CHAPTER 56
LILY’S POV
After that passionate night Noah and I shared, I slipped out of his house early the following morning, careful not to wake him. I knew things between us might get awkward and I didn’t want to face it. By all accounts, last night wasn’t meant to happen. That was my hormones acting up and taking charge. I was sexually deprived and angry at the thought of Robert spending every night for the past nine years with Scarlett. Noah just happened to be there, at the right place and time, with the right charm, the right body, and those irresistible eyes and moves.
Fuck…I must say I was impressed with his love-making skills. I never expected it. He was one sweet irresistible man. He handled me with so much care like I was made of delicate glass and didn’t mind letting me dominate. From the way he made love to me, it was obvious he too was sexually deprived and kind of still hurting from his ex-wife abandoning him. I felt for him. I hope the moment will come when he’ll realize he wasn’t responsible for the tragic loss of his unborn children. I do hope my words sank in and got to him. For all he did for me, I wouldn’t want to see him suffer or wallow in guilt and emotional pain.
He was a heavy sleeper so I didn’t need to worry about him waking as I prepared to leave. He mentioned a fresh set of clothes will be made available to me in the morning but waiting wasn’t an option. Instead, I made do with the oversized button-up shirt I had on yesterday, pairing it with one of his casual jeans I found in the wardrobe of another room during my frantic search for something to wear. The size and level of elegance of his house were jaw-dropping. I wondered how he managed to live alone in such a massive space.
Grabbing my purse, which he had safeguarded for me, I left quickly and headed straight home to check on my kids. It had only been a day without them, yet it felt like an eternity. They’ll be extremely worried, wondering why I hadn’t come home last night after leaving in such a hurry to answer Noah at the company.
Arriving at my house, I could see the bodyguards Noah assigned to guard the house were still there. They didn’t want to let me in even after I told them I was the owner of the house and my kids were inside. They said they had to call Noah to confirm first before letting me in. I knew they were only doing their job, acting based on orders given to them but I was so impatient and angry they were making me wait to enter my house and see my kids.
While one of the guards was trying to reach Noah who was probably still in bed on the phone and the other one who had a very intimidating look and sharp hawk-like eyes kept a close watch on me, the entrance door to my house flew open and the kids came rushing at me like a gust of wind. They must have heard our raised voices.
“Mummy! Mummy!!…” They shouted excitedly as they thudded me with a heavy hug that nearly threw me off balance.
Tears of joy filled my eyes, my heart now at ease as I hugged them back. From the depth and tightness of the embrace, I let them know how much I missed them. How badly I didn’t want to spend any other moment of my life without them. These past few hours of being without them were like torture; a torment to my soul, that I didn’t want to let go of them even for a second.
“Mummy we thought something bad happened to you,” Lila said with that voice she usually had whenever she was scared, sad or frustrated as she buried her face in my body, clutching tightly. “We were scared you won’t come back to us.”
“No…” I held back a sob. Crouching to their level, I held her close. I tucked the strand of her long hair that had fallen over her gloomy face behind her eyes and lifted her face, cupping her tender cheeks. “Nothing happened to me, okay? As you can see I’m back and alright and I will never for any reason in this world leave the two of you alone.” I promised as I looked at both of them with a reassuring gaze, meaning my words.
They were the reason I fought with everything in me to prevent that crazy driver from plunging the car off the bridge. Even in my lowest and darkest moments in prison, the thought of them again kept me going. They’re the reason I keep pushing. They’re the reason I’m alive. They’re my strength, my purpose, my entire world. Nothing, not even death will ever tear us apart.
But my words seemed to betray me as Liam reached out to touch the side of my head where that small gauze bandage was.
“Mummy, why do you have a bandage on the side of your head?” He asked with intense curiosity. “Are you hurt?”
The question caught me off guard, and my mind raced in search of a convincing answer, knowing how shrewd Liam could be. I had managed to hide the cuts and bruises on my body from the accident with Noah’s clothes. However, the one on the side of my head was harder to conceal. My hair was no longer thick and full enough like before to cover it, and I couldn’t find where Noah kept his caps back at his place.
My lips spread to a forced smile as I looked at him a false expression everything was okay and they had absolutely no reason to worry.
“Like I said nothing happened, okay?” I reassured him, massaging the top of his arm, the perfect answer finally coming to mind. “It was just a minor accident. I suffered a fall while climbing the stairs so the doctor put the bandage there to dress my wound and make it heal faster. It’s nothing, okay?”
I know I lie to them a lot but I only do it to protect them and keep them from worrying. Everything I do is for their good and best interest. I hope they realize that when they grow older and start finding out the truth about everything.
Liam nodded, his eyes glistening with sympathy as he looked at me and hugged me again. Breathing out in relief that I had managed to get everything under control and kept them from worrying, Lila shot another question that put me in an uncomfortable spot.
“Who owns these clothes you’re putting on? They’re too big on you and I think I saw Uncle Noah wearing this same shirt the other day he came over for…”
“Alright, that’s enough questions for today,” I said quickly, cutting her off as I stood up. “I see you two are all ready for school. If you keep asking questions, you’ll end up being late, and your mummy certainly doesn’t want that.”
Nana Mae who had been by the doorway observing us with a hint of relief yet sadness in her expression approached, carrying the kids’ school bag and lunchbox.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said with a calm smile. I could tell from the way she looked at me that she wanted nothing more than to hear the true story of what happened, not believing what I told the kids about suffering a fall. “We missed you so much. The kids didn’t want to do anything till you were back. I was just about to take them to school…”
“Don’t worry Nana Mae, I’ll take them,” I said, making Liam and Lila jump excitedly. I couldn’t help giggling as I saw them do that, knowing they were happy.
Nana Mae looked more worried than surprised. “Are you sure?” She asked in deep concern. “You look like you need a lot of rest after everything you’ve been through.”
“Yes,” I nodded firmly. “I can take them. I also need to stop by and see their teacher for something very important.” I added.
Nana Mae heaved an empathetic sigh and handed me their school bag and lunchbox. “Just be careful. And I will be here waiting for you to tell me everything that truly happened.” She added with a whisper so the kids wouldn’t hear her and gave me a light hug before bidding us farewell.
As we started walking toward the estate gate, I noticed two buff men following closely behind us.