章節 417: The Brunch Date - Part 4 (Final)

Lillian continued to overlook Giselle out of fear, and when Melanie announced her leaving, she followed her behind. However, Melanie didn't let Lillian leave Giselle alone for too long. She asked Lillian to return quickly and left feeling contented. Melanie came here to meet Lillian personally. She wanted to test Lillian's feelings for Giselle and found their bond unbreakable. What stood in between them was their bitter past. Since Giselle chose to leave quietly, the two got separated.

Melanie figured out what stood between Giselle and Lillian was the truth that Giselle decided to hide. She didn't know if Giselle was planning to tell Lillian or not, but witnessing Lillian's feelings personally forced Melanie to reveal Giselle's secret.

What caught her by surprise was Lillian's knowledge about it because she never expected it in the first place. Giselle was specific to hide this whole incident, especially for the sake of Lillian Grey. Today was full of surprises, and Melanie had nothing up against Lillian anymore. The only fight she had was with Lillian not making an effort to be there for Giselle. And that was the main reason she didn't want them together. Melanie worried if Giselle might face hardships again and that Lillian would be oblivious of it.

Now that everything is out, the rest is for the two involved to sit down and talk. As soon as Lillian admitted knowing Giselle's secret, Melanie knew she had to give them privacy to discuss.

Soon, Lillian returned to her seat, and an undeclared silence existed between Giselle and her. Lillian couldn't speak recklessly and waited until Giselle was ready to talk about it. Meanwhile, Giselle looked frozen downright. The secret she protected with her life finally came out to the light and to the person she least expected to know.

Under Melanie's absence, Giselle could feel the awkward tension between Lillian and herself. Immediately, her mind began to wander.

She worried about when and how Lillian came to know. Initially, Giselle suspected if Diego had told her everything. And if it were true, that proves Diego's behavior at their thanksgiving dinner. Diego showed signs of hiding what he had done to Giselle, a secret from Lillian Grey. It didn't make any sense for him to spill the truth where his reputation is at stake as well. Just then, Shane's face came to her mind, and Giselle instantly panicked. She heard Shane promise her never to utter a word to Lillian. However, Giselle fretted if the same Shane, who happened to be Lillian's close friend, had informed behind her back.

The more Giselle thought, the more she was losing her sanity. It kept her barred from meeting Lillian face to face, which only lasted for a while because Lillian decided not to drag this on anymore. And to tie her, Giselle, too, wanted to question Lillian if Shane was the one who ratted her out. She put an end to her wandering anxieties and tried focusing on the present.

"Was it Shane?" Giselle asked, unable to keep quiet.

Lillian swiftly assured it wasn't Shane who told her. She explained that it was an unexpected accident that led her to Shane's room that night and overheard the secret conversation.

"You were only gone for a few minutes. But I couldn't wait. I was going to give up, but I think I wanted to search everywhere," Lillian revealed.

Giselle began to sweat. That night was the first time she had opened her mouth to confess the troublesome past that had kept haunting her all her life. The last person Giselle admitted this was Ethan, Lia's father, and it was a voluntary decision. Even though Giselle consented to share with Shane, she still wanted it to remain a secret. At the least, she didn't want Lillian to learn accidentally.

This train of thoughts happened to take Giselle to contemplate if she ever was planning to tell Lillian or not. The answer to that question was a simple silence. Giselle knew she had to tell Lillian. It was. Nevertheless, when and where had always been a tough choice for Giselle.

Observing more silence coming out from Giselle, Lillian began to fear. She wanted to make sure that they discuss this right here and right now. Both of them need to confront and come to a decision if they choose to accept each other unconditionally. Lillian knew all the above by her heart, yet she was afraid to poke at Giselle's emotions. Looking at her, she could only see her gentle face going pale by minute and that her gaze settled to the table with all the untouched food that had gone dead cold by now.

Lillian moved her chair a little closer but still gave her personal space. She caught Giselle's hand gently.

Giselle's eyes fluttered to the welcoming warmth, and she finally looked at Lillian. It broke Giselle's heart to meet her face to face. She turned away instantly, looking down again.

"It's okay! We can do this," Lillian comforted.

She tried to keep her distracted from zoning out, but soon Giselle broke her silence to inquire if this was the reason behind her disappearing that night. Giselle worried if it was because Lillian came to learn the truth that she dreadfully chose to leave.

Lillian's effort to keep Giselle distracted failed as she grew speechless.

"Is that why you decided to go on a retreat spree, leaving me alone. Because you didn't want to see me?" Giselle asked.

"No- that's not-"

"Then?"

Lillian exhaled with a heavy heart to come clean.

"It's true that I ran away from you, not because I didn't want to see you, but- I was feeling so guilty that this had happened to you behind my back, and it was by someone that I trusted blindly."

Giselle knew Lillian was addressing Diego here. That's why her aching gaze badly searched for Lillian's sincerity.

"I left that night to meet Diego," Lillian confessed.

From there on, she went on to share everything that had happened following her exit at the party with Giselle.

Starting from feeling guilty to completely infuriated from Diego's betrayal, she admitted feeling a little unhappy with Giselle hiding it from her. It is natural to assume Giselle contemplated speaking out, considering Lillian and Diego's friendship. Still, Lillian wished Giselle could have tried. Because if Giselle had said something, Lillian would have had investigated it already, stopping the following events from happening.

Lillian's honesty gradually calmed down Giselle, and she listened closely, word by word, taking comfort. Regardless of Lillian admitting the truth, Giselle still ended up breaking down into emotional tears. She was happy that Lillian was feeling this way but also felt terrible from living a life as a victim.

Watching her break down finally let Lillian understand from Giselle's perspective. She had lived her life in fear. She couldn't ask for help and stayed far away from her family, all because of Diego. Lillian let Giselle cry while her hand continued to hold on dearly. She didn't let the grip go away. Not anymore. Lillian vouched to herself.

***

Lillian ordered some more food to the table, and once Giselle's tears dried, she made sure that she ate. The brunch date extended to lunch, and along with the food, the two had finally come closer without anything to hold them back anymore.

Time passed, for the day settled, dimming the chilly breeze with its stable warmth. More people had joined the room with their lively conversations. The sound of plates and cutleries echoed around busily with people serving food and drinks to the tables.

There wasn't any laughter between Lillian and Giselle except forgiving smiles and relieved sniffs.

Looking at how the time flew, Lillian noticed the place getting jam-packed with a crowd. She then glanced over at Giselle, thinking how they had resolved the bitterness and that nothing stood in their way or their relationship. Lillian had no worries and no fears except a reoccurring thought running in a loop inside her head. The waiter returned to their table with the check. And Lillian stepped out of her daydreaming to settle the bill. Soon, they collected their belongings to leave. Giselle found that her mother had forgotten to take the gift bag with her. So, she grabbed it to deliver when another hand intervened.

Lillian caught hold of Giselle, looking anxiously.

Giselle waited patiently to hear something that took her breath away all of a sudden.

"Will you and Lia move in with me?"