Lovely Little Lies

by Travis Szablewski

  “Well, thank you; that helps me out a ton. So, where’s Gordon?” Lillian asked as she walked to the refrigerator.

  “He’s upstairs playing,” Kylie said as she turned the faucet off, the knife in her hand. Kylie shook the knife gently, waving off the remaining droplets of water into the sink.

  “What did you guys do today?” Lillian asked as she grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and turned, swinging her hip against the door, closing it.

  “God, what did we not do?” Kylie giggled as she placed the knife into the drying rack beside the sink. “We went to the park, got ice cream, went to the library, and then came home for a nap. He woke up a few minutes ago and he’s just been playing in his room; boys and their Legos,” Kylie smirked as Lillian twisted the cap on the water bottle, opening it.

  “I’m shocked he went for the library,” Lillian smiled as she took a long sip.

  “Yeah, I was, too,” Kylie said…as her smile slowly faded. “Listen, I know…I know things have been rough lately for you. I never got the chance to tell you…but I really am sorry about your friend…about Ally,” Kylie said as she stared down at the floor. “I know what it’s like to lose someone so suddenly like that.”

  “Thank you,” Lillian said, stunned by Kylie’s sudden change of behavior.

  “I know I’ve only been working for you guys for a couple of months…but I really like you guys; you and Tatum are great. And I adore Gordon,” Kylie smiled. “I…I envy the both of you.”

  “You envy us?” Lillian said, nearly spitting out her water as she placed the bottle onto the counter.

  “Yes. You guys are so in love and you’ve got this great son and this beautiful house. I’d kill to find something like what you guys have someday,” Kylie said.

  “You’re still young; you’ve got plenty of time.”

  “In this generation, it feels like twenty-five is the new forty,” Kylie sighed.

  “Don’t say that; I already feel old as hell around you anyways,” Lillian joked as Kylie giggled softly.

  “I just really bond well Gordon; we just have so much in common.”

  “What do you have in common with a six-year old?” Lillian asked, nearly laughing at the strange statement.

  “Well, we’re both adopted. He never knew his real parents and neither did I. I think it really brought us closer today,” Kylie nodded.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Lillian asked as she felt her heartbeat suddenly speed up in her chest.

  “We just relate on that level, I guess.”

  “No…you…you didn’t tell him…he was adopted, did you?” Lillian asked as she turned towards Kylie, her fists clenched at her sides.

  “That’s actually another thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Kylie said, swallowing hard.

  “You…you told him?” Lillian gasped, stepping towards Kylie…rage burning inside of her.

  “I didn’t mean to, honestly! It just slipped! He asked me if I was close to my parents and I told him about how I was adopted and then it just slipped out.”

  “It just slipped out? Are you fucking kidding me, Kylie? When we hired you, we specifically told you NOT to tell him anything about where he came from! We told you not to tell him anything!” Lillian snapped as she slammed her hand onto the counter.

  “Don’t you want him to know about his past? Don’t you want him to know about where he came from? I think he’s old enough; I was the same age when I found out,” Kylie said as her eyes narrowed onto Lillian.

  “That’s not your decision to make!” Lillian snapped, her jaw tightening.

  “I think…I think I should go. I’m…I’m so sorry,” Kylie said, staring down at the floor as she made her way around the center island.

  “Don’t fucking bother coming back!” Lillian snapped as Kylie spun around, her eyes wide.

  “You’re…you’re firing me?”

  “Yes, I am…now get out!” Lillian snapped; both of her hands wrapped around the edge of the center island.

  “You can’t fire me…Tatum hired me; she’s my boss, not you,” Kylie said coyly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Lillian smiled to herself as she moved around the counter slowly, rubbing her forehead as her heartbeat pounded in her ears. It took everything inside of Lillian not to grab this girl’s hair and slam her head into the wall. Lillian bit her lip, struggling to slow her breathing…as she stepped up to Kylie, her eyes burning into her.

  “I’m going to try and say this in the nicest way I can, so please forgive me if I’m a little blunt. If I see you in this house…or anywhere near my son…I’ll hit you with my fucking car,” Lillian said sternly, Kylie’s face inches from her own. “You might think I’m this innocent, naïve, fragile pushover…but I’m warning you, little girl; you’ve got the wrong bitch and I won’t hesitate for one God damn second to kick your skinny, boney, d-cup, basic bitch, homewrecking looking ass all across this hand-carved Calacatta floor. If you want to leave with the same damn face that you had when you walked into this house, I suggest you hit the fucking door…and don’t look back.”

  Kylie swallowed hard as her teary eyes stared back at Lillian, the silence closing in on them. Kylie then spun around on her heel, snatched her purse from the kitchen table, and stormed into the foyer. Lillian released the breath she was holding in…as she heard the front door slam shut behind Kylie. Lillian’s hands trembled by her sides as she looked up to the ceiling, struggling to calm herself down. Her eyes then shot open…as she thought of him…of the confused thoughts that must be circling through Gordon’s head right now. Lillian quickly rushed forward and out of the kitchen, making her way up the staircase and towards the second level above.

  “Gordon!” Lillian called out as she rushed to his bedroom door and pushed it open…to see him…sitting on the floor, a small tower of Legos in front of him. “Hey…”

  “Hi,” Gordon said softly, his small eyes slowly lifting from the Lego tower and to Lillian.

  “Kylie told me about…about the conversation you guys had today,” Lillian said softly as she stepped into his room and sat down onto the blue carpet floor across from him.

  “She said you weren’t my real mommy. Is that true?” Gordon asked as tears slowly filled his blue eyes, his bottom lip trembling.

  “Honey, of course not,” Lillian cried, tears trickling down her cheeks as she crawled across the floor towards him. Lillian wrapped her arms around Gordon, pulling him closer to her…as his tiny hands wrapped around her waist. “You are our baby. You’re our world. We’d be lost without you, baby boy,” Lillian sobbed as she kissed the top of his head gently. “I don’t ever want you to think for one second that I’m not your mommy. No matter what anyone says…me and Tatum love you…and you are our son…and that is all that matters, alright?”

  “Alright,” Gordon said softly, his cheek pressed against Lillian’s stomach. “No matter what anybody says?”

  “No matter what anybody says,” Lillian said as she held him tighter.

  She didn’t want to let go.

  She didn’t want to leave his side.

  If only he knew how much he meant to her…to them. Lillian slowly sat down onto the floor as Gordon sat into her lap…laying his head against her chest…as she ran her hands through his hair…the tears streaming down her red cheeks.

  Victoria

  The morning sunlight shimmered through the lace curtains covering the glass patio door as Victoria stepped into the large kitchen of her home, tying the straps of her pink silk robe around her thin waist. Victoria stopped in her tracks…as she spotted Elle sitting at the center island…eating a bowl of steaming oatmeal.

  “You’re up early,” Victoria yawned as she ran her hands through her hair, pulling her fingers through the matted locks plastered against the back of her head.

  “I’m meeting Claire and Molly at the lake. We’re going to go skiing,” Elle said as she stuffed the spoon between her red lips. Victoria eyed Elle as she moved around the center island, studyi
ng her curly brown hair and yellow sundress. Pink eye shadow was caked onto her eyelids and a hideous shade of blush that was much too dark for her skin tone lined her cheekbones. Too bad Eleanor died before she could properly teach this train wreck about makeup.

  “Any boys?” Victoria asked as she sat down onto the barstool beside Elle.

  “Why? Are you going to tell dad?”

  “Why…when there are much worse things that you could tell him about me? Victoria smirked as Elle nodded. Victoria bit her lip as she placed her elbows onto the countertop, looking to Elle. “So, can I ask you a question?”

  “It depends,” Elle said as she stood up from the barstool and grabbed her empty bowl, making her way towards the sink.

  “Why do you want to…to kill Derek? Why do you want to kill your father?” Victoria asked as Elle stopped in front of the sink, her back to Victoria.

  “I told you why,” Elle said as she placed her bowl into the sink and turned, leaning against the counter behind her…her eyes on Victoria.

  “I know but…I feel like there’s more. This can’t just be about the money…about freedom.”

  “Were you an only child?” Elle asked as she made her way back towards the kitchen island.

  “Yes.”

  “I should have known,” Elle smirked as she rested her elbows onto the island, staring at Victoria who sat across from her. “My father…loves Harlan; he adores him. Ever since I was born, he made it abundantly clear that he wanted another boy…another son. My father loves Harlan in a way that he will never love me. It’s always been about him, Victoria. It’s ALWAYS been about Harlan. You don’t know what that feeling is like…festering inside of you for years and years. You don’t know what it’s like living with that feeling of never being good enough…of never be wanted…by your own father. It eats you alive and it doesn’t stop. No matter how many times he says “I love you” or how many times he says he cares, you hear that hesitation in his voice; you hear the resentment laced in every single word…every lie that slips out of his mouth. He’s never loved me the way a father should…and he never will, Victoria. There’s a void between the two of us…a void that I won’t ever be able to fill…because there’s not enough room for me. And if there’s not enough room for me in his life…then there isn’t enough room for him in mine,” Elle said. “Believe me when I say…this world would be better off without Derek Hampton. He’s not who you think he is. Trust me…if you knew what I knew…you’d want him dead, too,” Elle said sternly as she spun around and charged out of the kitchen, leaving Victoria at the bar.

  A million questions ran through her head as Victoria stood up, making her way towards the large window looking out to the pool in the back lawn. What did Elle know about her father? So, Derek had a few skeletons in his closet, too. But right now…wasn’t about Derek.

  It was all about Elle.

  Victoria smiled to herself as she reached down into her robe pocket, her eyes locked on the glistening surface of the pool, as she pulled out her cellphone. Victoria smiled down at the screen of her phone…to see the recording light flashing brightly. Victoria pressed the save button and brought her phone speaker to her ear, playing the recording; every single cryptic word…clear as day.

  Connelly

  “I never thought we’d be having lunch together,” Fiona giggled as she stared down at the red square plate placed in front of her on the Campbell’s kitchen table.

  “Trust me, I didn’t either; but, it’s nice to…start over,” Connelly smiled over her shoulder as she stood at the counter, mixing a chicken Caesar salad with a set of tongs. “We never really got a chance to know each other before you went totally psycho.”

  “I hate myself for it every single day,” Fiona said as she grabbed the glass of sparking ice water in front of her and took a long sip, her eyes locked on Connelly’s back.

  “I just really want us to move past all of this. I know that you were hurt after the divorce and I understand that completely. It’s not easy watching the life you spent so long planning just…break into pieces right in front of you,” Connelly said as she turned, carrying the bowl of salad to the table. Connelly opened the tongs and placed a big pile of salad onto Fiona’s plate as she smiled up to her.

  “This looks delicious,” Fiona said as she grabbed her fork and stabbed it into the crisp pieces of romaine. Connelly moved around the table and sat down into the chair across from Fiona. Connelly placed the bowl onto the table and crossed her arms over her chest, a soft smile on her face.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Fiona asked as she chewed.

  “I don’t have much of an appetite right now,” Connelly smiled coyly.

  “You’re missing out,” Fiona said playfully as she took a large bite off of her fork.

  “So, what started the fire?”

  “What?” Fiona asked, caught off guard, as her eyebrows rose…her eyes staring into Connelly’s.

  “The fire that burned your house down…what started it?”

  “Oh…faulty wiring, I think,” Fiona said quickly as she took another bite.

  “Did you not purchase home insurance? I figured something like that would be covered. I thought they’d reimburse you or something.”

  “Yeah, well, stupid me didn’t read the fine print,” Fiona smirked, her mouth full. Connelly nodded as she reached across the table, wrapping her hand around a bottle of wine, and brought it towards her, twisting off the cap. “It’s a little early for wine, isn’t it?”

  “It’s never too early,” Connelly winked as she tilted the bottle, filling her glass with the pink Moscato.

  “Where’s Silas?”

  “Work…I told him we were going to spend some time together and he was surprisingly pleased,” Connelly said as she placed the bottle down and grabbed her glass, bringing it towards her lips.

  “I’m stunned; the ex…chatting with the wife…could be an explosive combination,” Fiona said, sipping her ice water slowly. “You never know what you might find out.”

  “We don’t keep secrets from one another,” Connelly said as she sipped from her wine glass.

  “So, he’s changed…that’s good to know,” Fiona smiled wickedly as she placed her fork down onto the table.

  “You didn’t keep secrets from him?”

  “Mine weren’t as big as his,” Fiona winked as she sucked gently on an ice chip in her mouth. Connelly smiled as she slowly stood up…and walked to the chair beside Fiona’s. Connelly sat into the chair…crossing her legs…as her eyes locked onto Fiona in front of her.

  “Why are you here, Fiona?”

  “What?” Fiona smirked, confused. “You know why I’m here. Trust me, I don’t like it any more than you do, but…I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You just can’t let him go, can you?” Connelly asked as she sat forward in her chair, inching in towards Fiona.

  “Connelly, what are you talking about?” Fiona snapped as she shook her head.

  “Every single thing you told me was a lie; the fire, the salon…every single bit,” Connelly said sternly, shaking her head. Fiona smirked to herself as she sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “It isn’t what you think, Connelly,” Fiona said as her smile faded.

  “When are you going to understand that Silas doesn’t love you anymore? When? What is it going to take, Fiona?” Connelly snapped as she jolted to her feet, slamming her hand onto the table. “We have lived through this hell with you for the past eight years! When is it going to stop!”

  “I came here for you!” Fiona snapped quickly, looking up to Connelly.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Connelly growled as Fiona stood up in front of her.

  “I came here to…to try and help you,” Fiona said as tears filled her eyes.

  “Help me? You think I need help?” Connelly smirked in shock.

  “Silas isn’t the man you think he is, Connelly!” Fiona cried out as she reached forward, grabbing for C
onnelly’s hands.

  “Don’t fucking touch me!” Connelly jumped back, throwing her hands up and out of Fiona’s reach.

  “This was never about Silas, Connelly! This was about me trying to warn you! It was about me trying to help you see!” Fiona cried out, walking towards Connelly as she backed away. “He’s a liar, Connelly! Do you know how many women there were? Do you know how many bruises I had and how many excuses I had come up with for them? You don’t know Silas the way I do!”

  “Lies! Lies! Lies! When are you going to realize that you can’t play people, Fiona! You can’t keep twisting and turning the truth to get what you want! This is sick…even for you!”

  “I just don’t want to see you end up like me! I don’t want to see you broken…beaten…lied to! He did it to me and he’ll do it to you!” Fiona cried.

  “Get out,” Connelly said as her fists clenched at her sides.

  “I know that you think I’m the bad guy in this…but I’m begging you Connelly…I’m begging you; please…don’t let him do to you what he did to me.”

  “Get your shit…and get out of my house,” Connelly said sternly, her jaw tight, as her eyes burned into Fiona. Fiona’s lips trembled as she slowly backed away from Connelly…and made her way towards the backdoor. She was wrong about Silas. This was all just a game to her. All she wanted…was to scare Connelly away…so she could have Silas for herself. It was another classic case of Fiona…being Fiona; being the twisted and manipulative monster that she was and always would be. Connelly slowly sank down into the chair at the kitchen table…as she buried her face into her hands, the warm tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Fiona was lying.

  There was no way anything she said was true…not in the slightest.

  So why did she have this sinking feeling in her stomach…that this was far from over…that there were more secrets below…

  Waiting to rise to the filthy surface.

  Lillian

  Lillian flicked her fork along the crispy edges of the filet mignon on her plate as her eyes scanned Camilla’s Steakhouse. When Tatum got home from work, she surprised Lillian with dinner and a movie. Lillian knew it was just a sweet little distraction designed by Tatum to get her out of the house…and get her mind off of all the craziness that shattered through her once boring and predictable life. She didn’t want to be here in this stuffy steakhouse…she wanted to be at home with Gordon…her arms wrapped tightly around him.