The Divorce Pact

Chapter 8: Lily’s Quiet Conflict

Lily sat by the large window in the living room, her legs tucked beneath her on the soft cushions of the couch. The sun had begun its descent, casting a golden hue over the ocean waves, turning the sky into a canvas of pinks and oranges. The house was quiet now. Kate was out for her evening walk along the shore, and Sarah had retreated to her room after dinner, likely immersing herself in another one of her meticulous plans to “get her life back on track.”

Lily could hear the faint sound of the waves crashing outside, the rhythm of it soothing yet unnervingly constant, much like the turmoil swirling within her. Outwardly, she had been the calmest of the three—supportive, gentle, the friend who was always ready to listen but rarely shared too much of her own struggles. But deep inside, a quiet conflict raged that she wasn’t ready to discuss. Not yet.

Her fingers traced the rim of her mug, feeling the warmth from her tea. She had always been this way—reserved, the peacemaker in their trio. Kate was bold, unafraid of expressing her emotions. Sarah was the planner, the one with clear goals and a vision for her life. And then there was Lily, the artist, the dreamer who often felt a step behind the others, as though her life hadn’t quite caught up with their determined pace.

It wasn’t that Lily didn’t want to share what was troubling her. She longed to spill her thoughts, to confess the knot of anxiety that tightened in her chest each day. But something held her back. Fear, perhaps, of disrupting the fragile balance they had created in this house. Or maybe it was the worry that her problems would seem small in comparison to Kate’s quest for freedom and Sarah’s struggle for control.

Lily stared at her reflection in the window, her own eyes meeting hers. She had kept her secret buried for months now, not wanting to burden her friends with it, not wanting to admit it even to herself. It was ironic, really. They had all made a pact to start fresh after their divorces, but Lily wasn’t sure if she was starting fresh or simply hiding from the mess she had left behind.

Her mind wandered back to the day of her divorce. She had left quietly, without fanfare, not even a heated argument or a dramatic exit. It was just… over. She and Mark had grown apart in a way that felt like a slow suffocation. There were no affairs, no lies, no betrayals—just a void between them that had grown wider with each passing year. They had drifted into separate worlds without realizing it until it was too late to fix anything.

And yet, there was more to it than that. Something Lily hadn’t told Kate or Sarah. Something she hadn’t told anyone. The real reason for the emptiness in her marriage.

She let out a slow breath, watching the steam from her mug swirl into the air. Maybe one day she would tell them. Maybe when the time was right, when the guilt wasn’t so overwhelming. But tonight was not the night.

The front door creaked open, and Kate walked in, her cheeks flushed from the cool evening air. She looked over at Lily, offering a small smile before heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Moments later, she returned and plopped down on the couch beside Lily, her body sinking into the cushions with a contented sigh.

“How was your walk?” Lily asked, her voice soft, as she forced herself to push away the swirling thoughts in her mind.

“Perfect,” Kate replied, taking a sip of her wine. “I love it out here. It’s like… I’m finally starting to feel free, you know?”

Lily nodded, offering a faint smile in return. She envied Kate’s newfound freedom, her ability to dive headfirst into this new chapter without hesitation. Kate had always been the type to leap, while Lily stood on the edge, toes curled over the precipice, unsure if she could trust the fall.

Kate tilted her head, eyeing Lily curiously. “You okay? You’ve been quiet today.”

Lily hesitated, her heart skipping a beat. Should she say something? Should she admit that she wasn’t as okay as she had been pretending to be? But the words stuck in her throat. She wasn’t ready, and she wasn’t sure if she ever would be.

“I’m fine,” she lied, forcing another smile. “Just tired, I guess.”

Kate narrowed her eyes but didn’t push. “Well, if you ever want to talk, you know I’m here, right?”

“Of course,” Lily said, grateful for the offer but also dreading the day when she might take Kate up on it. Because once the floodgates opened, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop the tide of emotions that would pour out.

Later that night, when the house had settled into the stillness of sleep, Lily found herself back at the window, staring out at the moonlit ocean. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the weight of the secret she carried pressing down on her shoulders.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a message from Mark. She stared at the screen, her heart pounding as she read the words.

We need to talk.

Lily’s stomach twisted into a knot. She knew what this was about, and she wasn’t ready for it. She wasn’t ready for the truth to come out, to face the consequences of the choices she had made. Not yet.

With trembling hands, she turned off her phone and set it down, her mind racing. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep this up, how long she could pretend that everything was fine when, in reality, her world was slowly unraveling.

But for now, she would keep her secret buried, hidden beneath the surface like the waves crashing against the shore. Because once it came to light, she knew everything would change, and she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to handle it.

The silence of the house enveloped her as she leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window. Tomorrow was another day, and maybe, just maybe, she would find the courage to face her truth. But tonight, she would allow herself a few more hours of pretending that everything was okay.

Even if it wasn’t.