Emma's POV
The morning after my tearful night, I promptly set about getting ready. I showered, brushed my teeth, and made sure my face looked presentable for Lilith, as today I planned to finally reveal my feelings to him.
I combed my hair in front of the mirror, tidied my eyebrows and eyelashes, and applied a subtle shade of lipstick—not too red.
Slipping into my navy blue dress, which fell just to my knees, I stepped out of the house. As I walked, a sudden gust of wind swept around me, tousling my hair.
I smoothed it back into place with my fingers, smiled to myself, and continued on my way.
When I arrived at their house, I rang the doorbell at the front gate, and Lilith’s sister, Lily, came to greet me.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“I just wanted to know if Lilith is here?”
She smiled and opened the gate. “Come in,” she invited.
“Thank you,” I said as I entered their home.
She then opened the door to their house, and I followed her inside.
“Sorry, our place is a bit messy. We had visitors last night and I forgot to clean up,” Lily explained as she pointed to the sofa. “Please, take a seat here while I make you something to drink.”
I smiled, nodded, and sat down on the sofa. Shortly, Lily returned with a glass of orange juice.
“Here, cool down for a bit,” she handed me the drink and sat across from me on another sofa. “Why are you here, Emma?” she asked with a serious expression.
“I just wanted to tell Lilith something,” I replied, my gaze dropping.
“Were you the one who rejected Lilith?” she asked bluntly, without hesitation.
“I didn’t mean to—” I started, but couldn’t finish as her intimidating aura emerged.
“Do you know how sad he was last night?” I couldn’t meet Lily’s eyes and kept my head down. “He was in tears. I hate seeing my brother cry; I’ve always told myself that. So, I used to beat up anyone who bullied him. And I promised that he wouldn’t cry as long as I was by his side. But last night, his tears wouldn’t stop, and it felt like I was the one being hurt, do you understand that? Emma, I want you to stay away from Lilith if you’re just going to hurt him. He changed himself, hoping you would reciprocate his feelings, but you only ended up hurting him. Look at me and promise you won’t show your face to him again.” I was frozen, unable to move under her menacing presence and truly terrified.
I still managed to stand in her presence, my head bowed, and my fists clenched.
"It’s not like that!! I just never told him that I like him too, because... because... I was afraid it might ruin our friendship... I-I do like him, I just couldn’t say it yesterday!" I shouted in front of her.
"Lilith already jeopardized your friendship just to express his feelings for you and to get a proper response, and you didn’t answer because you were scared? And now you tell me you like him, why didn’t you say it to him?"
Tears slowly ran down my cheeks, and I finally looked up at Lily. "I wanted to tell him how I feel now, but it seems I’ve chosen the wrong time."
Lily stood up and approached me. "Do you really like Lilith?"
I simply nodded.
"Just promise me you won’t make him cry again, understood?"
I nodded again, and she hugged me. After 10 seconds, she released me and wiped away my tears. "If you want to wait for him, you can sit there, but if not, you’re free to go home, and I'll tell him you were here," said Lily.
"I'll wait for him," I responded.
"Alright, if that’s what you want." Time passed quickly and evening came, yet Lilith still hadn’t arrived. Lily had also prepared some food.
"Why is there so much?" I asked.
"We’re expecting guests," she replied.
Moments later, Lilith's parents arrived, accompanied by another couple.
Suddenly, the woman dropped her bag and embraced me. "Emma? Is that really you?" Her grip tightened around me, and as she held me, I looked at a man in front of me. Tears streamed down his face as he too embraced me.
"We're so happy, you've grown so much and you've become so tall, Emma, my darling," said the man.
My tears began to fall too, as all my memories with them flashed before me, and yes, they were my parents, Cloe and Lucien Velouria.
They finally released me from their embrace. "We're glad you're safe, darling. Do you know how worried we've been about you?" my mother said.
"I'm sorry, mom, dad, for leaving abruptly when I learned I was to be married to someone I didn't know," I replied, my tears continuing to fall.
"It's alright now, Emma. We won't force you to marry someone you don't know," my mother said, wiping my tears away.
"We're just glad you're back safe, Emma. You've been gone for seven years; we thought..." my father couldn't finish his sentence.
"It's okay, mom, dad, as long as I'm safe," I interjected.
"Enough of that, let's go and celebrate your return, Emma. I know we met before, but let us reintroduce ourselves to you. I'm Asher Smith, Lilith and Lily's father, and this is my wife, Isadora Smith. Nice to meet you," said Lilith's father, extending his hand for a handshake. We shook hands before heading to the large dining table.
While we were eating, my mother suddenly asked, "By the way, Emma, how did you end up here?"
Before I could answer, Lily chimed in and answered for me. "Lilith found her. He couldn't find you guys, so he brought Emma home, hoping you would return."
"Oh, I see. Where's Lilith now?" Asher, Lilith's father, asked.
"He just had to run some errands. He should be back soon," Lily replied.
"Ah, I see. I wanted to thank him for what he did for my daughter," my father said.
"Are you serious that you don't want your daughter to marry our son?" Lilith's father asked, teasingly, and Isadora playfully nudged him.
"Hehehe, let him be. Just ignore my dear husband," Isadora said, laughing.
I bowed my head, feeling a bit sad, and my mother changed the subject. "By the way, the festival starts tomorrow. Would you like to join us, Emma?"
I smiled. "No, thank you. I'll be with my friends, but I'll come home afterward."
"Alright, but if you'd like, you can stay at our house tonight," my father suggested.
"Of course, it's been so long since we've seen each other," I replied, chuckling.