CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER-58. (WAS THIS... FATE?)

I froze in the middle of the hallway like a broken statue. My brain, which had been running at full speed.

Like already planning how I would sneak into Nicole’s room, glance at his collarbone like some weird detective doctor, and slip out unnoticed.

All the details were set in my mind, except... yeah.

There is a little, insignificant problem.

I did not know where Nicole’s room was.

Not like I know the wing and the hallway, have to check two to three rooms, but...Like at all.

As I said before, this was not a simple house with a simple, two-bedroom, one-hall, and a kitchen, but a freaking mansion.

It had four wings, which consisted of several hallways, lobbies, and don’t start me on the number of rooms it had.

Was it the left hallway? The right? Upstairs? Downstairs?

How had I never known about it?

The question was logical, but the answer that my mind gave was ten times more logical than the question itself.

Nicole had been practically banished to some far-off "foreign land" wing with his sister. He hadn’t lived here properly in over a decade.

So, of course, clueless me had no idea where his room was.

And now here I was, stranded in the middle of the hallway like a broken GPS, staring at all the closed doors as if they were part of a twisted multiple-choice quiz.

A quiz where if I picked the wrong answer, I could ruin not just the evening but possibly my entire life.

I sighed, pressing my palms against my cheeks. "Great job, Elena. Genius plan. Zero execution."

I was still busy cursing my not-so-Sherlock brain when suddenly, I felt it.

A tiny tug at the hem of my skirt.

My whole body jerked like I had been electrocuted.

I gasped, spinning around so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet. My heart was hammering like I had just been caught.

But instead of Dave looming behind me, it was... her.

Lily. Or, more properly, Liliana.

Big brown eyes blinking up at me. Tiny hands still clutching my skirt.

She did not say a word, but she did not need to.

There was this spark, this mischief shining in her eyes, like she knew exactly what I was up to and wanted to be part of my little adventure.

"Oh," I whispered, my voice softer now, the panic slipping away. "It’s you."

She tilted her head, almost curious, like a little bird studying something strange.

My chest softened.

As far as I noticed, Lily wasn’t the kind of kid who bounced around shouting or tugging at sleeves for attention.

No, she was quiet. Too quiet sometimes.

It wasn’t empty silence either; it was heavy, thoughtful silence.

And for reasons I couldn’t explain, that made me extra careful with her.

I crouched a little, trying to meet her eyes. "What are you doing here, huh? Shouldn’t you be with your aunt, Grace?"

She didn’t answer. Just gave me this tiny smile, her two rabbit teeth showing, almost making me choke on her cuteness.

She still gripped my skirt as if she did not want to let go of it.

I blinked. My heart squeezed in my chest.

"Are you lost?"

She did not say anything but shook her head.

I blinked at her, still crouched halfway down like an awkward frog.

She was still holding on to my skirt, her little fingers tight like she was afraid I’d float away if she let go.

My chest softened again. "So... you’re not lost?"

She shook her head once, her hair bouncing a little.

"Then why are you here?" I asked carefully.

She tilted her head, her lips moving just a little before sound came out. "You..."

My heart skipped. It was so soft, so quiet, I almost thought I imagined it.

"You came to... find me?" I asked, blinking stupidly.

Another head shake. Then she tugged my skirt again, like she wanted me to follow her.

I swallowed. My brain clicked. Wait. Was this... fate?

Like the universe had literally sent me a guide?

I leaned closer, whispering like I was sharing some top-secret mission. "Hey, Lily. Do you... know where your papa’s room is?"

She blinked at me with those big brown eyes. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Oh. Oh, thank god.

"Really?!" My whisper came out a little too loud, echoing in the empty hallway.

I slapped my hand over my mouth, then lowered my voice again.

"I mean...yes. Great. Perfect. Um. Can you... Take me there?"

She looked at me for a long moment, like she was deciding if I was worth helping.

Then she smiled again. Tiny. Mischievous. Like she knew exactly what she was doing.

And then she whispered, "Why?"

My stomach dropped. Uh oh.

I bit my lip, racking my brain for an excuse.

Obviously, I couldn’t say, "Because I want to check if your dad has a hickey on his collarbone so I can prove he’s the guy in a very suspicious photo."

Nope. Definitely not kid-friendly.

So I leaned in even closer, lowering my voice to a dramatic whisper. "Because... your papa might be hurt."

Her eyes widened.

Crap. Did I make it sound too scary?

I hurried to fix it. "No, no, not like, bad hurt. Just... um... a scratch. On his shoulder. Or maybe his neck. You know how sometimes you fall and get a bruise?"

She nodded slowly, her little face serious.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat. "If he has one, I should, uh, check it. So it doesn’t get worse. Because I am..." I hesitated, scrambling. "Because I am good at taking care of... bruises.

Yeah."

Smooth, Elena. Real smooth.

Lily stared at me for what felt like a whole minute. My palms were sweating.

Then finally... finally, she whispered, "I show you."

My shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you, Lily. You’re... you’re a lifesaver."

She tugged at my skirt again and started walking. Tiny steps, light as a feather, but determined.

I followed her, trying to be just as quiet, my heart hammering in my chest.