chapter 10- " The silence within"

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Chapter 10: Liliana's Truth

Liliana lay quietly in her bed, the soft rustling of the sheets the only sound in the room. The world outside was a blur to her now, as it always had been since the accident. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even lift her hand to wipe the tear that had been rolling down her cheek for hours. Yet, she didn’t feel sorrow, or anger, or anything at all. It was as if her body had learned to shut down, and now, her mind had followed.

The memory of that night—the night everything changed—was still fresh in her mind, though she had never spoken of it to anyone. She didn’t need to. It had been imprinted on her consciousness, and the truth, now, was a dull ache she couldn’t escape.

It had all started when Ethan left the house after their argument. The words they exchanged had been sharp and painful, but she hadn’t expected him to walk out. She hadn’t expected him to leave her alone, helpless, and broken in the silence of their home. She had tried to reach him, called his phone again and again, but there was no answer.

And then, through the silence, she had heard something else. A faint sound—a voice.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. But in the stillness of the house, there had been no avoiding it.

Her body had remained motionless in her chair as she listened to Ethan’s voice, muffled and distant at first, but clear as he spoke. And then, another voice joined in. Reign’s.

They were in the other room, talking about her. Talking about how things had gone wrong, how they hadn’t meant for it to happen, and how they should have told her sooner.

“We should’ve told her earlier, Ethan,” Reign had said. Her voice was soft, regretful. “She didn’t deserve this. I didn’t want to hurt her.”

“I know,” Ethan replied, his voice heavy with guilt. “I never wanted this either. But it’s too late now.”

The words hit Liliana like a physical blow. Her heart, which had been numb and still for so long, seemed to stop. It was as though a veil had been lifted, and she could see it all clearly now. They had betrayed her. They had lied to her all along. Ethan, the man she loved, and Reign, her closest friend, had crossed a line, and everything that had seemed so perfect was a lie.

There was no anger. No explosion of emotions. Just a cold emptiness that swept over her, settling deep inside her chest, spreading through her like a dark cloud.

She couldn’t bring herself to scream, or shout, or even cry. She just… knew. The truth settled over her like a blanket, but it wasn’t comforting. It was suffocating.

The next morning, Reign had texted her. A simple message, but it pierced her heart in ways she couldn’t understand at the time.

"Liliana, I need to talk to you. It’s important. Can we meet?"

Liliana hadn’t replied. She hadn’t needed to. She knew exactly what was coming.

When Ethan and Reign came into her room the next day, they looked at her with guilt and fear in their eyes. She could see it in their faces—the hesitation, the uncertainty. They had come to confess, to tell her everything.

But she had already known.

They sat beside her, awkward and tense, waiting for her to react. They were scared, both of them. But she wasn’t. She just looked at them, her eyes empty, as though she were a spectator in her own life.

“I’m sorry, Liliana,” Reign began, her voice shaky. “We never meant for you to find out this way. I… I don’t even know how to explain it.”

Ethan stayed silent, his head lowered, unable to meet her gaze.

Liliana remained still, her body unmoving in the chair. There was no anger in her eyes, no bitterness. Just a quiet, unfeeling gaze.

Reign’s voice cracked as she continued, “I never meant to hurt you, Liliana. But I… I love Ethan. I don’t know when it happened, but I do. And I’m so, so sorry.”

The words rang in Liliana’s ears, but they didn’t register. She heard them, yes, but they didn’t matter. She couldn’t bring herself to care.

“You’re both sorry,” Liliana said softly, her voice barely audible. The words felt foreign coming from her lips, as if they didn’t belong to her at all. “But sorry won’t change anything.”

The silence that followed was thick, suffocating. Reign’s eyes welled with tears, and Ethan’s face twisted with guilt, but Liliana didn’t react. She couldn’t. She didn’t feel anything. It was as though her heart had turned to stone, incapable of responding.

“I… I’ll leave,” Reign said, her voice barely a whisper. Her hands trembled as she stood up, unable to look at Liliana any longer.

Ethan didn’t move. He just sat there, his shoulders slumped, his hands clenched into fists in his lap.

Liliana turned her head slightly, looking out the window, away from them. The world outside was still the same—calm, peaceful. But in her mind, everything had shifted. Nothing felt real anymore.

They had betrayed her. And in that moment, she realized, she didn’t care. She couldn’t bring herself to care. The pain of it was too much, too overwhelming. But it was buried beneath layers of numbness.

Liliana closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think anymore. She didn’t want to feel.

She had learned everything she needed to know. And now, there was nothing left but the quiet stillness of her world.

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