Page 98 of Four Times Forever

Lily picked up a small weighted statue symbolic of the hotel's brand and launched it at me. When it didn't hit me, she growled deep in her throat and picked up something else. The objects kept coming and I didn't know how I kept dodging them, because she was sending them straight at me. Each time one missed, she grew more and more furious, screaming as I decided to brave the avalanche of flying objects and rush toward her. Holding her arms down, I wrapped my own around her body.

"Get off me! Let me go, you fucking liar! You lying piece of shit. How could you?! How could you?!" She stomped on my bare feet with her sneakers.

Her pulse was going crazy. So was mine. Jabbing her shoulder into my chest, she fought.

"Lily, please. I love you!" I wrestled with her, resting my face into her neck and shutting my eyes, hoping that her scent would send me back to happier moments, knowing this might be the last time I'd ever get to be this close to her. My tears mingled with her sweat. I refused to give her freedom.

"Don't you ever fucking say that to me again!" she roared, sobbing as she tried to jerk me off her. My teeth banged together in the movements. I didn't give a shit. I couldn't honor her boundaries right then.

The door swung open. Ethan, Eric, and Ryan fell in. One look at the tears drowning me and they knew.

Lily

"What's this? Are you all going to surround me now? Stop me from going to the police? Kill me too?" My chest hurt so fucking bad. I hated this. Why?

Eric hugged me around the knees and pushed the side of his face into my belly. "We would never hurt you. You know that."

I didn't want his warmth to soak through me, or his words to hit my heart. I just wanted him off me, wanted to get away from them. I wanted them to hurt the way they hurt me. There was no amount of pain I could cause them that would measure up to the disappointment breaking me apart right then. There was nothing I could do that would measure up to what they deserved. It didn't stop me from trying though.

So when I lifted my leg, my intention was only to shove him away from me, but my knee connected with his chin and now he had a busted lip. The twinge of satisfaction that birthed inside my stomach made me sick. Yet I couldn't do away with it. I wanted to do more, scream at the world, start a fucking riot.

"Lily." Eric licked the blood from his lip and it did something to my lower parts, pissing me off further.

"We didn't have a choice." He started to come to his feet but I pressed my hand into his shoulder with one hand and grabbed the collar of his shirt with my other trembling fingers.

"You make me sick." I looked into his red-streaked eyes, the eyes that still captured my soul, and I broke, tears streaming down my face.

Shoving him back, I spun on my heels, but Ethan grabbed me. Through the blinding tears, I watched as Ryan walked out of the room. Good! At least he has the good sense to give up on what's done, I thought while bleeding out. Did he have nothing to say for himself? I didn't want to hear it anyway.

"Lily, if you just calm down..." Ethan started, his hold on my upper arms firm.

And my brain burst. My heel slammed into his toe, and I rammed my elbow into his stomach. He winced in pain, and I frightened myself, rushing out the door. The damn fools wouldn't let me leave. My thong flip-flops clapped my heels on the way down the hallway. Their shoes made soft thuds into the hotel carpet. I tapped the elevator button like a maniac, pleading with it to open before they caught up to me. I was shaking when they did.

"Don't fucking touch me," I warned like a small dog yapping at the bigger ones, hoping its growl was more threatening than its bite.

"Where are you going?" Eric stood in front of the elevator door, causing it to close before I could get in.

Home! I want to go home! That was my initial non-verbal response. The words didn't leave my mouth though, because where the hell was that? Oh, shit. I couldn't go back to the mansion. That fucking islet with my stupid name on it, it was a lie. It was all a lie.

I couldn't contain myself. My body fell apart, and when the elevator doors opened up again, I shoved past Eric. I didn't know where I was going. All I knew was I couldn't stay here.

"Should I get the jet ready?" Matt asked, hand on the closing door.

"What kind of fucking stupid question is that?" I responded.

"Lily, we're supposed to be getting married tomorrow. Just take one day to think about it," he pleaded.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Get the jet ready or I'm booking a flight." I narrowed my eyes. It was an empty threat. We both knew I didn't have any money of my own.

Choked up, Ethan pinched the area between his eyes. "I'll go pack our stuff."

"I can't lose you, Lily. Please." Matt shook his foot and gripped the elevator door pushing against his hand.

The fear in his eyes slammed into my gut. But it didn't slam hard enough to push away my own ache. "You already have."

He shook his head and released the door. "We'll fix this." He glanced at me as the doors started to close, with a promise in his eyes that had nothing at all to do with me. I looked away, counting down the seconds until I was locked in this elevator on my own and able to break down. Except, Eric swore and stuck his hand into the thin opening, before jumping into the elevator with me.

Chapter 62

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