Agreement Behind Her Marriage

“No, I don’t love her…” Lily heard Drew reply to Orion.

Lily knew she was the one who had made the crucial decision and had requested to end her marriage with Drew. It would be painful and difficult for him to take care of her while bearing the guilt invested by their parents in their marriage.

Orion reached out his hand to pull her up as she sobbed beside the door and then led her to sit on the colorful couch. The paint was finished, covering the entire piece of leather, blending in with the vibrant lilies painted on the wall. She was even more depressed, realizing that her husband had painted it to hide unsightly marks on her body, to make her feel like no one owned her.

As she sobbed, Orion sat down next to her and allowed her to lean her head on his broad arm. She was nonetheless grateful that he stayed with her-the man she believed had given her the brotherly love that she had been searching for in Kenneth.

Lily used to be afraid of him. Who wouldn’t?

Orion initially appeared as cold and emotionless as a block of ice. Given her history of unfair treatment, this raised concerns for her. However, as she got to know him and grew accustomed to the abundant protection Orion offered, she discovered that he was kind and considerate, much like a big brother looking out for his younger sister. He consistently showed up whenever she needed him and was always watchful over her, attending to every move she made.

After what felt like an eternity, Orion managed to lift her and guide her to the bedroom. She had no energy for anything else and simply wept.

“I’ll leave the door open and stay outside the room. Please let me know if you feel uncomfortable,” he offered.

Lily didn’t respond. Despite the door separating them, they continued to sense each other’s presence.

For a few minutes, she quietly sobbed on the bed while Orion continued to smoke in the hallway. She lost count of how many cigars he had gone through as she struggled to fall asleep.

The next day, in the late afternoon, Lily decided to put an end to her wretched situation as she felt her burning and swollen eyes. Orion offered her food, and she didn’t decline.

“Why did you break up with Drew, Lily? You know your marriage was good,” Orion inquired.

As images of Drew flashed through her mind, her lips trembled, and she seemed on the verge of tears once more. “Because I shouldn’t tie him to our relationship, Orion. He’s a king, and I’m like dirt in his nearly perfect world.”

“Lily…”

“It’s because of me that Drew got involved in unlawful activities. I know he only intended to seek vengeance on those who hurt me by exploiting their weaknesses. Victor came first. Drew gave Victor a reason to lash out and took advantage of his obsession with money and his business.”

“The next one was Jericho, and all I know about him is that he loves his wife, and Drew exploited this weakness. My husband conspired with an investor to entice Jericho’s wife. She had a baby, Orion…” She paused, her lips trembling.

“Jenny had a child with another man, and Jericho beat her because he had known about his impotence from the beginning, sending Jenny to the hospital and possibly causing her to lose her baby… Brian helped Jericho just to keep me away from Danica. Everything that transpired was interconnected. Knowing that Drew did all of this because of me devastated me, and I have to put a stop to it.”

“But did you realize Drew did everything he did for you-so you could have a happy life?”

She corrected Orion’s statement, “That I could have a good life if we end the marriage.”

“Lily…”

“It’s happening now. All I can do is be strong and look forward to a fulfilling life. She’s not that naive. She had often been told that Drew preferred to live on his own and had no desire to start a family, so she knew he was preparing for their separation. Lily’s eyes welled up once more.

Orion sighed in frustration and gave Lily a reassuring pat on the head. “Everything will be fine, Lily.”

***

Drew felt empty. He was seated near the floor-to-ceiling window of Kori’s penthouse, or as they called it, Kori’s playhouse, and he seemed to be passively waiting for the day to end.

He knew his wife was too wounded to seek a marital annulment, trying not to care rather than being angry with the Walton Family. If Lily’s mother had been alive, she wouldn’t have gone through all she had, including the violence and mistreatment by her dad, her stepmother, and Kenneth. Perhaps she would have lived as a typical, happy young woman.

Lily lost an important person, and then everything about her fell apart. But, damn, it hurts so much!

It was more painful than the rejection he received from Kori. Because he and Kori were best friends, the affection he felt for her was very different.

But Lily… She was his flower. Like Mother Gothel and her Rapunzel…

Where would he find the strength now that his beloved flower had been cut off? He was too devastated and heartbroken to think or act.

When the person he knew well, who could easily track him everywhere he went, showed up at Kori’s playhouse, he was in this predicament.

He looked at him silently.

Drew warned Finn, “If you’re here to talk about what happened to me and Lily, you’d better just leave.”

“I’m here to drink, not because of you,” Finn said to Drew.

“Fucker,” he weakly muttered.

Since high school, only the three of them had had access to Kori’s penthouse. Any tears, joy, destruction, or anything else significant in their lives-both good and bad-took place here. They were now sharing this penthouse with Finn and Kori’s children.

For whatever reason, Drew knew that his best friends were concerned about him. Kori kept calling, but he ignored all of them.

Finn appeared calm, as if he didn’t give a damn about Drew’s world, and headed toward the bar area. After grabbing a bottle of scotch, a glass, and some chips, he sat down next to Drew by the window.

“I miss her terribly,” Drew confessed.

As he filled his glass with scotch, Finn raised an eyebrow and mumbled, “I thought we weren’t going to bring up Lily.”

Drew replied with a constricted chest, “Well, I can’t help it. I’m… I’m missing her.”

Finn responded with a hint of amusement, “Alright, but remember that you brought up the topic of Lily, not me.”

‘Fucker!’

“Now, I’ll ask you what really happened. You’ve been hiding here for three days, Drew. Why did you go through with your plan to give up Lily? Didn’t you agree that after a year, your marriage would either continue or be annulled? We all believed that you and Lily were happy.”

Drew hugged his leg. “You know I love my mom. She gave me all the affection that she couldn’t receive from my dad. Therefore, I can’t help being biased in choosing between my parents, I can’t stop it. Mom loved me. Mom and Dad would often argue whenever the opportunity presented itself on any occasion, but most of the arguments stemmed from her allegations that my dad had cheated on her with other women.”

His chest constricted as though something had been lodged there for a very long time. Tears began to fall, and he asked Finn, “You know the story of that person who committed suicide in the former Walton Group Building, right?”

“The woman they said was Master Walton’s former secretary?” Finn was uncertain about the direction their conversation might take and continued, “The woman they said went unhinged and took her own life because her husband divorced her?”

They abandoned the old building and renovated it into a new one for that reason. His grandfather managed to conceal the incident without tarnishing the company’s reputation.

“That woman was Lily’s mom.”

“God…” What Finn heard appeared to stop his thoughts in their tracks.

“The most terrifying aspect of all that happened in that story, Finn, was that Lily’s mother didn’t commit suicide. My mom pushed her out of an open window after she was found in my dad’s office.”

Drew couldn’t quell the pain in his chest, the memories of his mother, his father, and even Lily flooding in.

“I wondered if Lily’s mother had a relationship with my dad after learning she was the woman who passed away at that time. The idea that my mom might have betrayed me hurts so much! I felt somehow connected to Lily’s sorrow in every way. Since everything is intertwined, I’m worried that my existence can’t ease her suffering.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“I-I-I want to hug her, Finn… I want to maintain our relationship and build it into the wonderful life we both deserve, but lately, I’ve started to think that she’s hurting more because I’m staying with her. Finn, Lily loved her mother in the same way that I do. She sacrificed a lot, and it hurts so damn much!”

“But, bro, you love her, don’t you? Lily will accept you if you offer her more of your heart because you’re her husband. If you love her, you should fight for what you feel for her.”

What Finn said only deepened his sense of despair.

“But when you love a woman, you give her more than just your heart-you give her what she deserves most. I want to grant Lily freedom because that’s something she’s never experienced in her entire life. Love involves acceptance, and I accept everything about her. Even if we don’t have an official relationship, I can still make her happy. You know that feeling, right?”

He knew that Finn had been through a similar experience with Lauren.

“Give her space until she moves on, but do not annul your marriage, bro. It will break you, Drew.”

“I know… but what can I do?” He felt something in his throat that prevented him from swallowing, so he quickly downed the wine.

He had never encountered anything like this, not even with his ex-girlfriend. He had been upset at the time because he felt deceived by Remi, but after discovering her deceit, he had gone to the office the next day and pretended nothing had happened, even after his rejection from Kori.

But his ending with Lily? Three days had passed, but he still felt how devastated, hurt, and depressed he was, wondering why fate was against them.

***

As Lily left Drew’s residence, she carried a sling bag and a luggage bag. She had to do this to better herself. If she stayed here much longer, she wouldn’t be able to think clearly.