Chapter 24: Fiona and Lip Will Eventually Fall Out
"You! What exactly do you want me to do!?"
Fiona was still fierce and untamed.
Even when faced with William's demand, she didn't submit entirely.
William simply uttered one name—Lip.
Fiona's expression instantly changed. With unwillingness and humiliation in her eyes, she walked step by step toward William.
When she finally stood before him, she glared at him with resentment, then unwillingly knelt down.
The sound of her knees sinking into the thick carpet felt heavy.
In that moment, Fiona felt her pride shatter—completely and irreparably.
She wanted to cry, but after sobbing so much earlier, she no longer had the strength.
Looking up at William, she said angrily, "I've done what you wanted! Can you let Lip go now?"
Her face was still filled with shame and bitterness.
William found this satisfying—not out of cruelty, but out of necessity.
Without breaking her pride, Fiona would never change, not even slightly.
"Yes," William replied calmly.
"What?" Fiona stared at him, stunned.
"I said yes. I'll call the police right now and withdraw the charges against Lip."
He took out his phone and dialed the South District Police Department. She listened to the entire conversation herself.
When it was done, Fiona's emotions were beyond the reach of words like "complex."
Though William had crushed her dignity, she hadn't lost anything tangible.
In fact, somewhere deep inside, a strange sense of gratitude toward him began to stir.
That, of course, was part of William's plan. To make someone like Fiona submit, soft words were never enough.
When it was over and she truly realized that he had kept his word about Lip, Fiona couldn't hold back anymore—she threw herself into William's arms.
"Thank you!" she cried.
Her emotions had swung so violently that her mind felt like mush. Led by impulse, she grew even more reckless than that first time, back in her kitchen.
Two hours later.
In a dim motel room, they lay together in silence. Fiona lay on her side, head propped on her hand, studying William's face—like a living Greek statue.
The air was thick with a strange scent, and the low light only blurred the line between confusion and desire.
She found herself unable to tell where she stood with this man.
At House 2119.
Dragging her tired body home, Fiona opened the door to see Lip sitting alone on the sofa, waiting.
The moment she saw him, she beamed and hurried over to embrace him.
But Lip didn't reciprocate. He looked at her coolly and asked, "How did you get that bastard to drop the charges?"
Fiona froze. The matter between her and William couldn't be explained in a few sentences.
"Can we not talk about that? You're out now, aren't you?" she said, forcing a smile.
"Bullshit! Fiona, what did you sacrifice!? There's no way he'd let me go that easily!"
Lip wasn't stupid. After their fight in the car, he knew William had deliberately set him up that night. It was all premeditated. Only now, after being released, did he piece it together.
"Don't ask anymore, Lip! Please! You're free now, that's what matters. Just let it go!"
Fiona felt trapped between two men—though the truth was, what she couldn't let go of was the intoxicating loss of control William had awakened in her.
But that was something she could never admit to her younger brother.
The more Lip saw her defend William, the angrier he grew. His face turned red as his temper boiled over. He slammed a cup onto the floor—shattering it with a loud crack.
Fiona flinched in shock. This wasn't the gentle, dependable brother she knew, the one who helped her hold their home together. Suddenly, he felt like a stranger.
"Fine! If you won't tell me, I'll ask William myself!" Lip shouted. He charged upstairs, leaving Fiona alone in the silent living room.
After a while, she bent down, quietly cleaning up the shards of porcelain, then washed her face under the faucet.
But as she washed, tears began to fall again.
"Damn it!!!" she shouted, slamming her hands against the sink.
She didn't know what she had done wrong or how everything had spiraled out of control. All she felt was helplessness.
Before, whenever she felt lost, she would think of her siblings. But after what just happened with Lip, she wanted something else entirely—she longed for William's arms again.
Unable to resist the urge, she grabbed her phone and left 2119. Only a few dollars of call credit remained.
The night was freezing. Her body trembled as she walked, dialing William's number—the one he had left her earlier.
Beep… Beep…
"Hello? Who is this?" William's voice came from the other end.
At the sound of it, Fiona's tears flowed again.
"William… can you come get me? Please? I don't want to go home." She began to sob uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, in a repair shop, William ended the call.
"Boss, the car's yours to handle."
"No problem! I'll have it fixed within a week!" said the owner, a burly man named Brad—the same Brad Lip would later meet at AA after falling into alcoholism.
Brad liked customers like William—decisive and paying in cash.
"Oh, and since you're without a car right now," Brad said, tossing him a set of keys, "why don't you use my motorcycle in the meantime?"