Lily bent and got her purse. “I didn’t realize there was a bruise. I’m going to go see about hiding some of it before I frighten away customers.”
Elena smiled and nodded as she counted the money.
Lily hurried to the back and into the bathroom. She turned her head to the side to see the large bruise that was a dark blue and green, with a hint of yellow on the edges. No amount of makeup in the world was going to cover that.
If only she had taken a moment that morning and really looked at herself, she would’ve seen it and hidden most of the damage. Instead, she hadn’t given a second thought to makeup. She normally wore very little of it anyway.
Lily got out her concealer and put some on her finger. She held her hand over the bruise, angry that she was once more lying as well as covering bruises. She had left that world behind. It wasn’t fair that it found her again.
For the rest of the day she was going to have to act like she had a one-of-a-kind accident. All she could pray for was that Dennis didn’t hit her again, because she couldn’t play the klutz card, not with Jane about—who was quite literally a klutz. Not to mention, in the time she had been at Dreagan, she hadn’t run into anything, tripped, or done the things Jane did on a daily basis.
Lily began to lightly dab the concealer over the darkest parts of the bruise across her cheekbone. When she finished, she looked at her reflection, and hated what she saw.
The woman staring back at her was the frightened, timid woman she had been before she left Dennis. That woman she left behind, or so she had thought. But how easily Dennis brought her back.
She didn’t want to be that woman anymore. She hated that woman, hated the life that went along with it. If she wanted to eradicate that woman from her life, then she needed to make a stand.
Now. Today.
Right this minute.
“I’m not that woman,” she whispered to her reflection. “I left her behind.”
Then act like it.
Lily took a deep breath. Yes, she had to act like it. Dennis could still hurt her, but so what? There was a possibility he could kill her, but she doubted he would do that. Not when he needed her.
But she no longer cared about him or their relationship. She didn’t fear his fists or his temper, because she knew what to expect. Fear bred fear. She had to fight the fear with strength and faith.
“He has no control over me,” she said in a stronger voice.
Those six words gave her power to take a stand.
Lily glanced at her watch and tossed the concealer in her purse. She had taken too long, and was now behind on her duties. Lily opened the door and hurried out to the main room, only to discover Jane and Elena had covered for her.
“Thank you,” she told them.
“It’s not a big deal,” Jane said with a wink. “Elena told me about your fall. I know something about embarrassing falls.”
Lily genuinely smiled at Jane, because Jane was sweet, trusting, and able to trip on a flat surface—barefoot.
“It’s a perfect chance for you to buy shorter skirts while you’re shopping with Denae later,” Elena said.
Lily had completely forgotten about her shopping trip with Denae. She looked from Elena to Jane and closed her eyes with a loud sigh. “It’s my day off, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Jane said. “That fall must have rattled you.”
“It did.” Much more than they would ever know.
Elena looked at the clock and shrugged. “You’re meeting Denae in a bit anyway. You can hang out here if you want. No work required.”
Lily’s eyes grew moist with unshed tears. She didn’t want to lie to her friends, but also didn’t want to be responsible for one of their deaths. “I think I might walk around for a bit, if that’s all right.”
“Um…” Elena hedged as she glanced at Jane. “That should be fine.”
Lily adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and walked from the store. She didn’t look over her shoulder, even as she suspected that they might be watching. It was obvious they weren’t keen on her strolling around the land.
There were only a few buildings the public ever saw of Dreagan. The rest was kept behind huge hedgerows. Lily started along the same route as those who took a tour of Dreagan. She walked slowly, stopping at the small bridge and looking at the stream flowing beneath. She ambled from one spot to another, but no one ever stopped her.
Lily walked behind the stilehouse, but didn’t go to the hedgerow. She wound her way to the back of the store. There she stopped and leaned back against the white brick.
She had never been the kid who pushed boundaries to see how far she could go. Lily kept well within the rules. If someone said she couldn’t go somewhere, she didn’t attempt it. Which was why she was having such a difficult time even walking to the hedgerow.