“I am,” Lilia said, eyes still trailing toward the hallway where Sebastian had disappeared.
“On the right thing!” Delilah exclaimed, swatting Lilia’s arm, but a giggle escaped her despite the situation.
The two girls looked at each other, and suddenly, the tension broke. They both erupted into laughter, the kind of laughter thatcame from exhaustion and nerves, spilling out uncontrollably. They crumpled to the floor, giggling until their stomachs hurt. It felt good, a much-needed reprieve from the suffocating stress of the last few days. But as the laughter ebbed, reality came rushing back in. Lilia’s laughter shifted, the sound dissolving into quiet sobs that she could no longer hold back.
“Oh, babes,” Delilah said softly, her own laughter fading as she wrapped her arms around Lilia, pulling her into a tight hug.
Lilia’s cries intensified, her body trembling as she wept into Delilah’s shoulder. The floodgates had opened, and all the fear and uncertainty she had been bottling up spilled out, raw and unfiltered. Delilah gently stroked her hair, murmuring soft words of comfort, but Lilia’s sobs were too loud for her to hear.
“Lils,” came another voice, warm and calming. Sebastian had returned, this time fully dressed. He knelt beside the two girls, his hand soothingly running down Lilia’s back. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“I can’t do this,” Lilia whimpered, her voice broken and fragile. “My entire life is crumbling to pieces, and I can’t keep up. I don’t even know what’s real anymore or who I can trust. I just want everything to go back to normal.” She hiccuped through her words, eyes red and swollen. “But it won’t. Someone’s trying to hurt us. They know our secrets, and they’re using them against us. We’re in over our heads.”
Sebastian shushed her softly, his arms circling around her. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, his voice steady. “I promise it’ll be okay.”
Lilia shook her head against his chest. “It won’t be. Someone out there tried to kill me. They weren’t going to stop.” Her voice cracked with terror. “They were going to kill me.”
Sebastian glanced up at Delilah, worry etched deep in his features. He pulled Lilia closer, cradling her as she started crying again, the sound of her sobs filling the apartment.
“Lilia, hey,” he said gently, “Delilah’s going to call Gus, okay?”
At the mention of Augustus, Lilia froze, her sobs quieting. “He hates me,” she whispered, her voice small and filled with guilt.
“He doesn’t hate you,” Sebastian murmured. “He could never hate you. All right?”
“He should. I should’ve never kissed him that night,” she sniffled, her voice filled with shame and regret.
Sebastian shook his head, stroking her hair gently as Delilah grabbed her phone. “He’s on his way,” Delilah said softly, crouching down beside them. “Do you want some tea, honey?”
“No,” Lilia muttered, her face buried in Sebastian’s chest.
“I’m going to make you some tea,” Delilah said firmly, heading to the kitchen. She needed to do something, anything to keep herself from feeling helpless.
By the time Augustus arrived, the apartment was quiet except for the soft sound of Lilia’s breathing. She had cried herself into an exhausted daze, her head still resting on Sebastian’s chest. When the door creaked open, Augustus stepped in, his eyes immediately finding Lilia.
“Gus,” Delilah whispered, nodding toward the couch where Lilia sat curled up, her face pale and eyes red-rimmed from crying. She stepped aside, giving him space.
Augustus didn’t say a word as he walked over to her. He knelt down in front of her, his hands gentle as he reached for her.
“Lils,” he murmured softly.
At the sound of his voice, Lilia’s eyes fluttered open, and when she saw him, something inside her broke all over again.She launched herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder, her sobs returning with a fresh wave of intensity.
Augustus held her close, his arms strong and steady as he cradled her against him. “I’ve got you,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m right here. I’ve got you.”
She clung to him as if he were her lifeline, her body trembling with the force of her emotions. His hand rubbed soothing circles into her back, his lips pressing against her temple in a tender, intimate gesture.
“I’m so sorry,” she whimpered. “For everything. For what happened between us. For Willow. For all of it.”
Augustus pulled back just enough to cup her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away her tears. “Lilia,” he said softly, his voice gentle and full of understanding, “You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m not going anywhere.”
She stared into his eyes, the intensity of his gaze almost too much to bear. “I feel like I’m losing myself,” she whispered, her voice broken.
“You’re not alone,” Augustus whispered back, pressing his forehead to hers. “I’m with you. We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, Lilia let herself believe him. For a moment, she felt a flicker of hope, fragile but there, nestled in the warmth of Augustus’ embrace.
Chapter Twenty-Six
