"Life went on, But it was never the same again."

Five years later...

Lilly's POV

I can handle a lot of things in this life.

I can handle almost everything.

I can handle the truth.

It's the lies that kill me.

I think to myself as I raise the handbag, trying to squeeze it into the overhead compartment. I push harder, and harder but it doesn't slide inside.

I grit my teeth and just think.

Lies.

So. Many. Fucking. Lies.

Dizziness swarms my vision as I put whatever energy I have left into pushing the stupid bag. I groan in annoyance and I just want to scream, every nerve in my body is crying out loud, in pain, in fatigue, and in betrayal.

"Here, ma'am, let me help you," The stewardess says and I let him take care of it as I slide into my seat. Sitting down doesn't do me any good either. The tightness inside my stomach only increases with every passing second, I just want to throw up.

I would've, but having not eaten anything for the past two days isn't helping at all.

I open the front camera of my phone and stare at my reflection. I almost wince at the sight that welcomes me. My face is so pale, I look like a ghost. My lips that are usually pink, now look just as white as my face. My hair pulled up in a messy bun, hiding the fact that it hasn't been showered.

I look like a mess.

A total mess.

I try to breathe, in and out, in and out through the fluctuation I can feel my blood pressure is going through. No sleep, no food, I am just seconds away from unfolding in the middle of the damn plane.

I lean against the small window and I let my eyes close for a second, I let them rest but I fail almost immediately. Behind my closed eyelids, I just see the nightmare I am desperately trying to escape from.

My fingers curl into the inside of my palm and I try to grasp into whatever control I have left in me. Breathe Lilly, breathe. My chest aches, my heart aches. A sound almost like a whimper escapes my throat and I press a hand over my mouth, stopping myself.

How did my life turn upside down in only a matter of two days?

I get so lost in my thoughts that the only thing that pulls me out is the sound of a man's voice speaking through the plane, announcing that we are about to take-off, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, welcome to flight number..." And I block the rest of his words by placing the airpods to my ear, I defy the laws of flying by playing some music that could calm down my nerves and make this eleven-hour flight a bit more bearable.

Three hours in, and finally my body gives up the fight and sinks into a much-needed sleep. My eyes close, and I listen to the sound of my heart beating very slowly, one beat at a time, till finally, utter darkness consumes me.

The next thing I feel is the stewardess's hand over my arm, shaking me back to reality and announcing that we are about to land. In a haze, I buckle my seatbelt and prepare myself for what's about to happen once I am on the ground.

The thought alone has me shifting in my seat anxiously, wishing I could just turn this plane around, go back and stay there without having to face this. I am not ready.

I wait in dreadful silence and I feel the plane takes hours not minutes to just land. I huff in annoyance and look out from the window, watching as we descend slowly and I want to scream at the pilot to just land the damn plane already.

The captain speaks again, "Hey everyone, I know you're all wondering why we are taking longer to reach land," he says, a hint of mockery in his tone, "But let me give you a brand new information, we'll be landing as soon as we get closer to the ground."

The girl sitting beside me laughs at his sarcasm and I roll my eyes. If he thinks himself funny, I'll go there and shows him who's funny. Let's just fucking land already!

"Sorry guys, this is your co-pilot speaking," Another voice talks now, a hint of playfulness in his warm voice, "We are expected to land in approximately ten minutes, please keep your seatbelts on, and well, your captain says if you don't like his humor, we have four exists."

My eyebrows pull closer at this new voice's words and I sigh, wanting us to just land already and at the same time, dreading every minute of it.

Once we reach and the door opens, we all scatter around and outside of the plane. I pull my carry on with me, my fingers grasping at its handle, hoping it could keep me balanced just enough for me to reach outside and get into a damn Taxi.

I exit the gate and past the passport check and find it hard to get enough energy to lift my feet up and step forward.

My stomach stumbles again, and my breath gets caught in my throat with every step I make. I want to pause for a second, but I am scared that my tired weak body would just crumble to the ground if I do.

I wish I ate in the plane, but the topic of food alone fills me with the urgent need to just throw up.

My vision blurs for a few seconds and I blink, shaking myself out. I blink again and with all my power hold into the bag's handle. I try. I try so bad, but I fail.

The two past days take their toll on me and my body finally gives up, my vision wavers and against my will, I drop to the ground, my knees hit it and if it wasn't for my grip over the bag I would've crashed head first onto the ground.

"Oh my god," A voice says beside me before I feel a hand over my arm, "Sweetie, are you okay?" The sound of a woman rings in my ears and I try to open my eyes to see her.

An old lady stares back at me, noticing me from between the crowd, "Are you alone here?" She asks, and my heart breaks.

I am so alone.

Two days ago, I had everything.

Now, I have nothing.

Distant voices penetrate through my head, the people around us indulging into conversations, those greeting who just arrived and those saying their goodbyes to the one's leaving.

In the midst of all that, one voice only, one name only clears all the chaos of the moment and I snap my head to the right.

"Well, I always knew you had in you, Ryder," The man says, a smile on his face, his thick voice matching the captain's voice from my flight.

But, it's not him who grabs my attention, it's not his voice that clouds my brain and senses. My gaze drifts to who he is talking to and I feel like everything in my life crashes again.

My eyes widen as I stare at a face I haven't seen in years, as I hear a voice I haven't heard in so long.

My heart lurches and the pain I was feeling all over the past days, hits me with a bang to the head.

I stop breathing all-together. The boy I once knew, is no longer a boy now. He is a man.

Logic leaves me, my lungs fighting for every lost breath and his name escapes my mouth in a whisper, "Chase," A name I haven't said in so so long.

It's been so long.

Maybe, I deserve everything that has happened to me. Maybe, I do.

Because I broke a promise I made five years ago.

His name that left my mouth as a whisper, wasn't a whisper. I realize that when I see his head turn around, his eyebrows pulling together as if searching for whoever called his name.

They drift and for a fleeting second, he was about to turn them and walk away but they fall down on me and shock pelts through his being in a quake.

I bet when he woke up today, he didn't think that he'll be seeing a ghost from his past. His expression speaks that and more.

It takes him seconds and he shakes himself out of the shock. He rushes forward and drops beside me, his hand on my arm, "Lilly?" He asks, his eyes confused, shocked and in them, I see why everything went wrong.

"Are you with her?" The old lady asks, "She just dropped down like this-"

He looks at her and nods, "Yeah, she's with me."

When his ocean blue eyes come back to my face, they soften, and he asks, "What's wrong?"

Everything. I want to say, but-

But, I just smile. How can I look at his face and not smile?

He doesn't wait for an answer. Instead, he takes a hold of my arm and pulls me up with him. Once I am standing up again, once I feel his warm touch over my arm, once I am this close to him after all this time.

I feel safe.

And I know that now, I can just let go.

So, I let go.

My body leans into his touch and I let go. Darkness starts to take over my sight, and every awake nerve in my body just gives up the fight.

I feel is his hand wrappings around my waist almost immediately and his worried voice, "Lilly!" Was the last thing I heard before I drifted off.

This time, the feel of a cold needle against my arm is what shakes me back awake. I open my eyes to a blinding white light above me. I wince and press them shut again, trying to remember where I am.

"There is nothing wrong with her," I hear a feminine voice says, "Her blood sugar just went down, I can assume she haven't eaten well in some time."

I open my eyes again and grab at my sides as I try to pull myself up, but fail. I turn my head and my eyes fall on him again, he stood there, all tall and handsome, his arms crossed over his chest, one of his hands rubbing at his chin anxiously as he listens to her.

"Just feed her, and she'll be okay." She adds and walks away.

Chase's eyes fall onto me and I try to get up again, but this time his warm hands wrap around my arm and rest behind my back as he helps me sit down.

I dangle my feet off the bed and look up at him. I swallow hard at what looks like anger in his eyes, he looks like he wants to shout at me, and scold me for being in this state.

But, he doesn't.

"How are you feeling?" He asks.

I shrug, unable to form words. What am I supposed to say to him after all this time.

How are you?

How has it been?

You are a damn co-pilot now?

I missed you.

Sorry, I haven't called in a while, I was just...busy.

"What happened?" He asks again, trying to pry words out of my mouth.

It's obvious something has happened.

My terrible state says that out loud.

Before I could dismiss his question, the door opens and someone marches into the room, "Thank god, you're here," She says, in relief, "I looked for you everywhere but then Edward told me you'd be-"

The familiarity of her voice and the sight of blonde hair slaps me right in the face. Her green eyes flicker from him and to me.

They immediately widen, "Lilly!" She says, both in shock and fake enthusiasm, like I am the last person she expected to see.

"How are you?" She asks, she smiles, her eyebrows pull together as she looks around, "Are you okay?"

I just nod and my gaze flickers over her attire, to notice it's one of the airline's flight attendants official costume.

"If you're in town for sometime, let us catch up," She adds sweetly and I just nod, giving her a small smile, just as fake as hers.

Aylin looks back at Chase, "I wanted to see you before my flight," She adds and steps closer to him, "I will be back at almost midnight, meet you back at home?"

Home?

He only nods in return, while she wraps her fingers over the lapels of his jacket, tiptoes and presses a short kiss over his lips.

I immediately look away, my fingers wrap over the sheets and my jaw tightens. I don't let myself dwell long on the thought.

I can't let myself do that.

I am no better.

But, I don't feel guilty anymore.

Just like me, he broke his promise as well.

"See you later, Lilly," She says, flashing me another fake smile, before she finally leave.

I immediately get to my feet, not allowing this to distract me from the actual reason I am here for.

Chase's hand over my arm stops me, "Where are you going?" He asks.

"Home." Is all I say.

He nods and ushers me outside, "Come with me, I'll drop you off."

I decide not to refuse, I just wanna get there as fast as I can. He takes my carry-on and leads me outside toward one of the cars.

A guy goes down from the driver's seat, he hands the keys to Chase and hands him a small bag.

"Thanks Jeffery," Chase says to the young guy before he opens my door and lets me in.

I hear him place my small bag in the trunk of his car, he takes his jacket off and places it in the backseat, and I notice he only has a white T-shirt under as he joins me inside.

He places the small carton bag that Jeffery gave him in my lap, "Eat," he says, no, excuse me, he orders.

I try not to talk or even look at his side, or at how the muscles of his arms flexed when he grabbed the steering wheel in ease and pulled us into the streets.

I gulp down and take the sandwich from inside the bag, I remove the wrapping and without any appetite at all, I start to eat it, one very small bite at a time.

I take out what looked like a fresh orange juice and sipped on it, totally needing the hydration.

"Thank you," I mumble lowly, addressing the food my body needed.

He doesn't reply back. Silence takes us in for so long before he breaks it, "Lilly, what's wrong?"

He always read me a like an open book. Can he still do this now, after all this time?

I shake my head and say out the truth, "I just wanna go home."

Once he parks outside, I take my time to look at the house ahead of me. I gather the enough courage and prepare myself to face the inevitable.

"I think my parents are here as well," Chase comments when his eyes drop onto the car parked beside us.

Without a word, I go down, so does he. I stand by the door and ring the bell and he waits by my side.

I am welcomed by auntie Katherine, who opens the door. Shock envelopes her features at my sight and it turns into confusion when she sees her son.

"Lilly?" She asks, trying to understand, "When did you get here?"

"Where are my parents?" I ask, ignoring her question.

Her eyebrows pull together and she points inside, "They're in the backyard, we were-"

I dismiss the rest of her words and walk in that direction. Now, that I am so close, I just want to run away.

I reach the backyard and my steps grabs everyone's attention. Dad's eyes fall on me and confusion cuts line over his forehead, "Lilly?" He gets to his feet, "You didn't tell me you're coming."

He walks closer toward me and mom gets up as well, "Oh my god baby, I missed you, when did you get here?"

I turn my gaze from her and meet my father's confused eyes. I don't hesitate, I don't back away, my jaw tightens and I shout out, "How could you?"

My words double his confusion, "What?"

"I thought you were different," I shake my head, still in denial and finally the tears spill out, "I thought you were not like everyone else," My words trigger something that looks a lot like fear in his eyes.

"But, you turned out to be worse than anyone I've known!"

"Lilly-"

My heart breaks once again, "You're a liar," An anger so big clouds my senses, and that anger makes me hate him at the moment, "And you're...you're a killer, dad!"

PART TWO IS COMING SOON