Page 87 of The Vow Thief
Another wall was lined with shelves of makeup and hair products. Every shade, every brush, every brand she used. Next to that, a cabinet filled with bath oils, lotions, and self-care kits. Things she’d once told me she liked: the smell of peony, the weight of a thick towel, the sound of a faucet running over porcelain.
Further down, another shelf. This one was different.
Art supplies. Paints, watercolors, pastels, markers. A new easel stood by the wall, wrapped brushes in a jar beside it. Clean, ordered, and ready.
I rested my hand on the doorframe and took a slow breath.
“She’ll come home,” I said to no one.“And when she does, this time she’ll stay.”
I turned off the lights and locked the door behind me.
Epilogue
Lily’s POV
It had been three days since my almost wedding.
Three days since my mother swept me out of Chicago and into her penthouse in New York City. The place was just as swanky as my father’s mansion. It felt lived in, and I felt free here.
Mom hovered with gentle hands and soft conversation, and I gave her silence, mood swings, and halfhearted attempts at charm.
I couldn’t believe it, but I actually missed working at Holloway’s.
My phone sat on the counter, dark and quiet. The urge to turn it on scratched at me. I knew my father was spiraling by now, pacing that mansion like some storm waiting to hit land. I was not ready for him. The King of Darkness could wait.
Sean had been stuck in my mind like a tune you can’t escape. Every time I started to breathe normally, he slipped back in.
Mom was leaning on the island, telling me about Paris again. Not the culture. The men. She always told these stories with a little smile, like she was proud of herself.
“Mom,” I interrupted,“did you ever think about going back to Dad. Or even coming home.”
She laughed softly.“No. Well, sometimes. But I ruined that opportunity years ago.”
The words snapped something awake in me. I turned toward her.“What do you mean?”
She studied me for a moment, then sat at the island like she was preparing to confess.“I am surprised your father never told you.”
“He didn’t,” I said.“Tell me.”
She rose and started pacing, her steps slow and heavy.“Lily, I messed up. I had an affair with one of your father’s colleagues. Jim Holloway.”
I choked so violently that she rushed around the island to steady me. I waved her off, coughing until my eyes watered.
“Lily, are you alright?”
“Mom,” I managed,“you slept with Jim Holloway.”
Her face drained of color.“Please don’t hate me. I did. Your father was always traveling. Always gone. Jim was there, and he made it very clear he wanted me.”
The room tilted.
No.
No. Absolutely not.
The same man. The exact same man.
My stomach twisted hard enough to make me grip the counter.
