I took her hand as we walked out into the spotlight together for the first time.
Chapter 22
Lily’s POV
I sat in the waiting room of the legal office with Adrian fiddling with a cup. I was so distracted I hadn’t even noticed I had picked up the wrong cup. Barely even noticing when Adrian swapped their cups for my hot chocolate instead of the stronger coffee I hated. I did not want to be here. I did not want to face that man again, even if it meant resolving this permanently. I just wanted all of this over. To hide somewhere, away from every human, I knew. To decompress from everything that had happened the night before. Singing with Adrian, it barely even felt real yet. That he was trying to give me the life my ex had always refused me saying I wasn’t good enough. I hadn’t even dared look at social media to see what was being said about the performance or the fights with my ex.
“Ye can do this darling; you can face him. I am here for you. I am not leaving,” Adrian promised me as we sat there.
I stared at a bland magazine laying open on my lap not really noticing anything on the page. Otherwise I am quite sure he would have been teasing me for looking at a male enhancement advert. He certainly did not need anything of the sort. He was perfectly sized to keep me more than happy.
“I’m not worried about facing him. I am worried about killing him after all he has done.” I sighed.
Adrian squeezed my hand. “If you do, make sure it isn’t caught on camera and give me at least half an hour to have an alibi prepared. Although knowing Rose and Shelly, they probably have a list prepared.”
We were called in; I led the way, knowing Ade was right behind me. “I am not doing this if that creature is in the room with us,” I said firmly frizzing in the doorway noticing the blonde man holding my ex’s hand.
“Yeah, well. I can bring any legal aid that I like. So, fuck you bitch,” the ex-snapped, pointedly staring me out.
Adrian joined me in the doorway, checking the room out. Both our legal aids were there, the ex and this blonde man with a very smug look on his face. A kid that barely looked eighteen, long hair in a ponytail, black jeans and a very noticeably vacant space where a shirt should be covering his chest. “Who is that?” he whispered in my ear.
“The douchebag who ruined both our relationship and then our friendship when they started screwing just a month after we broke up. Dragging us into years of fighting, abuse and hate. Calling me crazy, a homewrecker, gold digger and a million other foul things. He was the reason that I threw my phone in the Liffey. The messages he kept sending me, but denying it was him. Even though he was the only other person to have my number. Every single time, the ex believed him over me,” I said back to him. Allowing the taller frame of my new boyfriend shelter me a little from the room.
“You shouldn’t have touched what was mine, bitch, then I wouldn’t have hurt you,” the blonde snarled. “He was never yours to take or have. He was always mine and always will be. Whatever you think.” Pointedly grabbing my ex to give him a kiss that would be too x-rated for most porn videos. I almost expected them to start going at it on the desk in front of us all. It wouldn’t be the first time they did without caring who else was there. Most times I tried to hang out with them, they started to have sex in front of me to make me leave. Even when they invited me to be there.
Adrian pushed me further out of the door behind him. “Ye watch your mouth, or the next legal case will be against you. I am sure that the phone records will be easy enough to find. Bullying someone and telling them to kill themselves is a crime. One with heavy jail time.”
“Enough now, sit down and we can settle this like adults out of court,” our legal aid insisted.
Their lawyer nodded, confirming this. “This is a pretty simple out of court deal. My client is willing to pay you a million dollars for your silence on the matters of last night. As a one-off lump sum. There will be no further contact between any of the parties involved. A restraining order will be placed on both sides. My client admits no blame in this matter, nor does he ask you to. This will be a clean break for you both. At events you are forced to share, there is only a basic level of politeness requested from both sides. Anything else from either side will result in full legal action up to and including court action.”
Our legal aid looked through the paperwork. “This is a good deal; you should take it.”
Adrian shook his head. “No, Lily deserves more than that. He wants to share the blame instead of admitting his faults. That is just not good enough.”
“I refuse to offer that bitch any more than tha,.” the monster snapped. “She should be damn grateful to be getting anything after all she has done.”
“Youse should be grateful that I don’t haul your ass to jail on assault charges, slander and a million other charges,” Adrian retorted.
“She is lucky I don’t beat her fat, ugly ass until she admits her sins,” the blonde sneered.
“Enough!” I screamed, silencing the endless bickering. I snatched a pen off of the table signing the papers, before throwing the pen back down. It clattered to
