lips tight, stopping him from exploring further. Sensing her refusal, Tony bit down softly on her lips, causing her to flinch and part them slightly. He immediately used that opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, exploring it completely.
Lily hummed in desire, forgetting her initial hesitation as his lips and skilled tongue erased all thoughts of Louis and her troubles. But, just as she was losing herself in the moment, Tony broke off the kiss, pulling away abruptly and gazing fiercely at her.
“Don’t you ever utter such words again, Lily?” He growled. “I want you to understand that you will never return to that monster.”He commanded, his voice firm.
“Give one to save a hundred, you say.” He sneered and moved his hands around her, enveloping her waist and drawing her near. With a burning gaze, he uttered the next words.
“I am no hero, Lily.”