Tristan
She said it. I knew it, I didn’t want to agree with myself, but I knew this would happen. I sighed and rested my head on the headboard of my bed. I was going to let her be, it’s her wish and I’ll do just that.
When she said this marriage wasn’t real, I stumbled backward and I felt the air around me suddenly tense and my chest hurt.
I felt broken, seeing her with Micah pained me. It made me crazy. I didn’t want him around her, mostly I didn’t like the fact that she enjoyed his presence. The way her body language changed when she was with him made me mad.
It was different for me, she was mostly irritated by me than the other way around. She was pleased with him. I watched him that evening from my window as they got into the can and drove away.
She didn’t say a word to me but smiled at him brightly every time he was around. So I decided, I’d do as she had said. I’ll give her the space she wants and never border her again.
I packed my briefcase ready to head home for the day and tried not to get bothered about Isabel, even though she was always on my mind, when my phone rang.
It was the detective I had hired to help me find Lily Allen. I quickly rushed to pick up the call and placed it on my ear.
“Any news? ” I said hastily, leaving the pleasantries.
“We found her,” He said over the phone and I felt my body stiffened immediately.
“I’m coming right there, where are you?” I rushed my words and grabbed my briefcase running out of the office.
“Sir? You need to calm down,” he said but that wasn’t the question I had asked.
“Where is she?” I said again now my voice had gotten deeper.
“I’m sending the location to you,” I hung up immediately, and the driver arrived with the car in front of the company.
“Give me the car,” I said and stretched my hand collecting the keys from him. I didn’t want anyone to know, I wanted to see what the situation was like before alarming the others.
“Someone like her couldn’t have been easily kidnapped by Isabella Colin,” I whispered as I drove to the location. My heart raced and my mind wandered.
“Damn Lily,” I laughed as I arrived at the mansion on the outskirts of the city. I phoned the detective and immediately he came from inside the mansion opening the door for me to go in.
“Wasn’t a hostage?” I said and cracked my neck a bit walking to what seemed like the living room.
“Not exactly, it was a confusing situation that just seemed to happen at the right time,” He explained, I didn’t understand what he meant but I was definitely going to get all the response I needed from her.
“Where is she?” I asked and he looked in the direction of the stairs. Before he could say anything else, I climbed the stairs.
“Lily,” I called out her name, loud enough that she could hear me, as I pushed the first door I saw open.
“Great there you are,” I said and saw her sitting at the window staring at the mountains.
“Oh mine, it’s you,” She said excited.
“Tristan,” She rushed into my arms and gave me a warm embrace before pulling away a few seconds later.
“You’re having fun?” I asked her not in a way that said I cared, but in a way that was so adorable I almost figured you out.
“I’m away from the city and my friends, not entirely fun,” She laughed and walked over to the bed, sitting on it.
“Sit with me,” Her voice was as calm as I can remember. She shifted her blonde hair backward and stared at me deeply.
“So what happened? Why did you do it?” I wasn’t going to beat around the bush and try to ask if she was fine when I could see that.
“I had intentions too, but I didn’t plan to,” She smiled.
“That girl came into the picture, my replacement, what’s her name again?” She threw her hands in my direction trying to recall her name, but finally remembered it when I said it.
“Isabella,” I said
“Right, that’s it?” She rushed to say and smiled at me.
“I don’t understand, you were going to forget the wedding? ” I was shocked. Lily was going to marry me because of our families, I knew that because she was a spoiled child, we had an understanding about our arrangements, but forfeiting didn’t sound like Lily Allen.
“I thought of it, wasn’t going to implement it though,” she pointed out like it had made any difference.
“Okay,” I was keen to listen to the rest of the story as she narrated.
“So when two hefty men walked into my dressing room and took down my security I was scared. But then a lady, I meant Isabella walked towards me with so much anger,” She stated.
“Anger? What did you do?” I asked immediately.
“Nothing, because that anger was directed toward you,” I was taken aback by her words.
“Why?”
“She said working for you ruined her life and she was going to ruin your happy day, by destroying your wedding and taking away the person you love,” She laughed loud.
“Unbeknownst to her, we didn’t share love, we were barely friends. So she wanted to take me out of the picture and make you pay for ruining her chance of a happy life,” She rambled.
“So I made her an offer, I told her to not take me to wherever she planned on taking me to. I told her I was going to run from you and hide if she wouldn’t hurt me.” She chuckled.
“She didn’t take my word for it at first and had her hefty friends bundle me away, while she dressed up in my wedding dress. I was locked and left in a shithole for days. I was scared and hoped y’all would find me because I genuinely thought she would hurt me. But after days of no torture, and being treated just nice and neutral, I started to enjoy it,” She sighed.
“So I offered them some money, which she generously gave to her two hefty friends and moved here, with them now working for me as part of my security team,” She smiled proudly at herself.
“Why didn’t she take the money? ” I asked.
“Was that the only thing you heard? You didn’t ask about how I managed to stay for days in that shithole without a change of clothes or proper food to eat?” She ranted out.
“Look you’re here, so answer my question,”
“So what does it matter to you if she took it or not, she’s just some girl,” She breathed out.
“But if you must know, she mentioned something about the universe finally turning in her favor at the end of it all. Yeah! I think that’s what she said,” She looks a bit unsure and condo at the same time, frustrating me.
“So I our here, to take a break from the family and our partnership in the form of marriage,” She added interrupting my thoughts.
“Yeah right?” I scoffed at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I inquired.
“So you mean to tell me that someone did not get married because they were threatened with that footage of you and Brett, or you thought I was too dumb to notice you were cheating the whole time,” I yelled and her face drained I of all it colors as she had suddenly become pale.
“Tristan,” she tried to grab my hands, but I slapped it away before I could land on my skin.
“Spare me all the details, cause I don’t want to know,” I started, and rose on my feet.
” You have the guts to be here and talk like almighty while you’ve left everyone at home worried. You knew that if I found out I’d have nothing to do with you ever again,” I told her.
“You know how complicated Dominic’s family her. The little inside feud and of all people you could have chosen to spread your legs for, you thought Brett the right candidate?” I laughed at her like she was a joke. Of course, she was.
Brett was just trying to get on my bad side and make me feel like I wasn’t worthy of Grandpa’s love and affection. He and Mr. George were the biggest thorn in my flesh.
“Well, I’m grateful to you Lily. Because if you had not made those mistakes and I didn’t threaten you, maybe you would have been in my life, ” I said hoping it would get her agitated, and it did.
“You sent that video to me? You made me have a sleepless night? Oh, you’re crazy Tristan,” She ranted, feeling really angry as she rose to her feet, poking my chest with the same anger used in yelling her voice at me.
“Yes, I did?”
“Why? Cause I’m a joke to you? Or you’re just as messed up as I am?” She lashed out…
“No. Because I wanted to give you an opportunity to come clean to me and ask for forgiveness,” I told her truthfully.
“Wow, the mighty have spoken,” She said in sarcasm.
“Whatever, it’s a good thing I have Isabella now,” I said to spite her…
“But she hates you. Oh, you should have seen the look in her eyes.” She ranted
“You think so?” I chuckled, trying hard to be unshaken by her words at least not in her presence.
” She wants you to be miserable” She added.
“And do I look miserable to you?”
“I’m happy, I’m happy with her,” I added even though I knew that was a lie.
Looking at Lily, and how things went with Isabel has shown me that maybe I wasn’t enough. Maybe there was nothing for me with them.
“She’s just my replacement, she will never look at you with love. Nobody will,” she laughed, and immediately I walked to her and grabbed her by the neck, tightening my grip, until she could no longer speak again.
“She’s not your replacement. Isabella is amazing and you are nothing like her,” I finally released her, and was welcomed the coughing sounds as she tried to recover from the hold.
“I hate you,” She yelled, rubbing her neck
“Finally we agree on something,” I said and walked out of the door, feeling more down casted.