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< 20 You’re so naive
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- You’re so naive
Lila’s P.O.V.
I stared at my phone, the screen lighting up with an incoming call from a number I recognized all too well-Brandon’s mother. I hesitated for a moment, my thumb hovering over the answer button. I had been avoiding this confrontation in particular, knowing it would be an unpleasant one, to say the least. But I couldn’t dodge it forever. So, taking a deep breath, I swiped to answer.
“Hello, Mrs. Thompson,” I said, keeping my voice as calm and polite as I possibly could.
“Lila,” Mrs. Thompson’s voice was sharp, cutting right through the pleasantries.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I’m sure you know why by now.”
I swallowed hard, bracing myself.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Thompson. I’ve been dealing with a lot on my end.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have, just like all of us,” Mrs. Thompson sneered, the sarcasm dripping from
her words.
“But what I can’t seem to understand, is why you would humiliate my son and our entire family by running out on your wedding. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The money we had spent on making that day perfect?”
My grip on the phone tightened.
“I had to leave, Mrs. Thompson. I couldn’t marry Brandon after what I found out.”
“And what, pray tell, did you find out that was so terrible you had to ruin everything?” Mrs. Thompson’s voice was laced with disdain. I hesitated for only a moment before deciding to lay it all out.
“I found out that Brandon has been having an affair with Julia. For years.”
There was a brief pause on the other end, and then Mrs. Thompson laughed-a cold, humorless sound that sent a shiver down my spine.
“Is that all? Lila, dear, men like Brandon have needs. What did you expect? Do you think you
were going to be enough for him all on your own?”
My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.
“I expected honesty and fidelity, Mrs. Thompson. I expected a marriage built on trust, not lies.
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“Trust?” Mrs. Thompson scoffed.
“You’re so naive. Trust is a luxury, not a necessity. You were going to have a good life, Lila. All you had to do was look the other way, like any sensible woman would. But instead, you threw it all away for some foolish notion of loyalty.”
I felt a surge of anger, but I kept my voice steady.
“I won’t stay in a marriage built on deceit. I deserve better than that.”
“And what do you think you’ll do now, hmm?” Mrs. Thompson’s tone was mocking.
“Do you think you’ll find someone else? Someone better? Some man who will take care of you the way Brandon would have? You’re not thinking, Lila. You’re making a huge mistake.”
My chest tightened, but I refused to let Mrs. Thompson see how much her words were affecting me.
“I’ll manage. I’m already settling into a new life.”
“A new life?” Mrs. Thompson’s voice dripped with disdain.
“In that little backwater town where I grew up in? You’re deluding yourself, Lila. You had a place here, a role to play. And now, you’ve thrown it all away.”
My throat tightened, but I forced myself to keep my composure.
“I’m not coming back, Mrs. Thompson. This is my decision.”
There was a long, icy silence on the other end of the line before Mrs. Thompson spoke again, her voice low and menacing.
“You listen to me, Lila. If you think you can just walk away from this family without consequences, you’re sadly mistaken. If you ever dare to show your face here again, I will make sure your life is a living hell. Do you understand me? And you really think I don’t have any connections back there in Fairview? That I cannot make your life miserable in that God-forsaken town?”
My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear anything over the rushing sound in my ears. But I wouldn’t let Mrs. Thompson break me. Not now, not ever.
“I understand, Mrs. Thompson,” I said, my voice firm.
“Good.” Mrs. Thompson’s voice was like a cold blade.
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“And don’t think for a second that I won’t follow through on my promise. You’ve made a powerful enemy today, Lila. Remember that.”
Without waiting for a response, Mrs. Thompson ended the call, leaving me staring at the screen, the words still echoing in my mind. I held the phone in my hand, my fingers trembling. For a few moments, I just sat there, the reality of the conversation crashing over me like a tidal wave. I had known it would be bad, but hearing those words, that hatred, directed at me with such force-it left me feeling raw, exposed, and deeply unsettled.
I drew in a shaky breath, trying to steady myself, but it felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. I was overwhelmed by the weight of it all-my sudden departure from a life I thought I was supposed to lead, the uncertainty of my future, and now the bitter wrath of a woman who had once been set to be my mother-in-law.
I had tried to stand strong during the call, but now, alone in the silence of the room, the tears came. I felt broken, as though the anger and venom in Mrs. Thompson’s voice had shattered something inside me. I had thought I was doing the right thing, standing up for myself and leaving a situation that wasn’t right. But now, doubt crept in, whispering that maybe I wasn’t strong enough to handle this all on my own.
I buried my face in her hands, letting the tears fall. I cried for the loss of the future I had once envisioned, for the betrayal I had uncovered, and for the cold reality that the world wasn’t as simple or fair as I had hoped. But even as the tears flowed, I knew I couldn’t let this break me. I had to keep going, to prove that I was more than what Mrs. Thompson thought of me.
I had to prove it to myself. More importantly, I needed to forget. So, I wiped my eyes and I grabbed my cell phone again, typing a message to Jules.
‘Where can I go on a Friday night in order to just forget everything?’
and after three dots appeared almost immediately on my screen, a new message from Jules
came in.
‘Girls night 101, Come to Eluna’s house in one hour, I’ll text you the address. Prepare to get drunk and forget everything!’
And with one final nod, I stood up and walked out of Skye’s house, ready to forget absolutely everything, even for a short amount of time.
