It was just a fight, but Lily felt like her whole body was in pain. It was obvious that she had not been
training enough. Lily had been leading a slightly too comfortable life since leaving the Lodges.
After she left, Lily could pursue what she wanted and loved. However, seeing Justin served as a wake–
up call, and it reminded Lily that it did not matter where she ran. She would always be a Lodge.
While soaking in her bath, Lily noticed a bruise on her arm. It was likely from the fight she had with
Justin. She made a mental note to take care of it later.
She reflected on her encounter with Nathaniel and Melanie and realized what a dull and uneventful day
it had been. Lily expected to feel anger or resentment, but upon seeing them again, she felt only
sadness for her former self. She felt bad for past Lily, who had treated the two with sincerity and
unconditional love. She thought Nathaniel was the one, and that Melanie was the best friend she could
ever have. How foolish of her not to see through their guise.
Those two were something else! Lily could only laugh ironically and shook her head as she thought of
her stupidity. The warm bath water made her feel at ease as she leaned back, closed her eyes, and
drifted off to sleep.
Alexander heard sounds coming from the bathroom when he returned home. When he yelled out to her
and received no response, he promptly entered it. Alexander saw her lying in the bathtub, body sliding
into the water slowly. The water had already passed her neck, almost touching her chin, but Lily still
showed no sign of getting up.
“Lily!” Alexander rushed over and lifted her from under her arms. He arrived just in time to rouse her
awake and prevent her from sinking deeper into the tub.
When she opened her eyes, it took her a while to register what had happened. Lily was surprised to
see the face in front of her. “Alexander, why are you...”
Before she could finish, she finally realized the situation that she was in and instinctively covered her
chest with her arms.
“You shouldn‘t stay in the bath any longer,” he suggested sternly and lifted her from the tub. He carried
her out of the bathroom.
Although Alexander was not looking at her, Lily felt self–conscious and shy as she was stark naked.
When he reached the clothing rack, he grabbed a bath towel, threw it onto the bed, and placed her on
top
“I...” Lily tried to get up immediately but was a step slower than Alexander.
Alexander pressed her against the bed. Clearly much larger than Lily, his force caused her to sink
backward, and she instinctively grabbed onto him for support. Lily‘s mind went blank. She had just
woken up from a deep slumber, and her brain was still foggy. She felt she would prefer to remain hazy
given the circumstances.
Lily‘s eyes widened as she regarded Alexander’s face. Even from such close proximity, he was
flawless, as if he was God’s perfect creation. She had seen him once or twice from a distance
To her, he was like an unreachable existence that only existed in rumors. Now, they were so close that
she could almost hear his heartbeat!
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