Before Lily could speak, Joshua stormed in, his face dark as a thundercloud.
"Lily! Did you post this online?!"
She stood, instinctively shielding the hospital bed behind her.
"Joshua, let's talk outside."
In the hallway, his eyes were black as ink. Once, when he looked at her, there'd been a quiet dependence there. But somewhere along the way, that warmth had frozen over. Now there was only cold.
It didn't matter anymore.
"What do you want to say?"
He froze. He'd expected mockery, self-righteousness. Not this eerie calm.
Something twisted in his chest.
His tone softened without him meaning it to. "Lily, I acted impulsively first—I know that. But you shouldn't have taken this online. I can handle a PR storm. Ada can't."
"She has too much pride. When she saw the backlash today, she tried to kill herself."
"To fix this, you need to record a clarification video."
Lily stared at him. He wanted her to publicly call her mentor a rapist? That would destroy her more than anything.
"Joshua, he's your mentor too!"
His fingers twitched, but the image of Ada dragging a razor across her wrist hardened his resolve. "If you won't do it willingly, then wait for your bed photos from when you were eighteen to leak."
Her mind went blank. Ice shot from her feet to the crown of her head, freezing her from the inside out.
When she was eighteen, she'd given herself to Joshua as a gift.
He'd been so nervous his ears turned red. He kept her up the whole night, insatiable, and at the end, he'd asked to record it.
I want to capture our first time. It means everything.
What was once beautiful had become a blade aimed at her throat.
"You'd really go that far, Joshua?" Her voice cracked. "I regret ever giving myself to you."
She brushed past him. His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist.
"Lily—"
She wrenched free, her voice frozen solid. "Making me do something that vile? Impossible."
He watched her walk away, her spine straight and unyielding. A hollow ache spread through his chest.
It was fine. Once he calmed Ada down, he'd end things with her. Lily was easier to soothe. A little coaxing, like before, and they'd go back to normal.
That same day, photos tied to Lily's name shot to the top trending spot.
The online mob pivoted instantly—from Ada to Lily.
But strangely, thirty seconds later, the trend vanished. Scrubbed from every platform.
The name Lily Gilbert sank like a stone dropped in a lake—one ripple, then gone. As if it had never existed.
When Lily stepped out of the hospital, a jet-black Maybach waited by the curb. She hesitated, then pulled open the door.
"Thank you."
Sean stubbed out his cigarette and reached over to pinch her cheek.
"Saying thank you? So formal."
She lowered her eyes. The rumors online—didn't he care?
He seemed to read her mind. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I only wish I'd found you sooner. But from now on, you're mine."
"Come on. Let me show you our home."
She nodded, resting her head against the window, watching the city blur past.
Before leaving, she'd given Joshua a parting gift.
She wondered what he'd think when he discovered the seven birthmarks on Ada's back were tattooed on.
