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Chapter 11 - Lily: Leave It Behind
“She’s your wife?” Eli narrowed his eyes at Ethan. “Funny, I don’t see a ring on her finger.”
“Our rings are at the jewelers getting cleaned. So, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate you removing your hand from my wife.”
Eli held his hands up and started backing away slowly. “Sorry, man, didn’t mean to step on your toes. You are a lucky man to have a girl who looks at you the way she does. Keep her well. Otherwise, there will be more guys like me coming her way to swoop her up.”
“Noted,” Ethan bit out, still holding his glare.
Once Eli was gone, Ethan dropped his glare and took a swig of his drink. He winced at the bitter taste as it travelled down his throat.
“Your wife, huh?” I took a sip of my drink.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t get little flutters in my heart when he said that. I would fake being his wife any day.
What the hell, Lily? This is not part of the plan. My voice of reason was trying but my hormones and lady down south were screaming a little louder.
“He had his hands on you. I had to come up with a plan.” He said it so nonchalantly while my heart was racing. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“I could have handled him. I’ve handled men stronger and scarier than him before.”
“What do you mean?”
“I worked at the bar, the Grove, and the uniform wasn’t exactly modest-Mary. I would have men catcall and try to touch me. I learned how to defend myself from men like Eli.”
Something crossed his features, but as quickly as it came, it left.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”
I shrugged. “I had to make money somehow, right? Without a degree and with my priors not many people in Riverroad were willing to offer me work. So, my only option at the time was Max. The pay was decent. It was enough to get me by when I moved back in with my brother.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
I smirked, “I don’t know. Can you?”
He rolled his eyes at my childishness.
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you date Max. He doesn’t exactly scream loyal and loving boyfriend. You are too good for someone like Max.”
I bit down on my lip, contemplating if I should tell him the truth or just lie. A lie would have been less depressing and less pathetic sounding. A lie would have even been the best answer, but for some reason, that was not what came out of my mouth.
“He was the first person to see me.” I sighed. “He was the first person who made me feel seen, heard, and understood. At least that was how it was in the beginning.”
I could see the questions he wanted to ask swimming behind his eyes, but he didn’t open his mouth. A part of me wanted him to ask me, so that I had a reason to open up. I wanted to get to know Ethan better and, the only way I could know who he really was, was if I learned about his ugly sides.
It’s often the ugliness that reveals our real truth. All those things on magazines and Instagram are all the pretty side of things. But rarely are people willing to show their ugly in fear of being judged.
“I see you.” His words were like an arrow right through my heart.
What had he just said to me?
