After a few minutes of cuddling, Joe couldn't help but sigh. "You're a good woman, Lily."
"I don't understand how you ended up with such a wretched man for a husband. But that's in the past now." He snapped his fingers, and with that, the wedding portrait of Lily and Giuseppe Salvatore hanging on the wall burned to a crisp.
Lily gazed at the burning painting in silence. Once it had been completely consumed, she spoke. "He wasn't evil at first, but things changed quickly over time. He wasn't the man I thought I knew—or perhaps he never was to begin with."
Lily stretched languidly over his chest, feeling deliciously spent. She could still feel his hot semen filling her womb to the brim, as their combined fluids slowly oozed from her well-used pussy. Smiling to herself, she spread her legs slightly and let it dribble out in thick blobs. It was a beautiful mess they had made together.
She raised her head and looked at Joe's handsome face with a soft smile as she traced his chin with her fingers, feeling love and a hint of resentment for the previous events. He had come into her life like a whirlwind and messed it up, not leaving her much of a choice even if she had said she had someone.
Thinking about Julian, she felt a bit sad for doing this to him, but it was beyond her control. She couldn't resist Joe...and after everything she had experienced with him now...she didn't even wish for anything to change...for the first time, she felt something different than what she had felt with Julian or Giuseppe. Joe was something else...and he was the first man to go down on her...making her enjoy being a woman. He showed her pleasure and care beyond the simple, familiar routine of spreading her legs and letting a man have his way for a few minutes before rolling over and going to sleep.
She didn't regret what she and Joe had shared. Not at all. She just felt pity for Julian.
Joe sensed that Lily was in a dilemma, as her eyes showed love for him but also a clear struggle. "Do you regret what we had, Lily?" he asked as he raised his right hand and caressed her cheek.
Lily closed her eyes and purred at his touch. "No. I don't regret it, Joe. It was beautiful and so pure what we had."
"Then, what's the matter, my love?"
"It's just...just..." Lily struggled to say it.
"Julian? Do you feel bad about him?" Joe sighed.
"Mhm." Lily nodded absentmindedly.
"Don't be." Joe stopped caressing her cheek and instead gently grabbed her chin, making her look into his eyes. "Don't be sorry for that man. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve you, Lily."
"You don't know him, Joe. You're saying this just because—" Lily tried to retort.
Joe interrupted her midway. "You're right, I don't know Julian or how he actually is when he's with you. But I know what kind of man he is when he isn't by your side. He's just like Giuseppe, Lily. He just has a facade that he shows you, and then he shows his true self when you aren't near."
Lily trembled in turmoil, not wanting to believe his words. "Lies. Don't lie to me, Joe. You already have me, why bother?"
"I'm not lying to you, Lily. And I have solid proof to show that my words are right and Julian isn't the man you think he is. Even if you were with him for over fifty years, you never knew how he truly is."
Lily trembled even more intensely. She didn't fear a lie, but she was terrified of a lie that was actually the truth, especially when that truth meant she had been living a lie for so long, loving a monster like her late husband. "H-how?" she stuttered. "How can you prove it?"
Joe snapped his fingers.
"In a moment, you will know the true face of the man you considered the love of your life for so long."
Lily shuddered at his words, feeling a chill run down her spine, wondering what would happen next. Yet, she had an inkling of what was about to come.
*Knock* *Knock* sounded the door of the bedroom.
"Come in," Joe smiled at the door as he embraced a naked Lily.
The door swung open to reveal Valerie, Mary Louise, and Nora standing on the threshold. They stepped inside, their curious gazes widening as they took in the scene before them. The sight of Lily, naked and satiated, lounging in bed with Joe was a shock to the trio. They had heard her loud, ecstatic moans of happiness, which had made them blush and their souls quiver, but seeing her bare and content in the arms of the man they had recently been at odds with was a different kind of shock altogether.
Lily gasped as she saw the girls enter the bedroom, quickly attempting to conceal her naked body that bore the passionate traces of the hot sex she had just shared with Joe. She snatched the bedsheet, throwing it over herself and Joe, shielding his nudity from their eager, wide-eyed gazes.
"Girls..." she stammered, embarrassment and shyness coloring her cheeks.
Nora smiled naughtily at her, perching on the edge of the bed. "It seems he's worn you out, Lily."
Mary Louise teased, "Look at your body, Lily. It's covered in red marks. He's explored every inch of you, hasn't he?"
Valerie looked at Lily with a mix of jealousy and understanding, happy that she had allowed herself to enjoy a good time with Joe. "I'm happy for you, Lily," she said softly.
Lily, feeling a wave of shame, avoided their gazes. She turned her head away and buried her face in Joe's chest, wishing she could disappear and escape their teasing looks.
Joe smirked at the girls. "What do you think, girls? I did quite a good job on her, didn't I?" he asked, a smug look on his face.
The girls rolled their eyes but snickered mischievously at his comment.
"Joe!" Lily shyly patted his chest, her face flushing even more at his words. "Stop teasing me and just tell me how you can prove it already!"
Joe's smile disappeared from his lips as he sighed and looked at the girls. "You've been hearing everything so far, right?"
They nodded at him, a blush on their faces. "We did."
"Good, that saves me the need to explain things again." Joe nodded. Then he looked at Valerie. "Valerie, I'm sorry to bring this up, but this is the only way for her to understand it clearly. Alright?"
Valerie's expression underwent a drastic change at his words. She couldn't believe that he knew about that event too. "Y-You... Y-you know about it? How??" she stuttered in shock, feeling vulnerable that someone knew of her darkest moment, when she had felt so weak and helpless, when she couldn't do anything.
Nora and Mary Louise had a confused look on their faces, not understanding what was happening.
Lily was also confused but felt that there was something really wrong with his words. Something concerning Valerie and Julian, as he was... oh no... this can't be true...
"Lily." Joe grabbed her chin and made her look at him so she could calm down her spiraling emotions. "What day did Valerie become a vampire and stop being human?"
Lily trembled out of control as her eyes lost focus after hearing his words. "I-I don't remember... it was a long time ago..."
Valerie closed her eyes as her body also trembled with emotion, remembering painful memories.
"You do remember, Lily. Don't try to avoid it." Joe caressed her cheek. "I'll tell you then. The day Valerie became a vampire was the day you all left with Julian for Europe because Julian wanted to go to Europe, supposedly having matters to attend to there. At that time, you still cared deeply for your sons, Damon and Stefan. So you sent members of your new family to look in on them and make sure they were doing fine before you could let go of everything and travel with him to Europe. You sent Oscar to check on Damon, and at the same time, Valerie and Julian went to check on Stefan."
"I'm right, Lily?"
Lily nodded as she rested against his chest and hoarsely said, "Yes... It happened like that."
"Good." Joe continued caressing her cheek, having a calming effect on her. "At the end of the period of watching over them, everyone came back, and then you departed for Europe."
Mary Louise and Nora were holding hands together, watching Lily and Valerie with worry as they focused on what Joe was saying. They felt something big was about to be revealed that would shake everyone, not just Lily.
Valerie was like a weak and hurt little rabbit as she remembered the past. "Joe... don't... please," she weakly pleaded.
"Valerie, I know it's hurtful, and believe me, I don't want to hurt you with this or make you feel devastated. But you need justice for what happened to you." Joe sincerely said as he looked at her with an honest expression.
"W-What happened to Valerie???" Lily asked with a devastated look.
"The day they came back, how was Valerie's state, Lily?"
"She... she was hurt and unconscious... Julian said that she was..."
"She was what? Hurt to the point of unconsciousness because some hooligans tried to rob her? I'm sorry to burst the bubble, Lily, but that was a big lie of Julian's, one of his worst. And let me tell you what truly happened and why you never knew the truth of the matter.
"It's because Valerie would never have had the courage to talk about it at that time... Because you know, when you sent Valerie and Julian to watch over Stefan, Valerie and your youngest son interacted with each other, becoming friends and eventually bonding."
Lily looked aghast in surprise at his face and then looked at Valerie, seeking the truth. But when she saw her face, looking at her feet and avoiding her gaze, she knew the veracity of the matter. 'It is true.'
"They not only bonded and became really close with each other. They actually loved each other. Valerie wanted to be with your son Stefan, as she was deeply in love with him. They became entranced with love at first sight, both feeling the same."
"The day you were all about to depart, Lily, instead of going with you all onto the ship, she was preparing to run away to the meeting point she had with your son. With Stefan. To have a life alongside him."
"No... It... It can't be." Lily felt her world crumbling. The beliefs, feelings, and good moments she had were all crumbling.
"Lily... Valerie, when leaving, was found by Julian, who stopped her... and when he stopped her, he found something that even Valerie didn't know about until that moment... Julian found that Valerie was pregnant... she was pregnant, Lily. She was carrying your grandchild!"
At that moment, Valerie's body hit the floor with a sickening thud, her knees slamming against the hardwood as her hands clawed at her chest, as if she could physically tear the memory from her heart. Her breath came in ragged, broken gasps, her shoulders shaking violently as she sobbed, deep, wrenching cries that sounded like they were being ripped from her soul.
Paintful tears streaked down her face, her lips trembling as she choked on her own anguish. She looked small and shattered, reliving the worst moment of her existence.
She curled in on herself, her hands pressing against her stomach as if she could still feel the phantom weight of the child she had lost. Her voice was a hoarse, broken whisper, barely audible over her sobs.
"I-I couldn't… save him…" she whimpered, her voice cracking. "He—he hit me...hit me once... hit me again...and again...and continued without stopping…just to make sure I would be aboard that ship."
"Why?...he was... so innocent… and he just—" A fresh wave of sobs cut her off, her entire body convulsing as she rocked back and forth on the floor.
Nora and Mary Louise rushed to her side, their own eyes filled with anguish at her horrific plight as they tried to comfort her. Nora wrapped her arms around Valerie's trembling shoulders, pressing her cheek against her hair, while Mary Louise knelt beside her, stroking her back in soothing circles.
"Shhh, it's alright, Valerie… we're here," Nora murmured, her own voice trembling with emotion, not thinking that such a thing happened to her at the hands of such a man they never thought would be such a monster.
But Valerie didn't hear them. She was lost in the past, in the agony of that night—Julian's cold, cruel laughter as he struck her, the sickening crunch of bone, the warm, sticky blood between her legs as her unborn child was torn from her.
Her fingers clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palms hard enough to draw blood. "I hated myself… for being so weak… for letting him take everything from me…" she gasped, her voice raw with pain.
Lily's face was a mask of horror, her lips parted in a silent scream as Joe's words sank in. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps, her chest heaving as if she couldn't get enough air. Her fingers dug into Joe's arms as if he were the only thing anchoring her to reality.
"No… no, no, no…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "That can't be true… Julian wouldn't… he couldn't have…"
But the look on Valerie's face—the agony—told her everything.
Lily's vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, her throat tightening until she could barely breathe. She had spent decades with Julian, believing him to be her love, her partner, her everything. And now—now she was being told he was a monster.
A sob tore from her throat as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh God… Valerie…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "I didn't know… I didn't know…"
Her body shook with silent weeping, her shoulders hunching as the weight of the truth crushed her. She had been so blind. So stupid.
"Now you know, Lily. That's the kind of man that Julian is... all so he could take you with him to Europe. And this is just one event. You can ask Valerie; he was never faithful to you, whoring around while they looked after Stefan."
"That's why, Lily." He looked at her devastated eyes that were hollow and lost. "That's why you don't need to feel pity for him. Never again. Nor care nor love."
"He doesn't deserve any of those things."
"He killed Valerie that night, Lily. Valerie took her life that night after he lied, covering the wounds he inflicted on her and the murder of your grandchild that everyone believed. Feeling her world lost and her child brutally murdered, she took her life and came back because you fed her your blood."
"He needs to die for what he did to you, to your family, to your son, to what he did to Lily and her unborn child."
Lily felt lost for a long while as she clung to Joe. Then a fire ignited in her chest, burning away the shock, the grief, the betrayal. Her hands curled into fists, her nails biting into her skin.
"He killed my grandchild," she hissed, her voice shaking with fury. "Made me forget my sons for him… made me fall in love with an illusion… and now this? He killed my grandchild? He beat Valerie? He—" Her voice cracked, but the rage didn't fade. "I'll kill him. I'll end him."
She turned to Joe, her eyes blazing with a ferocity he had never seen before. "You're right, Joe. He doesn't deserve my pity. He deserves to die."
"He will, Lily... He will..."
...
A while later, everyone was reunited in the attic of the house before a coffin. The men had been released from their compulsion and were present; they knew what was happening, having heard everything from the start. Kai was also present, although he didn't understand what was happening all that well.
Malcolm and the rest made peace with Joe, no longer seeing him as a target.
Malcolm walked to the coffin and forcefully and angrily broke the lid as he gazed at the body of the beast. He spat at the body in disgust. He was about to burn it when Lily stopped him. "Wait, Malcolm."
"Let Valerie burn him."
Malcolm looked at Valerie, who walked forward and looked at the body resting in the coffin with angry and painful eyes. He nodded at her as he took a step back.
"You took my child, beast. Now I will destroy your body, and hopefully, we will find your soul and end you for good. You don't deserve to be alive, not even while being tormented."
She quickly punched his chest, taking hold of his heart, uprooting it from his body. "Phasmatos Incendia," she spat with disgust, and the body started burning violently like firewood along with the bloody heart, which she also threw inside the coffin.
Lily, seeing that his body was being burned, didn't feel the relief she had hoped for. She disappeared from the place under the gaze of her family, feeling a bit ashamed at this moment.
"I'm going after Lily to take care of her," Joe said as he looked at everyone. "We will be leaving this place later. Be preparing yourselves."
"Kai, give them a bit of your blood, buddy. So they can have a better aspect, will you?" he said as he also walked away.
"Oy, oy!" Kai yelled, distressed.
"You heard Joe. Give us a bit of your blood, Kai. Be a darling," Mary Louise licked her lips wickedly at him, feeling quite starved, actually.
"Shit," Kai said as he looked at the rest, who were like her. Except for Valerie, who was looking at the burning body with a bit of relief, not removing her sight until the last bit of him disappeared.
....
"Why am I so stupid?" Lily asked softly, turning her back to Joe. Joe walked forward and embraced her from behind, enveloping her in his warmth.
"You are not stupid, beautiful." Joe kissed her neck softly. "You were just in love...in love with a man who wasn't a man a long time ago."
"It wasn't your fault. You left a monster to be found by another of the same kind."
"Joe..." Lily turned to face him, showing him her face filled with distress as she dove into his embrace disconsolately, finding solace in the embrace of the young man who had entered her life so suddenly. In just a short time, the care he showed her had become indispensable and so precious to her.
She lifted her head from his chest and gazed into his eyes. Unable to resist, she kissed him passionately, cradling his face in her hands. Lily put her entire being into that kiss, channeling all her emotions into it.
"Please, make me forget it all, Joe. Make me only yours and just yours. Your Lily." She hoarsely whispered as she rested her forehead against his.
Joe's lips met hers in a tender kiss. "You already are, Lily. You're my woman." His fingers deftly untied her laces, letting her dress fall to the floor as he likewise shed his clothes. Then, lifting her by her soft and inviting thick thighs, he carried her to the bed as she locked her legs around his waist.
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