Becoming strangers again (Lily and Ryan)



RYAN

I had taken the boys out to the park for some fresh air. It felt good to step outside for a while, and I was relieved when I received a call saying that my mom had gone out herself.

She had been cooped up in the house for too long, and I had been worried it was affecting her mental health. She hadn't been herself lately, snapping at everyone except the kids over the smallest things. I figured it was the weight of everything she was bottling up—grief, frustration, and perhaps a feeling of helplessness.

After spending some time with the boys, I decided it was time to head home. We walked up to the front door, and the boys, full of energy, rushed inside ahead of me. I followed, glancing around the living room but finding no one there. The house felt quiet, a little too quiet.

I headed toward the bedroom, looking for Lily. As I approached the door, I carefully pushed it open, just in case she was resting. The last thing I wanted was to disturb her if she had finally managed to get some sleep after the stressful day. But when I stepped inside, I saw her sitting on the bed, not asleep but reading a book.

She looked up when the door opened, and the moment our eyes met, I could tell something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice soft but concerned, as I moved closer to her. I took her hand, sitting beside her on the bed, trying to comfort her, though I had no idea what had upset her so deeply. "Did something happen while you were out?"

Lily pulled her hand away, crossing her arms defensively over her chest, her expression hardening. "Your mum thinks I'm cheating on you," she said through gritted teeth, her frustration clear. "She came right out and said it to my face-that I'm cheating on you."

I sat there, stunned, my mind struggling to process what she had just told me. My mother? Accusing her of cheating? I blinked, speechless, caught between disbelief and anger.

"I guess she saw me with Amell during the furniture shopping trip," Lily continued. "And instead of asking me any questions to clarify what she thought she saw, she jumped straight to accusations. She told me I'm ungrateful too."

I could feel the blood rushing to my face. My mother-whom I respected deeply-had crossed a line, one she should never have approached. Without saying another word, I stood up from the bed, anger boiling inside me.

Lily doesn't deserve this.

I marched out of the room, my feet moving quickly as I sought out my mother to set things straight. She had no right to make those kinds of accusations, and I wasn't about to let her drive a wedge between Lily and me. Not now, not ever.

The first place I searched for my mother was her bedroom. I knocked on the door twice, and when she opened it, she greeted me with a warm smile. "You're home," she said with a hint of relief in her voice. "I was beginning to miss the boys."Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"Can I come in?" I asked, my voice tight and flat, betraying my rising frustration.

Her brows furrowed into a frown as she sensed my upset demeanor. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and pushed the door wider to let me

in.

I stepped inside.

"Is everything okay?” she asked, closing the door behind her.

"Absolutely not," I snapped, the words spilling out before I could temper them. "What was that you said to my wife?"

She scoffed, jutted her chin out defiantly, and rolled her eyes. "I see she ran to complain to you," she mumbled, as if dismissing the issue altogether.

"As she should!" I retorted, my voice rising slightly. "Why on earth would you call my wife a cheat?!"

"Because I know what I saw!" she fired back. "I saw how close she was with that man at the coffee shop!"

Running my fingers through my hair in frustration, I glared at her, trying to rein in my anger. "You used to love Lily. Why are you letting your grief get in the way of your relationships with everyone?"

"I still like Lily," she argued, her voice defensive. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to keep quiet if I think she's doing something wrong."

"She is not cheating on me!" I growled, my voice rising in intensity.

"I know what I saw, and-"

"I don't care what you saw!" I interjected, cutting off whatever nonsense she was about to say. "This is our private life, Mom, and

would appreciate it if you didn't ne

interfere. Even if my wife were cheating on me-which she isn't-it's none of your business but mine. You do not have the right to confront her like that."

Her jaw dropped in shock. "Ryan..."

"I'm telling you nicely, Mom. If you can't show Lily the same respect she shows you, then I will have no choice but to send you back to New York. You will not make my wife uncomfortable in her own home."

She licked her lips, her expression shifting as she absorbed my ultimatum. "Fine. I won't say anything about this anymore," she said reluctantly, though I could see the defiance lingering in her eyes. "But when it all dawns on you and you come crying to me, don't expect me to comfort you." "And when you realize that it was all just in your head," I shot back, "you're going to owe Lily an apology." With that, I turned on my heel and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

As I made my way back to the bedroom, planning to apologize to Lily for my mother's outrageous behavior, my phone suddenly rang. I glanced at the screen and saw Angelo's name flash before me. I answered the call.

"Maya is granting more interviews," he deadpanned. "We need to do something before she starts to gain the public's sympathy. If we don't act quickly, this isn't going to end well for you, and it's definitely going to get the board talking."

Pushing the door open, I strolled into the bedroom, my mind racing with thoughts of how to tackle the mess that Maya was creating. "Let her speak to the public. Let her paint her own narrative,” I said, pacing slightly as I formulated my plan. "While she's at it, I want you to reach out to the angry ex-wives who Salome ruined homes for. Get them to record their stories about what she did to their marriages. Once we have that footage, we can release all the pictures of the men she's had affairs with together with the videos. And then my mom can give interviews about how traumatized she is from everything that's happened. I'll finish it off with an interview of my own."

"Yes, boss."

That woman clearly had no idea who she was dealing with. Did she really think she could manipulate public opinion in her favor? She was simply new

to this game, and I was about to show her how it was played.

ofe

If she had approached me without threats, if she hadn't come across as selfish and opportunistic, I might have considered sparing some of my properties for her-perhaps even some cash that could set her up for life. But she had chosen to make me her enemy, and that was a decision she would come to regret.