Chapter 75
1175words
Lily glanced at him and just as she was about to nod, her phone pinged with a notification. "On second thought, I think you should drop me off at your wedding venue," she said after she went through the message she just received and Asher's hand tightened against the steering wheel.
"Sorry?"
She expelled a breath. "That's where my mum is, apparently she's comforting her abandoned daughter," she turned and faced Asher squarely, "are you going to tell me what actually happened? I thought you two had a thing going."
"And what made you think that?"
She widened her eyes and looked around, trying to see if anyone, imaginary or not, was just as confused. "What do you mean by what made me think that, Asher? The engagement? The wedding? The hanging out?" She motioned with her figures and glared at him like he had lost his mind.
Asher closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "It's a long story, Lily. I'll explain everything if you give me..."
"The ride is going to be a long one. There is time."
He glanced at her through his peripheral vision, "are you sure you want to hear this?"
"I wouldn't ask if I don't, and you know the news is going to be all over the news anyway. So, shoot?"
He tightened his hold on the steering wheel and exhaled loudly as he slowly bobbed his head. "Alright. The engagement and the wedding was all a ploy to assert revenge on both Charlotte and your father."
Both of Lily's brows instantly shot up, and her lips slowly fell apart, and Asher made sure to carefully avoid her gaze.
"Things however took a different turn when I found out something dark and twisted about your father... Rather your stepfather," he paused and looked at Lily, unsure of saying the next words, "he was responsible behind my parents death, and he made your mother's company take the fall for it."
The world slowly came to a halt, and Lily's vision blurred as Asher's statement rang in her head. "You..." She whispered, unsure of what next to say as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. "You are lying." She finally said, Her eyes wide with disbelief, "Nicolas might have been a terrible father but he wouldn't do something like this."
"But he did."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because I have a lot of evidence lined up against him, and he's already in police custody."
"Asher..."
"I'm not lying, Lily."
She closed her eyes to stop the tears that had pooled in her eyes from falling, but a few teardrops slid down the corners of her eyes.
"What's the story? Where is the evidence? Am I even supposed to be asking this?"
Asher stared at her and his heart clenched painfully. "Let me just get you to the venue"
"No!" She said instantly, "I want to hear about it all. Tell me."
He stared at her skeptically and shook his head, "I don't think you are ..."
"I want to hear it... If it isn't too hard on you," she instantly added the last part when the realization hit her that it was more about his parents' death than whatever atrocity Nicolas committed.
He sighed in resignation and nodded. "Alright," he exhaled through his mouth and readied himself to tell the story, shoving the pain rising at the pit of his stomach away. "The three of them, my dad, my dad, and... Nicolas, attended Oxford College together, and even before that they were kind of friends because of their families. Nicolas had a crazy crush on my mum, but she never returned his feelings. At first, everything was okay... Nicolas even married your mum. Years later, according to the report..." He paused and took a shaky breath.
"You don't have to continue."
He breathed out a laugh, and forced a smile on his face. "I can continue. " She shot him a reassuring smile, and had to wring her hands together to keep from reaching for him.
"According to the report I got, something happened in Nicolas marriage... It wasn't disclosed, and he became a shadow of himself. The problems probably got to his head, and he was frustrated at the sight of my mother happily married to my dad, so he decided it was best to put an end to everything, and on my birthday... He finally got his chance. Apparently, my dad had installed a CCTV at the pool, but it was hidden and he almost forgot about it till a month later. Nicolas decided to set up a hug and run to take him out when he found out. He destroyed the evidence he gathered or so he thought, then made Afgon Textile take the blame for my father's death." He bit his bottom lip, and blinked away the tears, " Nicolas is disgusting."
Lily flicked away the teardrops that escaped and inhaled sharply. She was appalled at everything she just heard, she felt sick in the stomach.
"I'm..."
"After I found out," he cut in, "I was a shadow of myself for weeks. I swore to make him and his entire bloodline pay even if it cost me my soul."
"I under..." The rest of her words trailed off when she picked up what he could be hinting at. " His entire bloodline?"
A guilty shadow cast over his face as he looked at Lily, and her mouth ran dry.
"wha- what do you mean?"
"I'm sorry..."
"You were going to hurt those that were clueless about what he did? What were your plans for me?"
" I'm sorry, Lily, " he whispered, and slowly packed the car.
She dragged her eyes away from his face and looked around the parking lot, "is this the venue?" Asher nodded, and she forced a smile.
"I was blinded by rage, Lily. My parents were..."
"I understand," Asher swallowed, a hopeful glint in his eyes. "I understand your thought process and why you wanted to do what you planned. And I'm sorry, " she exhaled, blinking rapidly as tears once again pooled in her eyes, " I am really really sorry about everything, Asher, but..."
Asher's heart dropped to his stomach, and he slowly shook his head. "Lily... "
"But!" She repeated, this time a bit forcefully, "your pain doesn't excuse the fact that you wanted, no, you were willing to hurt me no matter what it costs. Like I said, I'm sorry you went through all this... But I can't excuse your thought process towards me. I'm leaving the country in 3 days, and I'll appreciate it if we both can go our separate ways now. Don't look for me, don't come find me. We have way too much history to overlook it, and I hope you accept my decision. "
The second she was done, she opened the door and walked away with her heart torn apart.
