Chapter 19 He Came In
Late at night, a faint noise stirred Lila from her groggy sleep. She sat up, binking away die haze of drowsiness, and stepped outside. A soft glow spilled from the living room below.
Curious, she descended the stairs to see Donovan sat on the couch, his eyes fixed on the television screen, completely absorbed. Lila cast a casual glance at the screen–and in an instant, it felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her.
It was Donovan and Shelby’s wedding video, Shelby stood there in a pristine white gown, a bouquet nestled in her hands.
Beside her stood Donovan, dressed in an elegant suit. They wore radiant smiles.
Lila bit her lip. She had been there that day–as Shelby’s best friend, standing on the sidelines, watching the grand, enviable ceremony unfold. Every girl in the city had envied Shelby back then.
But now, that love belonged to her.
Lila walked up to Donovan, wrapping her arms around his and resting her head on his shoulder.
Donovan’s gaze darkened. “How did you know I went to see Shelby that day?”
The details from that night were hazy, fragments slipping through his memory like sand. All he could recall was the blinding glare of headlights, the way he found himself in the middle of the road, and a car speeding toward him.
Lila had lunged at him, pushing him out of the way, taking the full impact herself. Multiple compound fractures hail bedridden for fourteen months.
But something didn’t add up. He had gone to find Shelby alone. So how had Lila just happened to be there?
Lila’s heart wavered with unease, but she quickly masked it with a light laugh. “I was just driving by and saw someone w looked like you,” she said smoothly. “So I stopped to check. I never expected you to be in danger.”
Lifting her head, she gazed at Donovan, her voice soft and earnest. “Donovan, even though I sacrificed my career to save you I have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I’d still choose to save you.”
But Donovan’s expression remained distant, unreadable. A flicker of anxiety crept into Lila’s chest.
There had always been an invisible wall between them, a sense of detachment he never let her cross. If it hadn’t been for that night–the accident–he probably never would have spoken to her at all.
That thought unsettled her more than she cared to admit.
Without hesitation, Lila straightened up and wrapped her arms around Donovan’s neck, drawn to the warmth radiating from his body.
She closed her eyes, savoring the moment as she leaned into him, her breath warm against his ear.
“Donovan, I like you,” she murmured, her voice soft and unhurried–a tone designed to be irresistible.
But Donovan rested his hand on her shoulder, pushing her aside. His gaze, however, never left the television.
Lila followed his line of sight, and her heart burned with resentment.
Shelby filled the screen–graceful, radiant, effortlessly captivating. She had always been the center of admiration, earning the title “The Belle of Royphia.”
Donovan’s chest tightened with an unbearable ache, his hand instinctively tugging at his collar as his eyes remained locked on the radiant smile frozen on the screen. A suffocating weight pressed against his heart, each breath growing heavier.
Lila shifted her gaze to him, observing his expression carefully.
Suddenly, Donovan clenched his jaw, covering his face with one hand as he spat through gritted teeth, “Get lost.”
1/3
Lila flinched, fear gripping her. She wanted to say something–anything–but then Donovan turned, his bloodshot eyes meeting hers. A chill ran down her spine.
Her legs felt like they would give out beneath her, yet she dared not linges. Forcing herself to move, she staggered toward the
stairs.
As her footsteps faded into the distance, Donovan shut his eyes tightly.
If it weren’t for Shelby’s heart beating within her, I would have never let her off the hook
Meanwhile, Lila sat on the bed, frustration and heartbreak twisting inside her. Why is Donovan so harsh on me? Is he still thinking about Shelby? What makes her so special? Just because she’s more attractive?
Just then, her phone rang, snapping her out of her bitter thoughts. Annoyed, she glanced at the caller ID, and her expression
darkened further.
“Hello,” she answered, her voice laced with reluctance. She had no choice.
“Lila. I heard you’re dating a rich guy,” slurred the voice on the other end. It was her stepfather–Joel Davies, a notorious drunkard
A chill ran down Lila’s spine. She had spent years clawing her way up the social ladder just to escape the miserable life he had shackled her to.
“Dad, who told you that?” she asked, forcing her voice to stay calm.
“Do you think I don’t know your friends?” Joel sneered.
ly spee
Lila clenched her jaw, momentarily speechless. She refused to let herself be dragged down by him any longer. “Yes, ing boyfriend is quite influential, so you’d better watch yourself,” she snapped.
Her sharp tone didn’t sit well with him. “You’ve got some nerve, girl. I want two hundred thousand by tonight. If I don’t ge I’ll come looking for you myself. Let’s see how your fancy boyfriend reacts when he finds out who you really are. Don’t th Just because you’re living the high life now, you can erase where you came from,” the man snapped on the other end of the
line.
Lila broke down, tears streaming down her face. “Where on earth am I supposed to get two hundred thousand at this hour of the night?”
Her stepfather scoffed. “Why don’t you ask your rich boyfriend? It’s just two hundred thousand, not two million. Stop acting like it’s the end of the world.”
“I can’t give you what you want,” Lila said, her voice trembling. “Please, just leave me alone.”
A burst of noise came through the phone–yelling, crashing, and then a woman’s cries. Lila bit her lip so hard she tasted. blood. She knew exactly what was happening.
Joel was hitting her mother, Patricia.
“Stop it!” she choked out. “Give me a few hours. Even if I manage to get the money tonight, I can’t bring it to you now. I’ll give you the cash tomorrow morning–just don’t touch her!”
Joel’s voice was firm. “You better keep your word.”
The call ended with a dull beep, leaving Lila staring blankly at the wall.
She couldn’t ask Donovan for the money–there was no excuse she could come up with that wouldn’t raise suspicion. Checking her phone, she tallied up the balance across all her cards. Fifty thousand. Nowhere near enough. If Joel didn’t get the money by tomorrow, he’d lose his mind.
Outside, the house was silent. The television had been turned off. Lila tiptoed to the door, pressing her ear against it. After making sure the coast was clear, she slowly crept out.
2/3
The first floor only had one guest room, but she knew Donovan’s room was on the east side of the second floor. Moving carefully, she climbed the stairs, her footsteps light as air. Reaching the guest room on the west side, she pushed the door
open.
The room was engulfed in darkness, the heavy curtains drawn so tightly that she could barely see her own hand.
Lila instinctively knew–this must have been Shelby’s room. Pulling out her phone, she switched on the flashlight, its beam cutting through the gloom and landing on a vanity. The surface was neatly arranged with an array of cosmetics, their presence confirming her suspicion.
She scoffed. Sooner or later, I will become the mistress of this house. I will discard all of Shelby’s belongings.
Her gaze drifted lower. Beneath the vanity were several drawers.
Her heart pounded so violently in the darkness that it might jump out of her throat. Taking a deep breath, she crouched down and pulled one open. As expected, there was jewelry inside.
Suddenly, a light flickered on outside, making Lila’s heart jolt. She immediately crouched down, holding her breath.
The sound of footsteps grew closer, steady and deliberate. Peering through the narrow gap in the door, she saw a shadow halt
at the entrance.
She covered her mouth. If Donovan found her here–in Shelby’s room–she was done for.
The doorknob twitched slightly. Panic surged through her veins as she scrambled beneath the bed, pressing herself flat against the cold floor.
The door creaked open. Donovan stepped inside and flicked on the bedroom light. From her hiding spot, Lila could see the tips
of his slippers, the defined outline of his ankle bones.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, trembling and suppressing the rising tide of fear, not daring to make a sound.
The slippers stopped right in front of her.
Lila’s heart pounded violently, a sharp pain spreading through her chest. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
She silently pleaded for Donovan to leave, to turn around and walk out–but her prayers went unanswered.
