Lily remained on the spot as she cried silently, everyone was mad at her and no one was ready to believe her.
She completely understood them, if she was in their shoes too she wouldn’t believe herself. She knows how important the Blackwell’s reputation is to them. She understood their anger.
The door to the living room opened and Axel walked in, everyone turned to him and Lily’s heart raced as she stared at him.
“How did it go?” Nora asked and stood up from the couch.
“I was able to get it off the news but it has spread on the internet. There is nothing we can do, we just have to wait till it dies down.” Axel replied and they all sighed.
“Can you see what you have caused?” Susan asked angrily and walked towards Axel.
“This is what happens when you get married to someone from the slums of New York!” She yelled at Axel and pointed a finger at Lily. Axel glanced at Lily and she gasped a little as she was so frightened.
She found it difficult to breathe.
Axel looked away from her and looked at his stepmother.
“Get out of my house, Susan.” He ordered and she fumed angrily before walking out of the house.
“Did you find the man?” Max asked Axel and he sighed.
“No, there is no trace of him.” He replied and Lily chuckled.
“Why not ask Lily?” Nora asked and Lily raised her brows.
What were they talking about?
“After all she was the one who slept with him.” Nora added and Lily understood what they were talking about. They were looking for the man in the picture.
“Who is he, Lily?” Max asked and Lily shook her head in tears.
“I… I don’t know.” She whispered in response and Nora groaned.
She walked towards Lily angrily and Lily took a few steps back in fear.
“Fucking answer the question. Stop pretending… ”
“I swear I don’t know. I can’t remember anything, I don’t even know what happened yesterday.” She yelled in tears and cut Nora off.
Nora shook her head and chuckled.
“You really don’t remember anything? Well, let me recap a little for you. Yesterday was the last ball of the season, everyone was excited about it. We had our driving lessons and then got ready for the party. We got to the party, it was going well. Your crazy mother showed up with a bump on her head, we all joked about it.
Then you pulled Axel to the dance floor and danced with him, everyone watched, and everyone was happy. I and Max joined and other people did too. After the dance, I don’t fucking know what happened but you suddenly got into an argument with Axel and you stormed off. You have been missing since then and you showed up this morning with your fucking nude all over the internet with a man next to you.” Nora explained and Lily gasped a little. She couldn’t recall any of it.
“So tell me Lily, where the fuck did you go last night?” Nora asked and Lily shook her head.
“I don’t know.” She replied.
“Stop acting so innocent and tell us already! You have humiliated us already, at least tell us the truth.” Nora snapped at her and she flinched in fear. She looked at her and saw how mad she looked, it was the first time she had seen Nora mad.
“Stop yelling at her.” Axel said calmly and walked towards her. Nora glared at her before walking back to the couch.
As Axel approached Lily, her heart raced and she moved back in fear. Her back hit the wall and Axel stopped five feet away from her.
“Where did you wake up this morning?” He asked and Lily sniffed. Her head was bowed, she couldn’t look at him. She felt too embarrassed and dirty too.
“A… at… at a hotel. I was next to the man in the pictures.” She replied.
“And the name of the hotel was?” He asked.
“Lobby.” She replied and Nora scoffed.
“Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Nora said and rolled her eyes.
“Are you messing with us, Lily? If you are, you have to stop it. There is no hotel named ‘Lobby’ in New York.” Max said and raised her head and looked at him.
“Really?” She asked and Nora chuckled.
“What was the name of the hotel Lily?” Axel asked and she turned to him. They both stared at each other, her blue eyes glistening as they were filled with tears.
“Lobby.” She said again and Axel sighed while Nora chuckled again.
“She is messing with us, she is fucking messing with us. Do you think this is funny?” Nora yelled and Lily opened her mouth to speak but she couldn’t. Tears just kept streaming down her eyes.
“I… I swear I woke up in a hotel named Lobby. The street was also named Lobby. I asked a woman there and she said the street was named after the hotel. It is about twenty minutes from her, I swear.” She said and Axel sighed and was about to walk past her but she rushed to him and stood in front of him.
“Axel, please you have to believe me. I am not lying, I can’t do this.” She pleaded and he didn’t say anything.
“Axel, please.” She whispered and was about to touch him but he took a step back and Lily froze.
He looked away from her and walked away.
While she was still in shock at what just happened, Nora spoke up.
“You did it the last time for eight hundred thousand dollars.” Nora said and Lily turned to her. Suddenly she felt so mad and she walked towards Nora.
“My father was dying. I had no choice, I had no other option.” She yelled.
“And where is the father?” Nora asked and Lily shook her head in tears. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Why were they so against her out of the blue?
“Do you know what it feels like living from hand to mouth all your life? Do you know what it feels like to be in so much trouble and not have anyone to turn to? Do you know how it feels to not have a better life?” Lily asked and Nora smiled.
She moved closer to her and raised her hand to Lily’s hair then ran her hand on it. She dropped her hand and smiled more before speaking.
“No, Lily. I don’t. And guess what? I am not the reason you are so unfortunate. You know, everyone has always said it. You can never get rid of poverty from someone who looks so good in it.” She said and smiled.
“Grow up Lily. Stop acting like you were the only one who went through something. Get over it!” She said sternly and brushed her shoulder with hers as she walked out of the house. Max also trailed behind her.
Lily remained on the spot in shock as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.
*********
DAYS LATER
It’s been almost a week since the incident happened, and instead of dying down, it kept trending and got worse.
Everyone was talking about the Blackwells and it was affecting their status and everything that had to do with them.
It has also been almost a week since Lily stepped out of her room or saw her husband or anyone.
The maids only show up with her food and leave afterward.
She kept checking the news and kept crying all day. She still hasn’t remembered what happened that night.
She also looked up the hotel named Lobby and realised it really didn’t exist. She was losing her mind as she kept thinking about the situation.
She was going mad! It hurt so much more when she remembered she was pregnant.
Now wasn’t a good time at all to announce her pregnancy. She wished she had done it before the ball. No one would believe the child belongs to Axel now if she announces it.
She picked up her phone again and checked the internet again, it was still trending.
The door to her room suddenly opened and she hurriedly sat up. It was Axel.
She stood up immediately and watched him as he walked towards her, he had a broken file in his hand.
“He… hey.” She called nervously. She couldn’t deny the fact that she was happy to see him. She was happy he came to see her.
He stood feet away from her and stretched the file to her, Lily looked at the file and then up at him before taking it from him.
She slowly opened it and she gasped as she saw what was in it. What she feared the most was about to happen!