Secretly Lying | UNDER EDITING |

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 22 : 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴

Darkness surrounded me, swallowing everything whole. It was suffocatingly silent, the kind of silence that screams louder than noise. The only sound breaking through was the faint scrape of tree branches tapping against the window, pushed by the wind.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. My head pounded like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Everything felt... off.

"What the hell happened?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes with shaky hands.

My body felt heavy as I pushed myself up from the bed. The dim glow of a lamp lit up the room just enough for me to notice my phone on the nightstand. Beside it was a small note, folded neatly.

I picked it up, squinting at Sophie's familiar handwriting:

"Lillie, it's Sophie. We went out to grab some stuff for you—snacks, meds, anything we thought you might need. Luke and Emma are still here, so just let them know if you need anything. We'll be back soon. <3"

A small smile crept onto my face. Leave it to Sophie to try to make everything better, even when my whole world was falling apart. I placed the note back down and grabbed my phone.

11 p.m.

Had I really been out for three hours? I scrolled through the screen. Missed calls. A flood of unread texts. But I didn't have the energy to read or reply to any of them. My chest felt heavy, like I was drowning under everything.

Sliding my feet into my slippers, I shuffled toward the door. The house was eerily quiet, the kind of quiet that made your skin crawl. The lights were off except for a faint glow upstairs.

Luke's room.

I made my way up the stairs, every step creaking softly under my weight. My heart felt uneasy, but I pushed the thought aside. Maybe I just needed his comfort right now.

Reaching the top, I saw his door slightly ajar. Light spilled out, a soft hum of life in the dark hallway.

Thank God he's awake.
"Luke, baby, are you here?" I called softly, stepping inside. "Can you cuddle with—"

The words died in my throat.

I froze.
What the actual fuck.

The scene before me was burned into my brain like a brand I could never erase. Luke was sprawled out on the bed, shirtless. And on top of him, straddling him in nothing but her underwear, was Emma.

My Emma. My best friend.

"What the fuck," I whispered, my voice barely audible. Then louder: "What the actual FUCK, Luke!"

Their heads snapped toward me, eyes wide like deer caught in headlights. Emma scrambled off him, diving under the covers, while Luke yanked a shirt over his head, fumbling like the idiot he was.

"Lillie—" Emma started, but I held up a hand, my body shaking.

"No. Don't even. Just... don't."

I could feel tears burning my eyes, but I refused to cry. Not here. Not now. Not in front of them. My chest felt like it was about to explode, sadness and rage battling inside me.

Luke stood up, reaching for me. "Baby, listen. It's not what it looks like. I swear to God—"

"Not what it looks like?" I cut him off, my voice shaking. "You're half-naked in bed with her, and you're telling me it's not what it fucking looks like? Are you serious right now?"

His mouth opened and closed like he didn't know what to say. Classic Luke—an idiot caught without an excuse.

"I would never cheat on you," he blurted out, like that somehow made this better. "You know I love you more than anything."
Those words hit me like a punch to the gut. How many times had he said that? How many times had I believed it?