Page 57 of The Lilac River

Her cheek twitched with the memory. "Eventually. I lied to Grandpa at first, told him I'd ended things. He saw right through me. Didn’t judge, just waited."

"How did it work out?"

She grinned. "Joshua was relieved, turns out he'd been fooling around with Maggie Harrison. And Grandpa? He was just relieved because, well... his balls were practically black from waiting."

"Oh my God," I moaned, dropping my head back into the couch.

"Point is, sweetheart, if I'd been honest from the start, it would've saved a lot of pain."

"How does this relate to me and Nash?"

"I know you’re not that stupid, Lily." Her voice softened, warm and fierce. "Tell Nash the truth. He’ll forgive you because he loves you. He wouldn’t be this angry if he didn’t still care."

I swallowed hard. "I wrote Mom a letter explaining why I left."

Grandma shook her head. "That wasn’t the real reason, was it?"

I stared at the ceiling like it might offer me answers. "It was, we were too young.”

"Lily."

The way she said my name, it wasn’t scolding. It was a lifeline.

“You can’t tell Mom,” I begged, feeling my chest go tight. “Promise me Grandma. Please.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “I promise.”

The weight of the words laid heavy as I tried to form them. As I rolled my tongue around the secret. "His dad made me leave.” My voice broke as finally the shackles had been broken. “Threatened to tell everyone about Dad... about the murder. I couldn’t let Mom suffer that."

"He what?"

The sharp voice behind us cut the air like a blade.

We both turned.

Mom stood in the doorway, her robe clutched tight around her, and her face, her face was heartbreak carved in porcelain.

I felt the blood drain from mine. Time slowed. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.

"Mom..." My voice cracked. "I was going to tell you. I just?—"

She shook her head slowly, like every word cost her something. "He threatened you because ofme?"

I stood, but my legs wobbled. "I didn’t know what else to do. I was trying to protect you."

Her hand pressed to her mouth, eyes shining. And in that moment, I saw every hour she’d worked, every night she stayed up wondering why I left. I saw as the truth landed.

And I wasn’t sure if she’d ever forgive me.

Chapter 22

The Night We Met – Lord Huron

Lily

My poor mom looked devastated. The color had drained from her cheeks until she was as white as fresh Colorado snow, clean and cruel at the same time. High-altitude heartbreak, right there in the living room.

"The M-Mayor knows?" she asked, her voice thin. Her bottom lip trembled as she pulled her robe tighter. "And he blackmailed you."