Husband With Benefits-Chapter 844: Why

Lily’s eyes never wavered from her father as he slowly returned to consciousness. The lines on his face seemed deeper now, etched by the days he had spent fighting to stay alive. As his eyes fluttered open, she leaned forward and clasped his hand gently. "How are you feeling now?" she asked, her voice steady but soft.

He didn’t answer right away, but the way he squeezed her hand told her enough. Despite being the one who had hovered on the brink of death, the worry in his eyes was unmistakable. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lily was quick to shake her head, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips.

"No," she said firmly. "You’re not allowed to talk for the next few days. It’ll put too much pressure on your lungs. Just rest, okay? Everything is alright."

Her father nodded slowly, his eyes darting around the sterile hospital room. Lily saw the shift in his expression and knew exactly who he was searching for. The thought made her chest tighten, but she forced herself to not show any expression.

"She’s in the next room," Lily said quietly. "Resting. She exhausted herself worrying about you." She paused for a brief moment, hesitating before continuing. "I’ll send her in if you want to see her." freeweɓnøvel.com

His eyes met hers, filled with conflict. The worry about his wife was clear as well, but so was the shadow of events that had lead to this. Lily’s chest tightened at the sight of his turmoil, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Don’t think about the past right now, Dad," she whispered. "Let her come in. This can be a new beginning, for both of you."

She saw the way her father looked at her and knew he had probably misunderstood. He must think that she and her mother had probably come to an understanding. She didn’t correct him. They had come to an agreement, but one he would not like.

Before he could react or ask anything, Lily gave him a soft smile, one meant to comfort,and rose to her feet. "I’ll send her in." The smile, however, fell away the moment she stepped into the hallway. Her steps carried her to the adjacent room, where her mother sat exactly where Lily had left her—head bowed, hands clasped tightly together in silent prayer.

"Mrs. Kingston," Lily said, her voice was low but loud enough to make the older woman’s head snap up. "My father is awake. You can go see him now."

The woman’s eyes were red-rimmed, tired, yet filled with a flicker of hope. She stood shakily, her gaze searching Lily’s face. "Lily," she began, voice trembling.

But Lily’s expression hardened, cutting her off. "Don’t," she said coldly. "Don’t say my name." The silence between them was thick, almost suffocating. "The only reason I’m even talking to you is because I don’t want to stress my father out. But make no mistake," Lily’s eyes narrowed, her words pointed, "if you try to pull anything like before, I will walk away. And then you can explain yourself to him about everything that happened and your part in it."

Mrs. Kingston’s lips parted as if to speak, but she seemed to think better of it and nodded instead, eyes dropping to the floor. Lily took a step back, allowing her mother to pass, and watched as the older woman made her way to the door, shoulders stooped slightly.

"I hope I’ve made myself clear," Lily added, one last time before turning away.

Mrs. Kingston paused in the doorway, a fleeting moment of hesitation, before she disappeared outside. Only when her mother was outside, did Lily breathe a sigh of relief as she sat down on ’her’ side of the room and leaned her head against the wall.

Now, she was showing remorse. Now, she was accepting her mistake. But what was done could not be undone. She would have done anything to have her mother try and talk to her in the past, even until yesterday, but now, it was too late for remorse, for apology.

Lily’s fingers trembled as she clutched her phone. She had updated the post a few hours ago, and by now, it was probably everywhere. The comments were already flooding in, some supportive, others viciously dissecting her every word. She knew the truth of it: there was no taking it back. Meredith had already called, her voice sharp with frustration as she scolded Lily for shouldering the blame alone when Cai had already managed to redirect the public’s attention to himself.

Yet the one person she needed to hear from remained silent. Cai. He hadn’t called or messaged again. It was impossible that he hadn’t seen it—the way news traveled, he would have known almost instantly. The silence stretched out between them, an invisible wall that seemed to grow thicker with each passing minute. Was he angry? Disappointed? She wouldn’t have blamed him if he was. He had every right to be upset, to question why she would make such a move, such a declaration.

Lily’s mind swirled with questions that gnawed at her resolve. Part of her ached to hear her mother’s explanation as well, to know what had driven her to such a betrayal. Did she really hate her that much? Why would her own mother, the woman who had raised her, do something so unthinkable? Yet, an equally fierce part of her resisted. What good would hearing those reasons do? Justifications would only deepen the hurt, peel back the thin scab over a wound that was still raw. No, she didn’t want explanations that might twist the knife further and make her feel even more betrayed.This time, there were no second chances.

A part of her wanted to hear her mother’s explanation. Wanted to know what it was she had done to deserve such a betrayal from her own mother. But another, more stubborn and hurt part of her didn’t want to know. She didn’t want her mother’s justifications. For those would only make her feel worse.