Becoming strangers again (Lily and Ryan) novel Chapter 157

RYAN

I had taken the boys out to the park for some fresh air. It felt good to step outside for a while, and I was relieved when I received a call saying that my mom had gone out herself.

She had been cooped up in the house for too long, and I had been worried it was affecting her mental health. She hadn’t been herself lately, snapping at everyone except the kids over the smallest things. I figured it was the weight of everything she was bottling up—grief, frustration, and perhaps a feeling of helplessness.

After spending some time with the boys, I decided it was time to head home. We walked up to the front door, and the boys, full of energy, rushed inside ahead of me. I followed, glancing around the living room but finding no one there. The house felt quiet, a little too quiet.

I headed toward the bedroom, looking for Lily. As I approached the door, I carefully pushed it open, just in case she was resting. The last thing I wanted was to disturb her if she had finally managed to get some sleep after the stressful day. But when I stepped inside, I saw her sitting on the bed, not asleep but reading a book.

She looked up when the door opened, and the moment our eyes met, I could tell something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice soft but concerned, as I moved closer to her. I took her hand, sitting beside her on the bed, trying to comfort her, though I had no idea what had upset her so deeply. “Did something happen while you were out?”

Lily pulled her hand away, crossing her arms defensively over her chest, her expression hardening. “Your mum thinks I’m cheating on you,” she said through gritted teeth, her frustration clear. “She came right out and said it to my face—that I’m cheating on you.”

I sat there, stunned, my mind struggling to process what she had just told me. My mother? Accusing her of cheating? I blinked, speechless, caught between disbelief and anger.

“I guess she saw me with Amell during the furniture shopping trip,” Lily continued. “And instead of asking me any questions to clarify what she thought she saw, she jumped straight to accusations. She told me I’m ungrateful too.”

I could feel the blood rushing to my face. My mother—whom I respected deeply—had crossed a line, one she should never have approached. Without saying another word, I stood up from the bed, anger boiling inside me.

Lily doesn’t deserve this.

I marched out of the room, my feet moving quickly as I sought out my mother to set things straight. She had no right to make those kinds of accusations, and I wasn’t about to let her drive a wedge between Lily and me. Not now, not ever.

The first place I searched for my mother was her bedroom. I knocked on the door twice, and when she opened it, she greeted me with a warm smile. “You’re home,” she said with a hint of relief in her voice. “I was beginning to miss the boys.”

“Can I come in?” I asked, my voice tight and flat, betraying my rising frustration.

Her brows furrowed into a frown as she sensed my upset demeanor. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and pushed the door wider to let me in.

I stepped inside.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, closing the door behind her.