Chapter 73
On her journey home, Lily pondered everything Amanda had revealed. She was certain that Alexander had strictly forbidden anyone from discussing his mother’s whereabouts, which is why she had remained in the dark until now. Although Lily occasionally uncovered new aspects of her husband, her feelings for him remained unchanged. What puzzled her now was the reason behind Angela’s imprisonment, her fifteen-year sentence, and why Alexander still wanted to keep her confined.
Lily recalled Grandma Helen once mentioning that Angela had been responsible for her son’s death, causing a car accident that took his life. But Lily doubted that this was the full story behind Angela’s incarceration. Should she confront Alexander about it? He always grew furious whenever she brought up the subject of his mother. Should she ask Ethan or Richard? Doing so would likely anger Alexander even more. Should she make the trip to G city to meet Angela? Was it safe to do so? Lily wrestled with these questions, feeling more confused than ever. A part of her urged her to speak with Alexander first; perhaps going to the prison might be a mistake.
What if this was some kind of trap? she wondered. Alexander wouldn’t act without reason, would he? If he was keeping Angela in prison, there had to be a rationale. If there wasn’t, then he was harboring deep resentment and refusing to give his mother a second chance.
Lily sighed deeply, glancing out the window, surprised to find they were already home, the car parked in front of their mansion. How long had she been lost in thought? Her bodyguards hadn’t even mentioned they had arrived.
Turning to the front seat, she asked, "Why didn’t you tell me we were here?"
“We tried calling you twice, but you didn’t respond, ma’am, so we decided to wait,” Samuel explained.
Lily ran her hand through her hair, then opened the car door and stepped out. She was greeted by the sight of Alexander and Viola standing at the entrance, watching her. The look on Alexander’s face was not one she wanted to deal with, so she focused on her daughter, smiling broadly.
Viola beamed and ran towards her. “Mommy, you’re home!”
“Yes, my love,” Lily replied, picking her up and hugging her tightly. “I missed my little kitty so much.”
“I missed you too, Mommy.”
Lily kissed Viola on the forehead. “What did you do after school today?” she asked as they headed into the house, completely ignoring Alexander.
Alexander stood there, watching Lily pass him without a word, which took him by surprise and deepened his frown. After waiting outside for her, even watching her sit in the car without coming out, she had ignored him—why?
“Did anything happen today that I wasn’t told about?” Alexander asked the bodyguards, but they shook their heads.
“No, sir, we reported everything that occurred,” one responded.
“You said she spent a long time in the restroom. Was anyone with her?”
Samuel thought for a moment and shook his head. “No, sir.”
“You’d better be sure because if I find out something different happened, you’re as good as dead,” Alexander warned, his tone deadly serious, causing the men to shiver.
Later that night, after Lily had read a bedtime story to Viola and put her to sleep, she returned to the bedroom and found Alexander sitting on the bed, watching her as she entered. She walked over and sat beside him.
Alexander wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Mind telling me why I was ignored earlier? You owe me a greeting, a kiss, and a hug,” he said, sounding like a child who had been overlooked.
Lily put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “How was work today?”
“Why did you ignore me?” he asked, this time more seriously. It was the first time she had ever done that, and he needed to know what prompted it.
“Because I’m upset with you,” she replied with the same seriousness, making him raise an eyebrow.
“For what?”
“You made me come home early. I didn’t even get to enjoy dinner with Michael and Jacob. It’s been ages since I hung out with them, you know,” she pouted.
Alexander frowned, not because of the excuse she gave but because her mood had shifted from serious to playful. Was she hiding her true feelings? The thought deepened his frown. She might be angry, as she said, but the reason she provided wasn’t the real cause.
“You know I’ll find out anyway, right? So you’d better tell me now.”
Lily was silent for a moment before speaking. “Viola mentioned earlier that she asked you about your mother, but you got upset…”
“Stop changing the subject, Lily.”
“What makes you think I’m changing the subject?”
“What does your ignoring me earlier have to do with Viola asking about that woman?”
“That woman is your mother,” Lily said, noting how he always referred to her.
“Enough,” he said, his voice rising in anger.
Lily frowned, pushing his hand away from her waist as she stood up. “You got angry at Viola because she asked about her grandmother. What did you expect, that she wouldn’t ask?”
Alexander couldn’t understand why the conversation had shifted to his mother. “Why are we talking about her now?”
“I’m giving you a clue as to why I ignored you earlier. We’ve been married for three years, Alexander—three years—and you still haven’t told me anything about your mother, about what happened, or where she is. Where is she, Alexander? Talk to me, I’m begging you,” she pleaded.
She wanted him to tell her himself, to stop her from going to the prison behind his back.
“Don’t make me do things behind your back,” she thought, waiting for him to respond.
After a long silence, with them staring at each other, he finally spoke. “Who did you talk to today?”
“Who did I speak to today? Alexander, this has been on my mind for a long time. I want to know; I’m just as curious as Viola is. You’ve forbidden anyone from talking about her. No one is telling me anything. Why don’t you want to talk about her? Why won’t you tell me?”
“I don’t want you to know about that woman. She’s part of the past, and she’ll never be part of my family again. So what’s the point of telling you about her?”
Lily sighed. “Since you won’t open up to me, I might as well go behind your back,” she said and began to walk away, but Alexander pulled her back.
“Let go of me.”
“What did you just say?” His voice was cold and threatening.
“I said I’ll go behind your back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Alexander’s grip tightened, his anger rising. “Don’t test me. If I find out you’re doing something behind my back, I will punish you.”
He was deadly serious, and she could see it. If she acted, he would certainly follow through on his threat. But instead of backing down, she shot back.
“If you dare do anything to me, I’ll divorce you!”
That was the final straw.
In a fit of rage, Alexander grabbed her and threw her onto the bed, climbing on top of her.
Lily stared at his bloodshot eyes and swallowed hard. “Care to repeat that?”
Lily didn’t dare repeat her words, not with him so furious. She tried to free herself, but he held her firmly in place.
“Let go of me.”
Alexander glared at her, enraged that she had threatened him with divorce. “If you ever think of doing that, I’ll lock you up in this house.”
He released her, and she wasted no time getting off the bed and walking out of the room, leaving him alone.
She had given him the chance to tell her about his mother, but he hadn’t taken it. So in three days, she was heading to G city to see Angela in prison.
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