"I thought you said you would prioritize work and wouldn’t consider marriage for now? Why did you change your mind?" Elliot asked after taking a sip of water.
"We are just having a meal together. Don't read too much into it," Lilith said.
"Both families are meeting now, so you are not that far away from getting married," Elliot said calmly. "You should really think about whether you want to marry Ben or not. There's still time to reconsider."
"Can't I change my mind after this meal?" Lilith asked.
"You can change your mind at any point, or even get a divorce from him after marrying him. It's just that I have a unique
friendship with Ben, and I want you to act carefully." Elliot tightened his grip around the glass. "Ben isn’t young anymore and he truly wants to settle down..."
"And how would you know that he wouldn't cheat after we get married?" Lilith retorted. "You think that he is a good man just because you are close to him."
"It’s precisely because I’m close to him that I know he wouldn't mistreat you out of respect for me." Elliot felt that, as her senior, he had the responsibility to warn Lilith.
"Should I be thanking you, then?" Lilith did not care for his warning. "Even if he mistreats me in the future, I wouldn't beg for him to stop. I won't give up on my career, and I can support myself. Ever since your marriage with Avery blew up, I realize how untrustworthy men are.”
Provoked, Elliot said, "Lilith White! I am your brother! If you think that Avery treats you better, you are welcome to invite her here to act as your family instead!"
"Avery does treat me better than you do!" Lilith shivered in response to his wrath, but she stood her ground despite the fear." She never yells at me or looks down on me. And you? Before I had a proper job, you didn't even want to acknowledge me as your sister. Now that I've found a job and a boyfriend, this is when you start acting like you are my brother!"
Elliot’s heart sank at her accusation.
Though he had not cared for Lilith the way Avery did, he had never looked down on her.
Ben and both of his parents gasped.
Elliot froze at the sudden accusation.
"Th- That can't be possible, hahaha!" Ben laughed dramatically to conceal his panicked state. He saw Elliot as his brother and did not believe that he would stab him in the back.
"I just told her to think it through and not to make a decision rashly, before regretting it again,” Elliot explained to Ben and his parents.
Ben sighed a breath of relief. "I knew you wouldn't stop me from being together with Lilith." "Who didn't get married in the heat of the moment? The more you asked me to think about it, the more likely I'm going to regret it," Lilith said.
"Um... Lilith, what you say makes sense as well," Helen said with a smile. "Even if you are marrying Ben in the heat of the moment, I don't think it's an issue. You can get married and have a child together. If you come to grow tired of one another later in life, it's alright if you want to get divorced... We will be sure to set you free."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Eagle Eyes on Me