Lie, Lie Again - Stacy Wise Page 0,132
her phone on the table and let her eyes fall shut. It was so easy to imagine Lily in the kitchen, taking pots and pans from the cupboards with trembling hands. Would she go through the motions of preparing dinner as anger nipped at her? Perhaps Hugh would walk in, and she’d throw a plate at his head. But no, poor Lily would most likely fall into a chair and cry. And that would be the worst torture for Hugh. The man hated weakness. Detested crying. Yes, Lily’s tears would drive him out of the house in a fit of rage. With any luck, he’d crash his car into a tree and end up with two broken arms.
Regardless, it was out of her hands now. And if he tried to blame Sylvia for anything, the burner phone, listed under Lily’s name and Sammy’s address, was full of evidence proving he had been harassing her. Not to mention the scores of people who would confirm that Sylvia’s ex was tormenting her. All in all, a success. She padded to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. “To you, Hugh. I won.”
She resumed her spot on the sofa and picked up the book. A few pages in, a note fell out, but before she could open it, a knock sounded at the door. Good Lord. Setting the note on the table, she crept to the peephole, her mind racing with what she would say if it was Jonathan.
But it wasn’t him.
It was Lily.
Exhaling, she opened the door.
Lily stood in front of her, draped in the horrible tunic she’d first seen her in at the Coffee Zombie. The poor thing resembled a zombie, with her colorless face and wide eyes. “It was Hugh.” Her voice sounded like her throat had been scrubbed with sandpaper. “The man you cried about is Hugh.”
Sylvia only nodded. Lily had a firm grip on her keys, as though she might decide to use them as a weapon. And the crazed look in her eyes? Well, there was really no telling what she was capable of. Best to handle this tactfully. She opened the door, and Lily stepped inside. Tension flitted through the room, darting here and there, as though wondering whether to crash-land or simply drift out the door. It wasn’t emanating from Sylvia, of course. Her feelings were tucked casually in her pocket. Revealing the truth to Lily was as uncomplicated as righting a fallen chair. What would be uncomfortable was righting a fallen Lily. Sylvia prayed she wouldn’t do something dramatic, like faint.
“There are no words to express my regret at not discovering he was married. I am truly sorry,” Sylvia said.
Lily’s expression tore into a grimace. “I found a phone. There were pictures,” she said, her voice growing louder. “They were of you!” She shook her head wildly, the keys still tight in her grasp. “I should hate you!”
Sylvia stepped toward the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. “He lied to me, too, so directing any hate toward me is useless. Here, sit. We should discuss this like adults.”
She pressed her hands to her temples, her keys knotted through her fingers. “I don’t know! I don’t know! Someone is lying!” Dropping her hands to her sides and letting the keys fall to the table, she said, “I texted him before I came over. He knows I’m here.” Her voice was fragile, and she sank into the chair Sylvia offered. “I told him you invited me over for a glass of wine. The baby is at my mom’s house. I needed to know the truth.” Her lips quivered.
“I hate to say it, but you know already. He lied to both of us. He cheated on you.”
Lily’s face twisted and contorted—the quiet before the storm of tears that rained down her face. She gripped the edge of the table and opened her mouth to scream, but the noise that emerged was nothing more than a croak. It was then that she slid from her chair in a heap onto the floor. Her body shook with sobs.
There was really nothing to do but wait it out. Sylvia knew better than to offer a comforting touch. If she were married, she wouldn’t want her husband’s lover to touch her. As her wails softened to whimpers, Sylvia said, “When I came to your home with a gift that day, it was so I could see for myself that what I suspected was real. I needed to know