My Very Bad Day And All That Happened After

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to fill the silence with reasoning. 

My gaze stayed locked on her, my eyes narrowing as I struggled to make sense of her words.

But after a moment, I couldn’t help myself.

“You always said you didn't want kids," I said. "So what's with this sudden desire?”

She just sat there. Didn't say a word.

There was nothing but tears.

I shook my head.

“You crossed a line, Lily.”

She let go of my arm and started crying even harder. 

Watching her cry…

It got to me. Her tears made something twist inside my chest.

I turned toward the bathroom, my eyes stinging.

“Just be gone before I come out. And I never want to see you again.”

“No!” she shouted. “Jordan, are you breaking up with me?”

I gave her a look.

“Lily, you drugged me just so you could… have your way with me.” I snapped.

She flinched.

But I was not finished.

“I don't know which is worse. The fact that you may be telling the truth or that there is something else you're not saying.”

I hesitated before adding, 

“If you’re hiding something, Lily, I’ll find out. And you won’t like what comes after.”

Her sobs faded into whimpers.

“I'm sorry, darling,” she said. “Don't talk like this. Don't decide while you're angry. Please?”

“Just go,” I half-whispered. “I can't even look at you right now.”  

Then, I turned and stepped into the bathroom. 

Soon, the sound of running water drowned out everything else in my head.

But only until a memory from earlier flashed. 

It was blurry and fragmented: the housekeeper handing me a bottle of water, her fingers brushing mine. 

I remembered throwing my head back, spilling water down my shirt. 

Her face wouldn’t come into focus, it got lost in the thick fog of my brain. 

I turned off the shower. 

I needed to act fast. 

By the time I stepped out, Lily was gone.

A note she left on the bed read:

“Please forgive me.” 

It was signed with a heart emoji.

My silly heart softened for one second.

Was I too hard on her?

No. 

I crumpled the note, tossed it into the trash and went into my closet. 

This wasn’t the moment for second guesses.

After getting dressed, I grabbed my phone from where it had fallen under the bed. 

There was a text from Nick, my friend.

Nick Stallone and I were together when I had the migraine which made me return earlier than usual to take a short rest.

My finger swiped the text away and clicked his contact.

“Hey, man,” he answered on the first ring. “You feeling better?”

“Not even close,” I answered. 

“Lily did something crazy and now, I'm in a mess.”

“Woah, slow down,” Nick said. “What do you mean ‘mess’?”

“I need to take care of something now,” I told him. 

“I'll see you later and explain everything.”

If there was anyone I could trust with all this, it was Nick.

He was the brother I never had and I trusted him with my life. 

The guy’s a total mystery. 

While I’d freak out at the smallest thing, he’d keep his cool and pick everything apart like it was just another puzzle. 

Most times he drove me nuts. 

“Alright,” he said. 

I hung up. 

A couple of minutes later, I left my suite and went straight to security. 

The chief of security, Mark Chen was already on his way towards me, with two others trailing. 

“Mr. Styles, what can I do for you?” he asked, clearly concerned to see me there. 

“Walk with me to your office,” I said.

“And lose your men.” 

He nodded.

“Of course.” 

And waved the men off.

Then he hurried ahead, leading the way. 

Inside his office, I nodded toward the computer.

“Unlock it.” 

His face froze for a moment, but he did what I asked and typed in his password. 

Once the screen came to life, I gestured at the door. 

“Give me some privacy.” 

He hovered, trying to figure things out from my face, but I stared back until he finally left, shutting the door behind him quietly. 

I sat down and dove in. 

“Twelfth floor,” I muttered, watching the feed as it flickered on. 

I rewound to 3 PM.

Then fast-forwarded through minutes of scanty halls until…

There we were. 

My stomach dropped. 

I watched myself stumble down the hallway, a ridiculous handkerchief on my head. 

The housekeeper beside me was half my size and yet, somehow kept me upright. 

I hated seeing myself like that.

Helpless.

Weak. 

Worse... unaware. 

The cameras never caught her face. It was like she’d mapped out every blind spot in advance, slipping past them on purpose. 

Honestly, I couldn’t decide if I was impressed or worried. Either she was a pro at hiding or she was dangerous. 

I squinted, my lips tightening. 

Then a detail jumped out at me. 

The handkerchief. 

I’d seen it in suite 126B, lying there. 

My breathing picked up. 

I remembered it clearly.

It was embroidered with vines and flowers, all carefully hand-stitched. 

Or not so carefully because it looked like the work of an amateur. 

“Love Nana,” it said on one edge in brown-gold thread. 

My brows came together in a slight frown.

If another housekeeper found it and turned it in...

Maybe they wouldn’t trace it back to me. 

Still, questions would start.

And that was the last thing I needed. 

I had to go fetch it before anyone else did. 

“Damn you, Lily,” I muttered, my fingers clenching the desk. 

But I still didn’t have what I came for. 

I scrubbed through more footage, jumping to the time after Dr. Grant showed up.

Maybe I’d see her face on her way out. 

I watched as she ducked into the elevator, her face hidden as at other times. 

I leaned back, defeated. 

Why was she still being careful, even after I was with my doctor? 

Who or what was she scared of? 

For twenty solid minutes, I tried to track which floor she got off on.

I got nothing. 

Then I remembered…

Dr. Grant had her contact info. 

I let out a long breath. I just needed to call him. 

I refreshed the security feed and left Chen’s office immediately. 

He looked after me, lost, but I didn’t bother to fill him in. I wasn’t any closer to answers myself. 

That ghost of a housekeeper saw me at my worst. And she was gone. 

Loose ends gnawed at me. 

One picture, one video and she could ruin me. 

I wasn’t going to let that happen. I had to find her, before she decided what to do with what she’d seen. 

And Lily…

The more I thought about it, the clearer it felt. 

Lily couldn’t have planned all this just to have a baby. She wasn’t built like that. Someone else was definitely involved. 

And this…

This may be just the start.