Becoming strangers again (Lily and Ryan)



LILY

As my phone vibrated and lit up with an unsaved number, I stared at it, debating whether to answer or let it ring out. Part of me wanted to ignore it, let the call slide into voicemail, and deal with it later-if at all. Life had thrown enough chaos my way, and I wasn't about to waste time on a stranger who hadn't earned the right to a place in my contacts.

"You should probably take that," Ryan said, breaking my internal debate. His eyes, which had been glued to his laptop moments ago, now locked on me. “It might be someone who knows where to find the boys. You never know."

His words gave me pause, tugging at the fragile thread of hope I'd been holding onto. I sighed heavily. "Fine," I muttered under my breath, rolling over to the edge of the bed.

Reaching for the phone, I hesitated one last time before swiping the green icon to answer. Without lifting it to my ear, I tapped the speaker option and dropped the phone onto the bed beside me.

"Lily Williams," I said, my tone curt and emotionless. I didn't bother with pleasantries or warmth-I didn't have the patience for it. Whoever was on the other end could get straight to the point.

A cheerful, almost too-bright voice responded. "Hello! This is Sarah from Deep Cleaning Services," the caller said enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.

Oh, right-the cleaning company I hired to tidy up the estate after Maya and her mother were evicted. "How may I help you, Sarah?" I asked, my tone polite. I'd already paid the bill in full, so this couldn't be about money.

"Well," Sarah began, her voice still chipper, "while cleaning, we came across an expensive item, and we thought it should be returned to you."

I frowned. Expensive? What expensive item could Maya and her mother possibly have left behind? “And what item might that be?" "A cufflink," Sarah replied.

That got Ryan's attention immediately. He snapped his laptop shut and moved to sit beside me on the bed. Both of us knew Maya and her mother, Salome, had no reason to own something like a cufflink, let alone an expensive one.

Ryan took over the call. "Could you send a picture of the cufflink to this number?" he requested.

"Sure."

Moments later, my phone chimed with an incoming message. I clicked on it, and a photo of a single, gold-plated cufflink filled the screen. There was no denying it looked expensive far beyond anything Maya or Salome could afford.

I glanced at Ryan and noticed the corner of his mouth twitching. "Do you recognize this?" I asked, turning my gaze back to the image.

"It's impossible to know all the accessories my father owned," Ryan said. He reached for his phone, the tension in his body speaking volumes. "But I know how to find out."

The set of his jaw as he dialed a number made me frown. It was clear he was thinking the same thing I was. If this cufflink had belonged to Ryan's father, it meant one thing-Maya and her mother, Salome, knew something about his death.

"Hello, Mum," Ryan said, his voice rough and strained as the call connected. "I need the CCTV footage from the day Dad died."

There was a long silence on the other end. I imagined his mother sitting there, frozen, trying to process his request.

"What do you need the CCTV footage for?" she finally asked.

"I want to see what cufflinks Dad was wearing that day," Ryan replied without hesitation.

"The ones I gave him as a gift," she said softly, "I remember fastening them for him that morning."

Ryan inhaled deeply, his hand gripping his phone tightly. "Do you have a picture of the cufflinks?" he demanded, his frustration leaking through despite his efforts to remain calm. As he spoke, he got off the bed and began pacing the floor.

"I don't think I have a picture of it on my phone," Ryan's mum said, her tone contemplative. "But I can check his collection and take a picture if I find it."

Why would Maya kill Richard? What possible motive could she or Salome have had? It didn't make sense-not yet, anyway.

"Please check and call me back," Ryan said before ending the call. The moment the line disconnected, I realized something-I was still on the phone with the cleaning service.

Clearing my throat, I addressed Sarah quickly. "I need to confirm who the cufflink belongs to first. I'll call you back once I know more." Without waiting for a response, I ended the call.

Silence fell between Ryan and me as we sat there. Both of us were lost in thought, waiting anxiously for his mum's call. The minutes dragged on until finally, Ryan's phone buzzed. He answered it immediately, putting the call on speaker.

“I couldn't find it in his collection,” his mum said, “Maybe he lost it or misplaced it."

Ryan's expression darkened. “Lily is going to send you a picture now," he said, his tone brisk. “I need you to confirm if this is the same cufflink.” He looked at me and gave a quick nod, prompting me into action. I opened the photo on my phone and forwarded it to his mum without delay. "Yes," his mum confirmed after a brief pause. "That is the cufflink. Where did you find it?"

Ryan exhaled sharply, running his fingers through his hair, his frustration barely contained. "I'm on my way to New York," he rasped. "When I get there, we'll talk about it."

He ended the call without waiting for her response. As soon as he put the phone down, I reached for his hand, my fingers curling tightly around his. "What are you going to do, Ryan?"

He pressed his lips together, then

bent down, cupping my cheek with a tenderness that felt out of place given the storm brewing in his eyes. "I'm really sorry," he said quietly, his thumb brushing against my skin. "Sorry for even considering leaving you alone during such a sensitive time." noveldrama

I tilted my head slightly, holding his gaze. "I can handle myself, Ryan," I replied. "What I'm more concerned about is why you're rushing to New York. don't want you doing something drastic that could fand you in jail. Please, tell me what are you planning to do?"

His jaw clenched, and for a moment,

he looked tor. Then his expression hardened, and the fire in his eyes burned brighter. "I'm going to

that bitch arrested," he grow deel

"And I'm going to find out why she killed my father-and why she abducted my sons."