CHAPTER 6: Weak

Lauren arrived at Drew's residence with her four-year-old child a few minutes after he had left for his office. Lily was the one who welcomed his friend.

"Hi!" said Lauren.

Lily was a little surprised when Lauren gave her a kiss on the cheek before introducing the adorable young child. "He is Felix, my son. Baby, kiss your Aunt Lily."

The boy pouted his lips and moved closer to her. Lily had never experienced anything like this. Even though she had only known Lauren for 48 hours, she felt a sense of familiarity and friendship towards her.

"We are here to pick you up. By the way, how are you?" Lauren asked.

"I'm fine. Come in!" responded Lily. Because she had never had a visitor before in her entire life, she was a little puzzled. She had no friends. How could she keep Lauren entertained as the host of this home? How could she be sure Lauren wouldn't feel uncomfortable with her?

‘Lily, she visited you here to make sure you were fine,’ she told herself.

"Tsk! Are you sure you're okay here?" Lauren questioned as she winced and looked at the gym equipment that nearly filled the entire room. "That jerk!" she exclaimed, referring to her husband, "didn't even bother to fix the place before marrying you!"

Lily offered the kitchen area instead.

"I'm fine. D-do you want coffee or juice?" Lily asked. Since it was her first day in the house, she was still a little uneasy. No matter how many times Drew said that she already lived there and that it was hers, her body continued to reject it.

"Juice, please."

She smiled when she saw her son begin to play in the gym.

"Baby, behave, okay?" said Lauren.

“Yes, mommy!”    

For her two visitors, she poured beverages while saying, "Sorry about the mess. Next time you come, I'll make sure the house is in order."

Lauren smiled. "I'm sorry if we inconvenienced you; I don't want to seem nosy or intrusive in your married life. I just want to ensure that you and Drew are doing okay because things didn't go well at your wedding, and you suddenly disappeared from the gathering."

Lily concluded that Lauren must have been concerned about her. "I should be the one to apologize. I really appreciate that you took the time to check on us, but there's no need to worry. Drew treated me well all day yesterday. We went out and bought some things for my bedroom."

"Your bedroom?" It surprised Lauren.

"Ah..." Lily scratched the crook of her neck. Lauren must have been confused as to why she was mentioning a room other than Drew's. "He gave me time to... you know..."

"That's great to hear! You won't like him unless you get to know him. Drew is arrogant and conceited, but he's a nice guy; just be patient with him."

She couldn't bring up that Drew was the one who was quite patient with her. It embarrassed her.

"You said before that he doesn't trust women," asked Lily. "Does Drew believe in you?"

Again, Lauren frowned. "I shouldn't have said that. It's not that he doesn't trust women; it's just that his last girlfriend cheated on him, and she accused Drew of sexually assaulting her to get money."

Lily's eyes grew wide. When she heard the words "sexual assault," she felt a little uneasy.

"It happened four years ago. There's no need to worry because nobody believed Drew would do it. He used the money to silence his ex-girlfriend to spare the Walton Family any embarrassment. The thing is, it's obvious that's what she was aiming for. As a result, there were common accusations about your husband getting a woman pregnant, experiencing sexual harassment at work, and so on. Because Drew had a bad reputation and was therefore an easy target, they were all aiming for him."

Lily felt a little sorry for her husband. Was that the main reason he preferred to hire a woman rather than be in a relationship?

***   

At half-past five in the morning, Lily went downstairs, wearing jogging pants and a cotton shirt that she and Lauren had purchased the other day. However, she didn't expect Drew to be ahead of her.

When he saw what she was wearing, he groaned. Perhaps it was because she seemed sluggish and skinnier in her attire. Lauren had emphasized repeatedly that she should get a classy workout outfit from Kori's store. But Lily felt self-conscious about her appearance and thought those expensive clothes wouldn't flatter her frail frame. Furthermore, she didn't want to reveal the horrific scar on her back to Drew.

Getting her attention, he muttered, “I will be strict with our training, and I want you to follow my rules, Lily.”

Even though they hadn't started yet, it made Lily nervous.

"Get ready! We're going to run outside."

She nodded, and they left their home to begin their running workout. Shortly after they had dashed a few meters, she already seemed to be running out of breath.

"Faster!" Drew shouted.

Even though her knees were about to give out, she forced herself to keep going. Her legs started to feel numb after a short time, and she was sweating, struggling to catch her breath. After they finished the run and returned home, Drew organized additional exercises for her.

Her body was screaming to give up, but she couldn't bring herself to complain.

"I'm doing this for your sake, Lily," she remembered him saying. Who was she to say no if he was doing this for her benefit? She didn't want to seem unimportant to her husband.

Drew offered to prepare their breakfast, and when it was ready, she received a large plate filled with various dishes. Despite feeling exhausted from their workout, and the food looking delicious, she managed to finish the meal.

***  

A day between them turned into a week, and eventually a whole month. Monitoring her health was no joke. There were many times when she wanted to give up due to the demanding nature of Drew's requirements. However, she found greater motivation when she realized how patient Drew was, showing her that level of care. He expected nothing in return; all he wanted was for Lily to be healthy.

Over time, she grew accustomed to their morning routine.

"You can now get ready for school because your class starts in a month," Drew said with a smile.

"Thank you!" Lily's cheeks turned red as she responded. The only part of their home she hadn't finished fixing in a month was the living space. She had only managed to paint one section of the wall. Initially, she was concerned, but Drew didn't scold her for it.

"By the way, I'm going on a business trip to Italy next week," Drew informed.

The spoon came to an abrupt halt in front of Lily's mouth.

"Do you want me to buy you something?" he added.

"Nothing. I just want you to be safe," she replied simply, before taking a bite of her food.

And then come back soon, so I won't miss you too much...

Her cheeks grew hot as his lips parted, not expecting her response.

"Is there a problem?" inquired Lily.

Drew grinned after shaking his head. "You are different, Lily."

Different in a good or bad way?

Even though she had completely conquered her nervousness and fear regarding her husband, she had still not yet grown accustomed to his attention.

"If I have the opportunity, I would like to take you with me, but your passport and visa are not ready. Please continue your workout training; I've only been gone for about a week. Don't worry; I'll call a friend to come here and watch over you."

"I'm fine. I will also be busy fixing this living room," she replied. She had painted the wall almost halfway through — they were colorful lilies.

Drew smiled as his gaze drifted in that direction. "Keep surprising me, Lily."

Her cheeks flushed once again. She wasn't going to disappoint Drew. Their conversation was interrupted when Drew's phone, which was sitting next to him, rang.

"Sarah?" Drew inquired. "Huh? Okay, I'll check…" Her husband headed to the kitchen and turned on the wall-mounted television.

On the television, breaking news displayed a restaurant at a mall corner engulfed in flames. The Waltons owned that mall, which left Lily gasping.

The female television news anchor announced, "An explosion has occurred inside the building, causing a fire at the Italian Club restaurant branch in the south. The cause and origin of the incident are still under investigation."

Before he ended the call, she overheard Drew saying, "Get in touch with a lawyer and have them communicate with the owner of the Italian Club."

"Is everything okay?" Lily asked Drew.

"Everything is great! You don't have to worry," he replied. There's something odd about his behavior because, instead of appearing frightened, Drew's mood seems more enthusiastic. Isn't his mall on fire?

When Victor appeared on television for an interview, Lily's eyes widened. "While we're grateful that none of our staff members were hurt and were present in the restaurant, we will be conducting investigations into what transpired."

"H-he's the owner of the restaurant that's on fire?" Lily asked.

“Yes!”    

Drew took a sip of his coffee. Lily turned her attention to Drew and then to the television. Despite her anxiety, she mustered the courage to ask him, "You... are you the one who did that?"

Her husband looked at her intently and simply replied, "Yes."

Lily felt uneasy about it. What if Drew got caught? What if he went to jail? What if Victor learned about it and came back for them? What if—

Drew asked, adopting a serious tone, "Aren't you happy?"

"Should I be happy?"

Drew remained silent. It was clear that what he had done wasn't something to laugh about. Soon, his expression turned sour.

"You're weak," he whispered.

"What?" she exclaimed. What she heard made her feel like her chest was about to explode. Who was he to declare her weak? He didn't know what she had been through!

"I said you're weak, Lily! I told you I'm a troublemaker! If this was only the beginning and you're acting that way, what about next time?"

Lily clenched her fist. She approached Drew and then punched him in the chest. She was stunned but also believed there was no going back. "I'm not weak!"

Annoyed, he exclaimed, "Tsk! You are! I didn't even feel your punch!"

"I said I'm not weak!" she cried, yelling, and continued to throw punches at him.

"Harder!" he growled.

She repeatedly struck him hard, her bones growing numb. "I hate you!"

Lily sobbed, and her punches slowed as what he said began to make sense. She felt pitiful, pathetic, and weak. She cried as if her strength had run out.

Drew tenderly cradled her against his chest before running his fingers through her hair. The pain she experienced gradually subsided, and she felt safe in his arms. Each stroke of his fingers through her hair gave her a sense of security.

"Shhh... I'm sorry."

"This should be my battle, but I'm too pathetic to fight. I'm afraid you might go to jail because of me, and I don't want that to happen. What if the investigation reveals your involvement in what happened?" Lily remembered that the people around her, helping her, often got hurt.

"I won't, Lily. And I didn't do it just to cause trouble; I did it because..."

She looked up and met his eyes. Her chest pounded because she was so close to him. She had something to say, or perhaps she was rendered speechless by her husband's penetrating gaze.

"I don't know either," he mumbled before lowering his face to capture her lips.