Lilian's finger caressed the baby's soft skin, sleeping peacefully in her lap with his hands curled in a tight fist. Her hands held the human of a few kilograms to safeguard him from each bump the car felt. The wailing that left a scar in her heart still scared her, and she didn't want to intrude on the endearing sleep he attained after lots of drudgery. Her baby adopted a porcelain colour in contrast to his usual warm ivory pale skin, and she still had the dried stains of tears on her cheeks, a flimsy heart attack she suffered when she saw her infant in ache. Is being a mother arduous, or was she having a tough time because she wasn't the biological mother? This baby in her arms was precious; she had promised to devote herself to this tiny soul without a mother. She didn't want him to grow up without a mother and be in despair, where he would sob over for not having a mother.
'Mommy loves you a lot baby.' She said in a subtle whisper and leaned in to kiss his forehead while patting his stomach though he was already asleep. The girl diverted her eyes at the man sitting beside her, engrossed in his work. He was typing something on his laptop he placed on his thigh, his eyebrows fixed in a V shape with his sharp and focused eyes glancing at the screen. The portrayal of him looking at her tenderly where he held her purse flashed in her mind, the moment when she felt so vulnerable to come up strong. The more reasons she sought to not like him, the more he gave her thousands of reasons to fall for him.Richard was the type of guy who wouldn't hesitate to hold all the girly stuff for the woman he loved without caring for his manly appearance. He was that dream guy of a woman who was dominating but caring at the same time. Intimidating yet loyal and respectful traits this man shared was the perfect mixture of cliche, flirt, fun and seriousness. He was the type of guy who opened the door for his spouse every single time, stood up for his girl in her every decision, and showered her with his cute, loving gestures every chance he got. But all this anticipating side of him was for Nia. Only for the girl he vowed to love eternally. What stupid path were you following, Lily? Walking behind the man who still held onto his wife!Lilian massed her head against the foamy backseat of the expensive vehicle, her mind running back to the moment in the past.The younger version of Lilian, wearing a casual white shirt and skin-tight blue jeans with her shoulder-length hair ironed with a straightener, held a pair of books against her breast, a bag resting on her right shoulder where she stood the position of an average unnoticeable student in the campus of her university. She nervously looked at the group of boys and a few girls sitting under the most enormous neem tree in the arena, but her stares were focused on the guy in the grey t-shirt and ripped black jeans. Her crush was always sitting at the centre of attention, leaning against the bark of the tree while his amber eyes squinted as he laughed. That spectacular vision kept her hypnotised until her friend Emily Ross bumped her shoulder."Just go! Your eyes will bleed if you keep looking at him like that." The friend said, flicking the gorgeous brown curls with her dusky hands.Lilian bit her lower lip nervously, clenching the books in her hands tightly, "But there are so many people!""So what?" Retorted Emily, chewing her gum as she looked at the howling monkeys surrounding the popular guy, Richard Tucker. She hooked her arm around the nervous girl who struggled to confess, waiting for her answer."What if he rejects me?" the question floated, and the confidante scooped her hand in Lilan's back pocket to pull out a small letter. "He rejects a girl every next day babes. People are habitual of it as much as they are of Mr Pott's farting in the class." The brunette scanned the small fold of the paper and sighed, "Should I go and excuse him here?"The lovesick girl snatched her precious love letter and kept it back in her pocket, "Let's head inside. I will text him to meet me on the terrace in the recess or after college."Her pal nodded, and the duo turned, gossiping about the girl caught cheating with her best friend's boyfriend."Lilian!" The girl flinched as she felt a little shake on her shoulder. Her bewildered black eyes met the amber orbits, and the baby mewled in her lap, pulling her back from the past."We are here," Richard notified, and she realised the car wasn't moving anymore. The window displayed the mansion behind the glass film, and she breathed in deeply at the reminiscence of the uneasy part of her life. Her hands patted the infant before she held him against her shoulder. The driver opened the door for her, and she carefully got out, covering the baby with his small blanket. Once she was out, her eyes anchored on the fine man standing a little further with her purse in his hands as he waited for her. Her heart felt sick; she didn't want to be wavered by him. He was just being kind, but she was holding misconceptions unconsciously. It was hard to hold on to the needy heart falling deeper for this man, and it was even more difficult with every kindness he showed.Lilian paced towards him, and they sauntered inside the house together. A maid approached Richard as soon as they stepped on the front door, and he handed the handbag to the worker. The nanny came into view, augmenting her hand to hold the baby, but the mother denied it, wanting to keep the baby to herself. Richard looked at Lilian for a few seconds before caressing his son's forehead, leaning in and kissing it softly."Mrs. Smith, these are the pills in case Aiden gets a fever." The man in a black suit pulled a pill from his pocket and gave it to the nursemaid, "And help Lilian. He will be quite a handful today." The elderly woman nodded, and Richard put his hands in his pants pockets, ready to excuse himself. He looked at Lilian for the final time, the girl intimidated by the eye contact."Take care." His voice vibrated against her eardrum as she eyed him walk away. Her heart was confused, wondering if he had said those words for her or his son in her arms. Her eyes fixed on the familiar back she was habitual of, and the man she liked, Richard Tucker, looked the same as in the past, back when she always walked behind him, but the difference was, Nia wasn't by his side anymore. She wondered if the present would have been different if she had confessed to him then. The hands he held while walking would have been hers, and she wouldn't have to see his back every time she walked with him.Lilian ambled across the hallway as she entered the laundry room in the backside of the garden with an undersized laundry basket holding dozens of baby's clothing. Three maids were working there as usual, and noticing the madam of the house, they bowed quickly and stood attentively. The superior of three of them, Clara, a young girl in her mid-twenties with her long blonde hair braided beautifully and a relatively healthy build, approached the sovereignty to take the essentials they were assigned. "Madam, you don't have to come here every day," Clara said as she passed the basket to one of her subordinates, signing them to continue the work. "Just inform someone, and we will pick up the laundry." She added. Lilian smiled warmly, shaking her head at the responsible girl. This lass was youthful yet mature, and Lilian appreciated her hard work and determination."That's fine. I also need to burn some calories for the day, so please, don't burden yourself with that."The maid smiled, pl
"What are you doing here?" Lilian felt a sharp pierce through her body, the sudden electrification making her unstable to drop the laundry basket and scatter the garments to disorganize the systematic place. Her eyes wavered to keep up with that killer gaze, making her feel like some kind of an extensive criminal who was unforgivable. She skimmed through his eyes, trying to find the graveness of the matter she unfolded. Unfortunately, the amber pair of pearls was much colder than she ever encountered. The man standing in an ebony office suit was the source of all the trepidation threatening her heart. There was a sudden decline in the temperature of the surroundings, colder than the north pole embedded in ice. "I asked what are you doing here?" The sound echoed again. The coldness kept escalating, and the ambience felt tense.Lilian's throat went dry, the pharynx feeling sore without any moisture to retain the utility. The premature paralysis of her vocal cords couldn't defend her p
Lilian stared blankly at the greenery. The crimson sky was waving at the setting sun, bidding goodbye after a long, tiresome day where it shined dazzlingly to provide vitality to this world. The air danced unhurriedly in cadence, with the leaves of the trees singing a soothing, rugged song in the background. The two big dogs of the Tucker household, Charlie and Cooper, were playing on the soft, big lawn prospered so beautifully, entertaining the infant sitting in his mother's lap. The little one enjoyed the variety of stunts the canines showed. To her surprise, he was so calm compared to the typical cranky composition he displayed in the sundowns.Despite these exquisite and heavenly surroundings, Lilian's mind was still cloudy, with the scene in the afternoon. It was hurtfully running over again and again in the screen of her mind. Even after numerous trials, she couldn't shoo away the distasteful thoughts and not feel hurt anymore. His cold utterances, that displeasing stare of deni
"You are unbelievable!" Richard commented, his voice echoing in the surroundings with a sudden gush of cold air freezing the place. Lilian could feel her heart entrapped in chaos as she gaped at his furious amber eyes, feeling a weight of thousands of pounds clamped to her legs. Not a word left her mouth until she saw him taking some giant steps toward her and snatching the crying baby from her authority. The father held his son close, checking his precious person for signs of injury with worry. His eyebrows furrowed in worry after seeing an alarming redness of the baby's forearm and wrist, and he looked at the culprit with bitterness.Aiden's cries were getting strong enough to denote his pain, and Lilian felt sick for the poor baby. She lengthened her hand to take back the infant, touching his arms to carry him."Let me help him," she pleaded, begging the man who held more authority over that kid than her. Richard stepped back, increasing the distance. Lilian leaned over unconscious
Lilian looked at the mobile screen shining brightly, popping the name 'mom' with a red heart she had set affectionately. Her eyes moistened at the thought of the warmest person in this world whose embrace could hide her from all the tragedies and hurricanes. The girl felt herself reaching out, wanting to pour all her heart out in front of this magical individual called Mother, but she restrained herself from being weaker. Things were already exceedingly stressful after Nia passed away, and even her marriage, where they didn't give in entirely, had complicated things. The daughter didn't want to make things more troublesome for them than it already was. Lilian exhaled all the air in her lungs and forced a smile to formulate herself as the happiest soul. She picked up the device and skated the green circle on the mobile screen."Lily..."She heard her mother's tender voice, almost relinquishing in insanity to complain about this unfair and frigid world. But she knew she couldn't. She di
"Come in." The manly voicebox called her inside, but the hesitancy didn't wither despite his quiet composure. Though Richard felt more organized and approachable than formerly, the words he spoke out earlier this day were good enough to halt her feet from seizing a step ahead. Lilian fixed her eyes at him, but the feeling of being submissive and outcast crept into her heart. Both the times when she had triggered this man were the result of her poor actions, and she was concerned that she would do something again to disappoint him. That handsome guy sitting on the sofa with a casual V-neck dark blue-black t-shirt and similar pants raised his eyebrows at her in question, maybe anticipating some kind of response from her. But the girl just looked away, feeling insecure.Richard kept his phone aside and rose from his seat, walking towards the frozen female. He gently grabbed her hand, widening the small almond eyes that looked at him in surprise. He pulled her inside and pushed the door c
Lilian's face flushed with the darkest shade of red when she realised the density of words that left her mouth. Her dark orbs were sealed with Richard's stretched eyes, and she pursued his gaze, looking at her index finger that pointed at her chest area where she was burned earlier. She met his amber stares again, feeling too embarrassed to the farthest point of the galaxy. She lowered her limb, squeezing it to be punished while biting her lower lip in discomfiture."I... I w-will help myself with that." Her tomato-red face declared, shuttering on some simple, effortless words. She wanted to dig her grave and disguise herself somewhere far away from his sharp, penetrating gaze. "Y-yeah, here." Richard handed her the tube hesitantly, the awkwardness between them making the scene more intricate.Lilian found herself getting up in the awkward silence, and Richard said nothing, not even looking at the girl as he stared somewhere aimlessly. Her feet started treading to exit the room robot
(Flashback)"Girls, I think I warned you about this. You know that I can suspend you, right?" A boy stood there firmly, his hands folded on his chest, looking at the group where Lilian was stuck. He was wearing a black T-shirt and wore a grey shirt on it. His ripped black jeans added beauty to his sharp features, especially his amber eyes that stood prominently in his black attire. According to what the fresher had learned in this month's college journey, this handsome-looking boy was named Richard Tucker, and he was the student council president. She had also heard that he came from a very well-off family and was the most popular guy in the entire college since his junior-ship, the crush of almost every other girl."We were just talking. She is one of us." The leader of the bullies asserted, walking to the front towards the senior guy. Lilian looked at Richard, seeing him clicking his tongue and a sarcastic chuckle leaving his mouth before he articulated, "Oh really? Then let me as