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A familiar ringtone echoes through the room, likely an email from the new legal team my brother connected her with.
Lily immediately leaves the spot and grabs her phone.
A long breath passes. I watch how she chews on her thumb, how her forehead creases, how her foot taps nervously on the floor.
“Professor Miller made over a hundred thousand dollars in sales overseas.” Lily slams her phone on the bed. She catches her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated groan. My heart shoots into my stomach. “This entire summer was such a mistake. If I’d been home, I could’ve caught this so much sooner.”
No. That’s not right.
Abandoning the blankets, I rush over to her, using my arms to shield her. “Don’t say that, love. If you didn’t come on this trip, you may have never discovered that prick is ripping you off.”
“True, but I feel so ridiculous.” She wipes a stray tear off her cheek, collapsing in a pile on the bed. “I didn’t even want it, Nico. I didn’t want Zoe or writing or any of it like this. Now I have to decide whether or not I’ll fight for something I don’t care about anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m ready to be done with that part of my life.” Lily looks at me. Her eyes are desperate, and the agonizing torture of not being able to take her pain away returns. “No publicly claiming Zoe Mona as my own. The legal docs spelled it out loud and clear. I’d have to use my real name to sign the documents, linking the identity to me forever.”
“Lil—” I brush away a loose strand of hair. She leans her damp cheek against my palm.
The tears fighting to stay put in her eyes reflect the sun as she looks up at me. “I don’t know what place writing has in my life anymore because the forces that pushed me to write all these years have shifted. I know that if I go back to school, and graduate before getting a real job, one without so much uncertainty and chaos, then everything will be simple. Easy.”
“Your stubbornness is getting old.” I hold her cold hands into my own. “Writing is a real job. Your best friend knows. Luca knows. I know. Everyone who matters supports you and wants you to be happy doing what you love. What are you so afraid of? Take a risk.”
The accusations are enough to cause her knees to tremble.
It’s unfair, I know it is, to pretend a lawsuit isn’t a big deal or that exposing a hidden identity she’s kept buried for a decade isn’t traumatizing. All that aside, Lily’s insistence on holding herself back because of whatever esoteric views she’s dreamed up in her head issomuch worse.
“But the lawsuit could be a bust, and all I’ll have to show for it is this small part of myself. That’s why I’m getting my degree. I need a back up plan.”
I don’t know why she keeps insisting a business degree will provide her with more stability than writing.
My lips trace the pattern of creases on each of her knuckles. “A small part to show for it? You’ll have some justice and peace for yourself. Whatever happens, you can always keep writing as Zoe or as Lily. You keep doing the thing that makes you happy.”
“It’s easy for you to say—you’ve never had anything plagiarized or stolen.”
How I wish that were true.
“Code gets stolen all the time, Lily. I’ve fought countless lawsuits trying to take down Flight Falcon knockoffs before my app was acquired. Did those moments make me want to give up? Absolutely. Did I have someone fighting the fight with me every step of the way? Yes.” There may have never been an acquisition without Klaus or my parents’ network of lawyers keeping me on my feet. “You’re not alone. Please, please rely on that. Please believe me.”
Lily’s green eyes search my face for something, whether preparing to fight or trust me, I’m not sure.
“I can help prevent this from happening again. No one will ever be able to steal your work like this. I’m already working on the app I told you about. I really think there’s something there.”
Building a centralized printing database with a plagiarism checker seems pretty straightforward and, surprisingly, doesn’t already exist. Still, the publishing industry isn’t part of Viggle’s core products, I’ll need to get the concept approved by Anthony and find a team interested in helping me.
There’s no use in revealing the obstacles to Lily. The last thing she needs is more stress. Whether I can do this at Viggle or have to go at it alone, I’ll build this for her. It’s the first step to protecting her dreams.
“No, Nico, it’s not your problem to solve. You’ve already overextended your responsibilities as afriend, truly.”
The word is a silly attempt at a barrier I’ve learned to brush off these past couple of weeks.
Lily gives me a kiss, but the touch of her lips is distant, as if she’s floating outside her body, looking down at herself. “I need to clean myself up. I’m a mess.”
“Your problems are our problems,princesa, whatever label you want us to wear.”
Chapter38
Lily
