Page 144 of Ruthless Temptation

The next day, or rathertwenty hours and forty-five minutes later, Lily was at her mom’s place picking at the food in front of her.

“You don’t have to eat it,” her Aunt Sherie said.

“It’s nice. I just don’t have an appetite at the moment,” Lily said.

“It’s understandable. You’ll feel like this for a while. Saying goodbye to your dad tomorrow will be hard, but it does give closure of a sort,” Sherie said. “But you do need to start eating and sleeping. Both of you.”

“I’m sleeping. That’s all I’m doing,” her mom said.

“Grief is exhausting.” Lily sighed. She felt like she was grieving two men. What terrible timing. She felt guilty, like she should only care about her dad, and not some guy she wouldn’t remember when she was old and gray.

Right?

She would forget about Aidan. Right?

“Where’s your lovely man?” her mom asked.

Ugh.

“He’s not mine. He’s a friend.” Lily shrugged and pushed the pasta into her mouth, chewing so she didn’t have to explain more.

She swallowed the lump of what felt like concrete.

“That’s not what you said at the hospital,” her mom pressed.

“I was in shock.” She shrugged.

“Lily. What happened? He seemed so nice. Not many people would sit waiting for hours like that. I saw his eyes. He cares for you.”

“He was very nice. And very handsome,” her aunt replied.

Yes, well, he was handsome.

“He’s gone home,” she lied. Unless Aidan had given up and decided to leave, anyway. Lily didn’t blame him if he had. It was the right thing to do.

It was over.

“We’re from different worlds. I told you that, Mom. He is nice, very nice, but it would never work.”

I love you, Lily.

She felt her stomach lurch. This morning she’d actually thrown up. Not surprising given she’d had cried ten years’ worth of tears in twelve hours.

Lily pushed the plate away and chugged some water.

“Is this about the fact he’s wealthy?” her mom asked and shot her aunt a look.

“Don’t, Mom. Please. Look at what happened to Dad because of this stupid topic. He died.”

The room went quiet.

“Is that what you think?” her mom asked incredulously.

Lily rubbed her forehead, sweat beading. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Lily?”

“No. But the whole thing is just wrong. I’m not going to see him again. The end.” Lily felt seedier the more she spoke.

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