The last time I was in this house I was kicked out, and I’d probably get kicked out again, but I had to try anything and everything to get her back. Yes, for the baby, but also because since the moment she walked out my door I hadn’t felt alive. I wanted to live.

When we got to a set of brown paneled doors, the older man stepped aside and motioned for me to enter. The door was heavy and silent as it opened. The pit of my stomach was telling me that it felt wrong, and when my eyes connected with Lilly’s mom instead of Lilly, I knew why.

Like daggers, her eyes pierced me. Had this been a cartoon, fire would be flying from them and burning me to death. I’m sure my eyes mirrored hers as I stared her down, unwilling to blink.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” she hissed.

“Are you proud of yourself?”

She was sitting behind a desk, stacks of unopened invitations laid out in front of her. As I took her in, I noticed her tense shoulders, the purple circles around her eyes, and a few misplaced pieces of hair. She was upset, and that let me know that she had seen Lilly.

I moved closer to her desk and stood there.

“Where is she?” I asked.

She didn’t respond. Instead, she reached into the desk draw and pulled out a piece of paper. She held it out to me and I snatched it from her.

“I believe this is what you came here for. Take it and get out of our lives.” She turned away as if dismissing me.

I stared down at the check in my hand. It was written for fifty thousand dollars. The bitch was paying me off.  That little, thin piece of paper would take care of most of my problems. I could cash it and pay off the loan and everything would just be fucking great, except it wouldn’t be. As long as Lilly was gone, nothing would ever be good again.

All the pain I felt was because of this stupid check. A sudden streak of anger rang through my body, and before I knew it, I was ripping the check up in Mrs. Sheffield’s face. I’d live on the streets before I cashed that check and I knew that both Dad and Jenny would agree. They’d want nothing to do with that money just like I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted Lilly.

“What are you doing? Are you insane?” she asked me.

“I don’t want your damn money.” I continued ripping the check into tiny pieces.

“But you’ll lose everything!” The look on her face was almost comical, and had I been in a laughing mood, I would’ve laughed.

I was in no laughing mood, I was on a mission.

“I’ve already lost everything. Now, tell me where she is.”

She didn’t respond. She just sat there staring back at me like I was from another planet.

“Fine, I’ll keep searching until I find her.”

I turned to walk away. I was done with that bitch and all the heartache she had caused Lilly and me.

“Wait,” she called after me.

“What?” I growled, as I turned back to face her.

She shook her head for a minute like she was in shock.

“You really love her, don’t you?” she asked softly.

“What do you think?” I yelled as I started toward the door again.

“Wait, I have something for you.” She came around her desk and stood before me.

Her eyes were warmer and her small smile looked real. For a second, I was taken aback by her sudden change in facial expressions.

She held out a piece of paper and as much as I wanted to snatch it from her and rip it to sheds, too, I stopped and read it. It was the deed to the house and shop. The loan had been paid in full and the property was now in my dad’s name.

Fury ripped through me again and I almost did rip the paper up.

Who the hell did this bitch thing she was?

“I told you! I don’t want your charity! You own it now!” I said as I balled up the paper and stuffed it into her hand.

“Devin, I didn’t do this. Lilly told me to make sure you got this.”

“I don’t understand? If you didn’t…” she cut me off.

“I live here, I drive fancy cars, and I shop until I’m blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is, none of this is mine. Lilly owns everything, all the homes, all the cars, and all the money, it’s hers.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My face was stuck in shock. Tears were stinging my eyes. How could she not have told me?

“Lilly doesn’t like people to know,” she answered, like she had read my mind. “When my parents died we weren’t on very good terms. They weren’t happy with the way I was raising Lilly. Truth be told, they had a right to disagree. I was a horrible mother, still am.” A rare flash of weakness struck her eyes. “They left everything to her. She still likes to live like she’s not rich, but the truth is, Lilly has more money than she could spend in a lifetime.”