A Lie

*Two Weeks Later*

"Howard, how many times have I told you not to get out of bed!" Natasha scolded her husband. It had been two days since Howard returned home from the hospital and he was already getting restless. He wanted to walk around but the doctor had told him to be on bedrest and Natasha was making sure that nothing would stress him out.

"But Lillian is leaving today!" he pouted. "I want to help you pack up her things."

Natasha pursed her lips in annoyance. "I really wish you hadn't given her the permission to move out," she said. "The girl is going to live on her own! How can we just let her go like that?"

The night Howard returned, Lillian made a very shocking revelation at dinner.

"I'll be moving out," she told her parents. Both of them were shocked by her decision but Lillian was smiling widely at them.

"Why?" Natasha demanded. "What's wrong with staying here? Why are you moving out?"

"Mom, this place is too far away from school," Lillian replied. "It takes me an hour and a half to commute from work to here everyday! I was late five times this month alone."

"But this is home!" Natasha protested. "You've never lived on your own. How can you just dump this on us? We'll be so worried-"

"Mom, I'll be living in a building near the school," Lillian told her. "I'll be fine-"

"You've already found an apartment?" Natasha exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell this sooner?"

Howard was also surprised by Lillian's decision but his daughter was patiently smiling.

"Mom, I wanted to but with dad's health, I couldn't tell you," she said. "I'm sorry…"

She held Natasha's palm and looked at her mother with her innocent cat-like eyes. "But please let me do this. It'll be good for me. Besides, I'll come over every Sunday to help you out."

"Lillian, have you really thought this through?" Howard asked his daughter. He knew very well that Lillian would never take an impulsive decision and she must have thought about it for a long time. There were times when Lillian had expressed her desire to move out so that she could give her parents more privacy but Natasha's health and now the cafe, had prevented her from doing so.

"Now that dad is back and we have a nurse looking after him," Lillian went on. "I think I can finally move out and try living on my own."

Natasha bit her lip. She wanted to argue but seeing Lillian plead in front of her was making her heart melt.

"Let her try it out, Nats," Howard suggested. "After all, Lillian needs to have a life of her own too. She's not going very far either. She'll be here on Sundays as she said."

Natasha took a deep breath. "Fine," she agreed. "Give me the address of the place. And also, I'll sometimes stop by there to check up on you."

Lillian tried not to falter her smile but nodded. Lucas Hao had already warned her that his men would be keeping an eye on her parents' house from afar to make sure that they could not run away.

She begged him to hide their marriage from them so that her parents would be spared from the pain and hence, they came up with a lie. Besides, the address she was going to give to Natasha was secretly owned by Lucas so even if she stopped by, Lillian would be alerted by Lucas' men.

The only thing Lillain could do was swallow up her fears and agree to this ill fated match.

In the present, Natasha was sighing loudly while Howard patted his wife's back. He was still wearing plaster on his foot but was otherwise healthy. The bruises would take a while to disappear though.

"She'll be fine," he told her. "Give her some space."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Natasha admitted. "What if she remembers?"

She looked at her husband, her face filled with worry. "Howard," she began. "What if her memories return and she remembers everything? What'll happen then?"

"She will not remember," Howard told her. "The doctor said so himself. The chances of those memories resurfacing are very slim! She lived so many years without remembering anything and she can live the rest of her life in peace. Don't worry about it."

But Natasha was not so sure. There was no telling when those memories would return to haunt Lillian and she was not ready to see her daughter in pain.

"Let's just hope they don't return," she whispered.

….

Lillian hoisted the last of her suitcases into the trunk of the taxi. Natasha wanted to escort her to her new house but Lillian reminded her that Howard needed her more.

Her mother came out to see her off, her face still filled with dread. Howard wanted to come as well but Lillian told him to rest. She already bid him a private farewell. Even though he was worried about the debt, Lillian lied to him that it was paid off by her friend and a bank loan which she took out so there was nothing to worry about.

"I'll be fine mom!" Lillian said in a cheerful tone. "Don't worry. I can handle myself."

She giggled at her mother's worry but Natasha gave her a stern gaze.

"You're too naive!" Natasha grumbled. "Always trusting others easily! Just stay with us. Why do you have to go?"

"Mom, it's closer to the school," Lillian reminded her. "I'll be fine! Don't worry at all. If I feel homesick, I'll return. I promise."

But Natasha could not help it. Her heart was saying that something was wrong and Lillian was in danger. However, seeing her daughter smile so brightly, it was becoming hard for her to deny Lillian's request.

"Call me when you get there," Natasha instructed. "And stay safe."

Lillian hugged her mother, trying not to cry. Natasha sensed that something was amiss but before she could ask her daughter what was wrong, Lillian let go of her with a smile.

"I'll be off now," she said. "Bye mom!"

She waved goodbye to her mother and got into the taxi. Natasha watched as the taxi drove off, standing there until it completely vanished from view.

Inside the taxi, Lillian tried hard not to cry. Her eyes were welling up with tears but she fought them off. The more she cried, the more helpless she would become. She lied to her parents, hiding the deal she made with Lucas Hao a secret so that they would not worry. Thankfully, Lucas agreed to give her two weeks to spend time with her family.

But the days passed by in a hurry and now, she was truly alone, entering the hellish mansion.

"Drive to the hills," she instructed the taxi driver in a thick voice, giving him the address. He nodded and changed lanes, taking her to her doom.