Chapter 106

Liliana's pov :
Ben and home were the two words that felt dreamy in one positive sentence. I couldn't believe that he was finally home, our parents would be on the ninth cloud after seeing him.
Our dad still didn't know anything about Richard's sexuality, mom was still waiting for a good opportunity to put this thing in front of my dad so finally, everything was going to be perfect and alright.
My life was on the right track and I couldn't wish for anything more, I was having plenty of things on my plate. One and a half years ago, I was a lonely, sad girl who craved friends and pretended to be a strong and proud, alone girl. Deep down, I wanted a friend but I was so fortunate to have a gang of crazy friends with whom my vibe matched at a different level.
"Ahem! You seem so happy, huh?" Jay drew my attention to his uneasy face.
I fixed my gaze on his face to force him to look at me. "Yes! My brother is home after a long time. What's wrong with you?"
"Scared of your big bro! Ben is gonna hate me if he knows about Singapore…" he clasped the steering wheel tighter, I could see the tensed nerves on his neck.
Waving him off, I softly giggled and placed my hand on his hand. "He doesn't know anything and you don't worry! He knows that I love you, that's it!" I shrugged and he raised his eyebrows.
"Is it that easy? I genuinely don't want to disappoint him because I know that he is the only one who hasn't hurt you till now so I should be grateful to him." Jay stopped the car and I saw our surroundings.
I didn't realize that we reached my home that soon, he wanted to go on a long drive but as soon as I received Ben's call, I asked him to drive me home. And without any question, he smiled and did as I said.
"You are overthinking this, baby. He already likes you and if he plans to stay longer, I'll make you meet him." Unbuckling the seatbelt, I took his hand in mine and assured him.
He rubbed my hair and pulled me closer to hug me. The way he hugged me, I felt like my shoulder was his favourite place to rest. Wrapping my arms around him in a tight bone-crushing hug, I caressed his back slowly.
"Promise me that no matter what, you'll never choose Ben over me!" He uttered what I was afraid of.
The way he just followed what I said and I dismissed his plan of a long drive, I knew that he would feel insecure. Putting myself in his place, I thought that he was right. If I would be in his place, I would have reacted the same. In fact, I would have been pissed off at him.
Holding his face in my hands, I rubbed my nose against his nose and smiled. "Don't feel insecure! I'm yours and you're mine. No matter what, Liliana Watson will always be with you and that's my promise."
He exhaled a deep breath and I realised how tense he was!. "Thank you, Love! Always remember one thing that I love you and I can fight against the world to be with you. In return, I expect the same from you."
I didn't say anything, just leaned forward and took his lips in a reassurance kiss that lasted longer than I intended as he deepened the kiss and I comforted him.
"I love you and I'll do the same for you." I rested my face against his face and cupped his cheeks.
"I love you, too, my Love!" He smiled and patted my head like a dad. Jay cared for me a lot, and sometimes I wondered about his being caring, protective, understanding, and romantic. He was my four in one, caring like a father, protective like a brother, understanding like a best friend, and romantic like a perfect boyfriend. "Don't stare at me like that! I won't be able to go back." He pouted and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.
I didn't know why we were feeling sentimental, but I felt like he was the only person to whom my happiness belonged and living a life without him was impossible.
"Why don't you come in? Ben would like to see you."
"No, not now! And you better cover it up, otherwise, he would think that I'm a crazy freak who just loves marking you mine," he pointed towards the hickey that he gave me a few minutes ago.
I pulled my dress a little up while chuckling and he opened the door for me like a gentleman. All the cliche things were making me blush now. His small gestures could make me smile and just one word from his mouth could give me butterflies in my stomach. No, it wasn't fake! It was real, I felt butterflies in my stomach whenever he called me Love.
"Thank you for coming into my life and making me happy!" I hugged him for the last time and before he could respond, I started galloping to my house. All the sentimental talks made me feel shy so I didn't want to continue it.
"All pleasure is mine, M'lady!" He shouted and I turned to see him bowing his head while smiling.
Waving him goodbye and a kiss, I giggled at his fainting and put his hand on his heart as if I had shot him. I indicated to him to leave but he gestured to me to enter the house first. Shaking my head and sighing, I went inside the house first.
What the fuck! Ben was holding a girl's hand in front of our parents, and their staring gazes at their intertwined fingers were showing that they didn't like the girl and the whole scenario.
I immediately rushed over to him to know what was happening there before I came and who that girl was, though I kinda had guessed the relationship between them?! He never brought any girl home before, not even when he was in high school.
"You can't be with a girl who is an orphan and works at a restaurant. Is it too difficult to get in your nuts brain?" My dad almost yelled out, he stood up from the couch, making his fists ball. So she was his girlfriend, I peeked at her slightly. She was standing there lowering her head, almost shuddering.
"Dad, I work at a restaurant, too." I pronounced and everyone's eyes turned at me.
Ben came over to me and hugged me. "My Lily is home. I was just waiting for you, how was your day, princess?" He ignored his important argument with dad and asked me about my day. In those three years, no one asked me that. Well, the day was great but why was I having a premonition that the night wasn't going to be easy?!
"You don't dare to interrupt us, go into your room right now," Dad ordered me and I shook my head in disbelief. He never showed any affection, but he never talked to me in a high-pitched voice either.
"Lily isn't a child anymore. She has the right to know everything, especially the things that you don't want to tell her ever." Ben squinted his eyes and held my hand in his one hand and his girlfriend's hand in another hand. "These two women are the only women whom I love and I can fight for them against even my parents."
I had missed out on so many things that their conversations seemed a mystery to me and I wanted to know what happened here before I arrived.
"Am I nothing to you, Ben? I'm your mother, how could you forget me? Why are you doing this to me, honey?" Mom whimpered and the tears strolled down her cheeks.
He dropped his head to the floor, not meeting her gaze. "You're indeed my mom but you fell in love with the wrong person, a coward who didn't have the guts to fight for you. I understand you but unfortunately, you don't."
"Ben, please, don't say that! Don't offend your father! He loves you," my mom tried to defend my dad and my head was spinning due to curiosity.
What I didn't know about my parents?! How was my dad a coward? Everyone was afraid of him, and they both were living happily with each other. The perfect, money-minded couple who judged people according to their financial status.
The one thing about I was fucking sure was that if Jay wouldn't have been that rich and arrogant when he talked to my dad, my parents wouldn't have accepted him. Luckily, he knew very well how to act around rich people unlike me so he was my mom's favorite.
In my brother's case, it was different. She was a waitress and my parents weren't ready to accept her just because of her poor status.
"He never loved anyone, not even you. How am I supposed to expect to be loved by him?" Ben sighed and chuckled as if he had cracked some jokes but I knew that he was being sarcastic.
"Enough! You can leave this house and never return if you're choosing this girl over your parents." Dad announced and my brother didn't hesitate for once to leave with his girlfriend.
My mom started panicking, she held my dad's hand. "Honey, please! Don't do this! He is our son, please!"
I was literally feeling giddy, whatever just happened was too quick and I couldn't understand what happened and why?! How to stop Ben from leaving this house forever?!
"Stop!" My dad yelled and I released air from my chest that I didn't even realize when it got stuck in my lungs. "This is not a joke! If you're leaving with this girl, all the ways to return to this mansion will be blocked forever and you won't get any single penny from me. All my properties will be given to Lia and Richard equally, you'll be no one to me."
Ben turned his face and smirked. "That's what I had expected from you. You could never understand me, I was never interested in your money. It's your property, you can do whatever the hell you want to do with it."
"You're going to regret your decision when you'll face the world without money. The world isn't as sweet as it seemed to you when you had money, you'll see now how cruel the world is when you have nothing," my dad bitterly uttered and tossed my mom's hand away from him.
"Honey, please! He is just a kid, he doesn't know anything about the world. I'm begging you, please, forgive him!"
"No, mom! You don't have to beg this person. How can I expect good things from the outsiders when my own dad is so cruel? I have this girl who'll love me for who I'm!. I wish you would have the guts to do the same for my mom." He retorted with so much contempt, his eyes were holding so much hate in them for dad.
I was just standing there, watching them fighting with each other, hurting each other with their hateful words. My heart was shattering into pieces, I couldn't even imagine what my mom was going through seeing her husband and son fighting like haters!.
"Dad! Ben! What's wrong with you guys? I'm not getting the things that you are talking about. Why are you behaving like enemies?" I decided to interrupt, I couldn't stand there with a shut mouth and listen to their screaming.
"It's so clear, what do you need to understand? Your brother wants to marry that cheap girl and I can't tolerate that. He is choosing her over his family, such a disgrace on our family!" Dad spat without even thinking for once.
Ben pointed his finger at dad and warned him, "you can call me whatever you want but don't you dare to insult my girl! I won't tolerate that."
His girlfriend pried her hand off his hold. "Don't leave your family for me! I don't want that much hate for us."
Ben again held her hand firmly and pulled her closer. "Please, stand by my side! That's the only thing I want." He turned his gaze at me and enunciated, "I just want you to be happy and your brother will always be there for you. I'm sorry for leaving but I don't have any choice left."
I shook my head as no, but he was walking away and I was just gaping at his back with my watery eyes. A while ago, I was in a dream perhaps but then the reality was hitting me so hard.
"You shouldn't have done that. Once you were in the same shoes as him, you could be kind and supportive." My mom shouted while falling on the floor.
My father didn't even bother to look at her and sauntered away. I knew that my family wasn't perfect or normal but at least, my family members didn't hate each other. But I was wrong, they made me feel like I didn't know something and there were lots of things that I didn't know about my parents.
I was so happy and feeling lucky to have Jay in my life, I wasn't prepared for this melodrama after having a good day at his. For most of the situations in our lives, we aren't prepared for it but life teaches us not only how to prepare ourselves but also how to face them!.