A silent prayer under the night sky

Lillian Grey cried until drought betrayed her eyes. The dry sobbing hurts now, and she could no longer lament in peace.

For the several minutes she cried, Edwin stayed silently, watching his daughter tear down.

Once those tears could no longer breathe, Edwin fought whether to speak or not, but to his startle, Lillian stood up swiftly. Sparring a couple of seconds, she did not glance for anyone, and without a word, walked out. Edwin knew what she did and followed her to the entrance.

"Do you intend to run away again, Lilly?" he asked.

Lillian stopped at his stinging words. She didn't turn or move, but only stood firm to her feet.

"I can't stay here-" she uttered.

Edwin worriedly panicked if the situation gone wild for Lillian to run away anew. To cease his expanding assumptions, Lillian spoke again.

"-at least for tonight, I can't stay here," she added to her previous statement.

Edwin relieved, yet concerned about the news.

"Are you planning to get drunk again?" he inquired.

Edwin heard a low chuckle with no spirit.

"As if- I am not fooling myself anymore."

Edwin sensed a new conviction from Lillian's determined words.

"Dad," she called.

"Take care of her. She needs support more than me. I can't let Lia hate Giselle for this."

"But-" Edwin faltered.

"Lia has all the right to hate me with every passion and wish me to stay away, but not Giselle- Giselle is her mother, and I don't wish that poor child to dislike her mother for my wrong action."

Lillian paused, hiding her distress while trying to sound alright. Despite the pain, she mustered the courage to request for help from her father.

"If you can, let Lia know-" Lillian said.

She then left the place on her own, to spend the night wandering the streets and atone in solitary.

..

Edwin watched his daughter leave. Lia is unmistakably the person who got affected the most from the encounter. However, Edwin knew that his daughter is also silently hurting inside. After all, she wished to see Giselle for years, and that kiss was her long desiring dream, to be with her eternal love. In the end, their intimate moment ruined with reality, which left Lillian depressed with herself.

Edwin returned home with a solemn face. As he entered, he noticed Giselle coming downstairs.

They both stopped at facing each other. Edwin noticed Giselle wear an even more crucifying expression than Lillian.

"What happened?" he asked to know readily.

Giselle shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Edwin insisted.

"Lia- Lia is not talking to me."

Giselle said with much pain that Edwin could sense the gravity of the problem.

"Did you try to-"

Edwin seeks to ask for more details, but Giselle interrupted him, confessing how much Lia refused to even look at her mother, and despite spending much effort to try to talk, Lia ended up not speaking a word to Giselle. She hides under the covers on the bed for the entire time Giselle stayed in the room.

Unable to make a word out of her child or even capture her attention for a few seconds to explain the truth, Giselle left the room. She believed in time that can help Lia to open up to her. There is no point in striving, only to see the one completely shutting down the other.

"Where's Lillian Grey?" Giselle asked after realizing that Edwin returned from outside. She doubted if something happened with Lillian Grey in the absence of her presence.

The issue with Lia let Edwin forget about Lillian for a while until Giselle questioned him. He looked outside to see and found no trace of Lillian Grey, still lingering there. She left long ago without a trail.

"She went out."

Giselle, disturbed from his response, feared for Lillian, whom she ignored over Lia's appearance.

"Now?" she stormed.

Edwin Grey nodded to his dullness.

"Don't worry! She did it frequently for the past few weeks. Lilly knows the place well and-"

Edwin lied not to make Giselle upset, which she already is suffering from little Lia.

"She has friends here, so you shouldn't trouble yourself with Lillian. She is fine, focus on yourself, for now."

With that, Edwin suggested Giselle sit for a drink.

..

Giselle sat with Edwin as the two reveled in the silence while having hard liquor, reflecting on their own issues and a way to resolve it.

Edwin lifted his gaze from the floor to catch a glimpse of Giselle and found her in despair. He couldn't help but take pity on her situation.

The silence prevailed until Edwin got reminded of Lillian's request before leaving. Glancing at Giselle, Edwin asked himself the question of what can he do to encourage this fallen mother in distress.

"Fight for it!" he said to his impatience.

Disturbed by this voice, Giselle left her disheartened state to see Edwin.

"Lia is a child. Anyone at her position would feel terrified to watch their own mother kiss another woman intimately."

Giselle frowned again in sadness.

"But, Lia doesn't know anything about the adult world that we live today. It should be your duty to explain it to your daughter before she misjudges."

Giselle's concerned gaze glistened from the faint hope.

"I don't know what you are planning to do, but if you ever wish to be with Lillian, then you have to face reality."

"I told this to Lilly too. I won't say what you did out there with my daughter is wrong or right. It is not my position to judge, as well. But, you two should know why did you do it: the kiss!"

Edwin imparted some sense to the mother.

The reason behind their involvement in the kiss!

Giselle troubled herself by remembering the incident and wondered what went through her mind when Lillian attempt to kiss and that she unconsciously let it happen.

Edwin watched Giselle occupied with her thinking.

"Now that I think, let Lia take rest for now, and tomorrow you can talk to her. Let the night heal her tonight. You should sleep as well!"

Edwin advised and retired to his room. He informed Giselle not to stay awake and nap at least for a while to get some rest before facing tomorrow.

With Edwin gone, Giselle heard faint gossips of complaining, on his way up the stairs about the misfortune that befell today.

Giselle stayed alone in the living room as she returned to an eerie silence.

Instead of encouraging the negative thoughts, she stood up to mount the stairs. Upon reaching, she saw Edwin's room's light go off.

The storm tranquility haunted her again.

As she stood, Giselle noticed that she was standing in front of Lillian's room, which located to her left.

She paused for a while and then entered with no hesitation as if doing this won't cause much trouble than the previous incident.

Entering the space, Giselle caught the seclusion the place possessed. With minimal distractions, Giselle found herself wondering if this is what Lillian's room would resemble.

A bed to sleep at night, books to read and write, and- that's it!

Giselle found herself at a pinch of questioning. She knew Lillian posses a great charming personality, and her presence can wreck the silence and infuse her charisma. But, this room does not reflect any of those attributes of Lillian Grey.

Instead, all it had was the isolation, which does not represent Lillian Grey, the person herself.

***

Midnight hits the clock, and Lillian can recognize it from the deserted streets, almost daunting any soul that roams. She kept walking regardless, ignoring any detail to her surroundings. Her mind indulged in deep thoughts of her actions and what happens next!

As she did some pondering, Lillian got reminded of the kiss they shared for the first time. Touching her cold lips now, Lillian still feels the sensation buried deep into her heart. A reminder of her confession she made to Giselle at the main gate reappears in her head to make the Lillian blush alone that night.

What supposed to become a memorable moment flipped into a nightmare!

The fact that Lia saw both kissings did not much affect Lillian, for she wishes to explain to the little girl anytime, but the effect of it that reflects with Giselle is what Lillian worried deeply. If somehow Lia comes to despise Giselle for this, then Lillian can never have the courage to see Giselle ever again. Her own love will become her poison.

Lillian prayed to the lords in that cold night, where she took countless walks, with someone she cherishes as well as alone.

She prayed to suffer the damage for the misbehavior and wished for Lia to understand Giselle and listen to her mother, hoping that Giselle tells the truth.

Without an aim, with no one to accompany, Lillian Grey intends to spend the night outside, roaming the streets and punishing herself.