chapter 40
Lily. Lily Grant.
She stood in front of us, a little shorter to me, curvier, her tan skin making the red gown sparkle on her and her blonde hair flying lose with the wind around us that I hadn’t noticed until now.
She wasn’t the kind of oblivious beauty. She was eye–catching memory–hauntingly pretty.
I would’ve been lost in her trance hadn’t my husband cleared his throat, as if he was done processing her unexpected presence. “Lily, this is Sofia. And Sofia, this is Lily.”
Her eyes turn to me, and she pulls a smile to her lips. “It’s nice to meet you, Sofia. I must say, the wedding pictures did not do any justice to you.”
I smile. Thank you.” I wish her tone was concealing jealousy or malice or sarcasm or anything to make me feel good about disliking her, but they were just plain kind. I add quickly, ‘It’s so nice to meet you too.”
Her eyes flicker back to Gabriel, but not in a desperate manner. In a way that said she hadn’t seen him since a long time and she wanted to only see him every second now that he was right here.
Gabriel seemed uncomfortable. “What- What’re you doing here?”
“Dad was invited.” She replied, “He’s feeling a little under the weather these days, so I came on his behalf.”
‘Ah.” Silence again.
I wanted to disappear. I wanted the ground to open and eat me away, and I must have my discomfort written in my eyes because I felt a hand interlinking through mine, and as much as I wished for it to be Gabriel’s, it wasn’t. It was Anna, who just pressed her eyes in reassurance at me, and I pulled back the smile to my lips, thankful for her kindness.
Lily added, “I- I didn’t know you would be here. I wouldn’t have come otherwise. I thought you were out, at Venice I think? And Arthur said today’s gala was going to be the best of the year and he thought someone should be here to represent
Dad, so..”
‘Nonsense. We can be at same place, Lily.” Gabriel was stiff, his hands crossed across his chest. “And did you say Arthur?”
The girl nodded. “Geller.”
I could see Gabriel’s jaw clench, and if I could, then so could she. “Stay away from him.”
The pain in my ch*st returned.
She smiled meekly. “He’s not as bad as you always make him out to be, Gabe. Any way, excuse me. It was nice meeting
you, Sofia.”
I pull back the fake smile to my lips when I realise her eyes were on me, and she was just about to leave when she paused, her eyes set on the ring in my finger and my wedding band, the original one that I had made a habit of wearing now after the episode where Gabriel bought me a dozen of new rings- ones that weren’t delivered yet. “Is that an emerald?” She
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asked.
Her question made sense, since she was a diamond factory heiress or whatever. I nod, the light green stone overlapped by a bunch of other pure diamonds, complimenting my dress perfectly.
Her gaze softened as if memories were playing in front of her eyes when she forced herself to look at me. “Emerald is my birthstone too. Lucky co–incidence.”
“I guess.” I smile back at her passing figure, which drops as soon as she was out of sight.
There was a silence between the four of us as soon as Lily was gone, especially Zach and Anna who were silent spectators
of the whole scenario.
I gulped, the first one to speak up. “I’m thirsty,” I looked at Anna, “You coming?”
“Yeah, of course.” Her hand still holding mine, we walked towards the bar leaving the boys back where they were. I explicitly ignored Gabriel’s request for me to not leave his side, but I couldn’t be by his side.
“Are you okay?” Anna asked me as soon as we stopped at the bar side.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Thanks for being there.”
“Of course.” She motioned the bartender to give us two glasses of water by pointing towards the sealed bottles kept aside and then turned back towards me. “I would’ve put the bitch in her place if she would’ve said anything to you at all.”
I smile. “She didn’t seem like a bitch. She was actually kinda… nice?”
“Yeah,” Anna scoffed. For whatever reason, Anna did not like Lily. She didn’t strike me as a bitch though, just a girl in love with my husband. “You should’ve k*ssed Gabriel in front of her.”
“I would’ve, except I don’t think he wanted to be k*ssed.” I remembered the way his hand dropped from my waist when he heard her voice, as if it was not supposed to be lingering there in the first place. “Emerald isn’t my birthstone, Anna”
Her eyes soften, and pity spreads on her gentle features. “Oh, Sof, I’m so sorry.”
I shake my head dismissively. “Don’t be.”
‘I don’t want to defend him when you’re hurt Sofia, but I am so sure this ring mishap was before Gabriel even got to know you. I have seen him now, okay? He’s wrapped around your finger, and nob*dy had that kind of hold on him. Not Lily, and not any other girl. Give him a chance to explain, okay? Please.”
I wanted to tell her I wasn’t hurt about it, just about the fact that he didn’t tell me when he had aniple chances to. You don’t forget about a person you’ve dated for three years, and you certainly don’t forget to mention it to someone if you’re trying to build a real connection with them. I wanted to tell her all that, but I don’t. Instead, I smile. She was more than welcoming to me, but she has known Gabriel for years. “Can we talk about something else now? How about that make–up thing you were telling me about before we were interrupted?”
The pain in my ch*st threatened to return and I just wanted to go home and get under my duvet, regretting coming here at
all.
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But not coming here wouldn’t change the truth, only delay me getting to know about it.
“Yeah, of course. So, as I was saying…”
I ignored the thoughts in my head when Anna started talking about something, letting it distract me.
