Lustful Eyes | 18+ |

44

The sun's rays hit her face as she blinked her eyes. Looking out, she pushed herself up and looked out for a brief second before sliding into her slippers. She took her robe and wore it.

Running her hands through her hair, she walked out of her big minimalist room. Sliding down the stairs, she was met with a familiar face.

"Good morning. Slept well?" She looked at his eyes before forcing a smile on her lips and walking past him and into the common bathroom, where she took a brush out of the holder and wet it under the water, and applied the paste.

Post brushing, she put her palms under the water and splashed it on her face. Taking a bottle she squeezed a little soap and applied it on her face. And washed it. Staring into her green eyes, she sighed.

Walking out she sat down on one of the chairs, while the breakfast was served.

She noticed as the chair beside her was dragged and Liam sat next to her.

"Are you okay?" Liam rested his palm on hers and looked at her with at most care and love.

It might have been 2 years since the trauma Lise had to endure but Liam's love for her had just increased. She was all he ever wanted.

A lot had changed since Lise was freed. She took therapy to get back on her feet. For a year almost. And now she could walk. May and Lise were not on such great terms. Annalise was extremely upset about the measures her mother adopted to keep her safe.

"You are the real villain of my life!"  Those were the words Annalise spat at her mother before walking out of her house.

She had been living with Liam, in a separate mansion. Liam's parents weren't very appreciative of her living with them.

Liam just fell madly in love with her day by day.

Maya was married and was expecting twins.

And for Lise, she was lost. She had her father's empire to look after. May came clean and told her who her father was. How Andreas and their families were rivals.

Annalise had unknowingly been caught in all of this. A 20-year-old now had an empire to look after. An empire that she didn't condone. The innocence in her was somewhere lost.

Her eyes were dull and sad.

She carried the burden of being unwanted.

Her heart was stone cold. She felt nothing. She had become so indifferent to anything.

"I am fine." She replied curtly, before guzzling down the juice.

Liam frowned at her but he had gotten used to this behaviour of hers.

Liam had tried to take things slow. He tried reassuring her how much she means to him and how much he loves her. But there was hardly any reciprocation from her side.

"We have that party today."

"Hmm," Annalise hummed while eating her cereals.

Liam sighed before he got up. "Be ready by six. I'll pick you up." He waited for her to reply, but walked away once he got none.

Lise dropped her spoon and slumped her shoulders. Her eyes welled up because two years ago, today, Andreas had abducted her.

She remembered the day very well. Well, for a person who was traumatized, she still put up a brave front. She wanted to show people she wasn't weak.

She sighed and got up and walked towards the garden outside Liam's house. She used to water the plants and take care of them. It was her job. Her thing. She felt herself when she was in the garden. She had planted a lot of fruits and vegetables. She took care of them like they were her kids. Sometimes she sat there for hours together.

She picked up the watering hoes and began watering them. She also picked out all the ripe fruits and vegetables and some flowers to decorate the house.

She set the flowers in the vase she decided to take a book and sit down. She wanted to attend and get dressed for the party but she didn't feel like it. She wanted to keep a low profile. She had been through a lot and she didn't like attention.

After much contemplation, she decided to walk to her room. She walked into her big walk-in closet. It is everything and anything a person could ask for. Running her fingers through the expensive dresses that hung on the rack and sighed.

Staring at a particular green dress, she pulled it out and pressed it against her skin. She walked to the mirror and looked at herself. It was as if life had been sucked out of her.

She didn't have any interest in life. It was as if she had given up.

She contemplated again if she wanted to go to this party. Liam would be disappointed, sure. But she'd at least not have the anxiety of going to a new place with so many people.

Her entire life was a lie and her mother made sure she believed that lie. She would have never known what would have happened if she never found out the truth. What if Liam hadn't come to rescue her? What if Elijah didn't want his revenge?

She would have been stuck with that monster all her life. She cannot help but think about how she would have never come out of his clutches and would forever be his little sex toy. The man had taken everything from her.

She decide that she was done hiding from everyone.

She wanted to go out and show people that she wasn't the scared little naive girl from two years ago. She was an independent woman.

Andreas had died. It was time for her to move on and accept life and live it and not be scared of living it or reminiscing about the trauma that she went through.

She dressed up in the beautiful green gown and wore silver heels with it. Stilettos. They were long and pointy but it was her dream as a child to wear one of those. She clipped her hair to one side and applied makeup. Bold eyes with dramatic eyeliner. She wore a small diamond pendant and one silver bracelet that went with her necklace. She put on matching studs as well. Slapping some bold red lipstick on, she smacked them together and breathed out and looked at herself through the mirror as she stood gloriously and strong woman.