Chapter 13

Dorothy and Stacy were worried as they hadn't seen Lily. They tried calling her phone but it was switched off. They wanted to go to her house but they knew she wouldn't be there.

"Lily must be so pissed." Dorothy groaned in pain. She was starting to feel a headache now for her earlier argument with Ariana. She walked and sat down in her bed.

"I know right. But I feel she isn't pissed at us. She's pissed at something else. She looked bothered and worried and she wasn't happy when she came in earlier so I believe something else was disturbing her." Stacy said what she observed.

"Hmm." Dorothy sighed.

"You may be right or not but nevertheless we added to that worry. We should be cheering her up, not adding more to it "Dorothy said.

"That's right. We should have cheered her up but what do you think might be bothering her?" Stacy asked.

Knowing Lily, she had never been one to complain or show any weakness although she was considered silly, bossy and rude. She looked like that perfect kid you wouldn't want to hear around but ever since their fall out and coming back to be friends, she has been different.

The rude, bossy and crazy Lily was replaced with another. She was more of a listener now and she smiled more not because she wanted to but because she didn't want people to know what was wrong with her.

Lily never kept secrets from them but she was doing so and although they figured it out, they didn't want to force her into spilling while in the process of rebuilding their friendship.

"Is it just me or there seems to be a difference between our relationship now and our relationship then. I mean we all used to be happy and nonchalant but ever since the fall out, they seem to be something different about us. We are not as close as we were before maybe because we didn't build our bond in the right basics but now that we are, we seem to be more." Dorothy stated what she observed.

Stacy sighed. "That's kinda true. There is something going on with us but I know we will be just fine." Stacy assured Dorothy.

Just then they heard noises from outside of Dorothy house. Stacy knew the voice was familiar as it was her dad and he was shouting.

"Stacy you ungrateful bitch! Come out here right now! You dare to think you can run away from me after all I've done for you. I will deal with you when we get back home!" He shouted.

The guards tried stopping him but he wasn't giving up and kept shouting. "Stacy! Stacy! Come outside this instance you ingrate!" He shouted.

Stacy's heart clenched. Her father had given her more pain than joy, more curse than blessings and more reasons to cry than to smile. It hurt her so much that she couldn't breathe.

As he shouted and called her names, memories of how he had treated her and given her to men for his selfish interest resurfaced back in her memory.

"Stacy you bitch! Come out now or else you will hate me!" He shouted.

"I hate you! What a mistake of a child you are! You were born by mistake!" He shouted.

Dorothy fumed at Stacy's father's word. She opened her door and left her room to go meet Stacy's father downstairs. He was abusing his daughter and calling her banes and she wants to tolerate that. Stacy might be his daughter but Stacy was her best friend as she wouldn't let her friend be humiliated in front of her.

"Let go of his guards!" Dorothy said to the guards who are dragging Stacy's father away.

Stacy's father adjusted his suit as soon as the guards left him. He hummed, "Sicko!" He spat out.

He pointed his index finger at them, "You will regret this. I promise you will regret this! By the time I am done with you, you will regret this! Bunch of bodyguards you are touching my multi-millions body." He spat out.

"Enough!" Dorothy shouted getting Stacy's father's attention.

"You will not come here and say trash and expect to go untouched!" She reprimanded, her index finger pointing at him.

"You barged into my compound which is called trespassing and you hurled words at my best friend?" She scoffed as she folded her arms across her chest.

"You will do no such thing in front of me Sir! Oh, sorry you are no one to be treated with respect as you have no respect for anyone. So you are nobody in front of me! Get the fuck out of my compound before I deal with you!" She shouted at him.

Stacy's father was taken by shock by her attitude. He never thought his daughter had a friend like this. He felt insulted by Dorothy and there was no way he'd leave here without dealing with her.

"You..." He pointed his index finger at her as he glared at her.

"Yes...what is it? And also I am not a 'you." I have a name and it's Dorothy to you!" She warned.

"You are definitely the one ruining my daughter for me or else that ingrate won't have the guts to challenge me or run away from him!" He spat out.

Dorothy laughed hysterically. She couldn't believe a man like this had given birth to Stacy. He was unbelievable and stupid and she wondered why the good one sometimes has to end up with the worse ones.

"You are a psycho! A menace! A disgrace to men and to all father's! You are despicable! I am so ashamed that someone like you gave birth to someone like Stacy! Your types are the ones that shouldn't be blessed with kids as you have no sense, none at all!" She shouted.

She was furious. The man was driving her crazy and there was no way she'd let him off without giving him a piece of her mind.

Stacy's father clapped his hands in surprise. Not only has Dorothy insulted him but she belittled him too.

"Stacy!" He shouted.

"I will kill you. I will end you! I brought you into this world and I will make sure I end you." He shouted.

"Guard!" Dorothy shouted.

"Throw this man out of this place and make sure he never comes back here." She tells them and they do as told. Stacy's father struggled with the guards as they dragged him out.

"I Won't leave without Stacy following me! I won't back down! She is my daughter and you can't keep her away from me!" He shouted.

Dorothy scoffed. "She's your daughter yet you act like she ain't. What a piece of trash you are." She spat out before going back to her room to meet Stacy.

Stacy had broken down and was crying profusely. She had kept her tortured life a secret from her friends and recently they just knew and her father had decided to come and embarrass her in public. She wasn't just angry about that, she was more angry that she was born to a man like him, someone who made her feel like she was trash.

Dorothy's heart broke seeing her friend crying and she went to hug her friend tightly. "It's gonna be fine. I'm so sorry. It's gonna be fine Stacy," She consoled her friend while patting her back.

"Cry out. Do not hold it in, don't hold yourself. I'm here for you. Cry on my shoulder, I'm not gonna leave, cry Stacy." Dorothy assured her.

She didn't mind how long it would take for Stacy to cry but she wanted her friend to let it all out. She was going to stand by her and help her go through it.

Dorothy thought of telling her parents about Stacy's father's harassment but she thought of consulting Stacy first. She wants to let the man be without making him suffer. Asides suffering, she knew he would still find his way to Stacy's life as he was he father which was why they'd have to take this case to court and give him a restricted order.

"It hurts!" Stacy cried out.

"I know and you will be fine." Dorothy assured her.

"I am not sure I ever will. I'm not sure Dorothy. He will keep coming back and keep hurting me and I'm not sure I'm strong enough to overcome it all." She cried.

"You will overcome it. You will do just fine. You have struggled for years and you are fine and now you will. I am you who can survive it all. I am sure you will go through it and you will do just fine. Don't give up Stacy, you have me and Lily remember."

Stacy sniffled a little. She felt a huge relief hearing Dorothy's words. So far she knows she has Lily and Dorothy and they would help her overcome.

"Thanks so much." She said to Dorothy.

"Aww. It's not an issue. What are friends for."

Stacy wiped her tears and Dorothy smiled at her. "Now that's my best friend. You look good when you don't cry." She teased and Stacy chuckled.

"I think we should check on Lily. Haven't heard from her for long, she must be going through something," Stacy said.

"That's true. Let me dial her number." Dorothy said. She got up from where she was with Stacy and went in search of her phone to dial Lily's number.

After three trials, it went to voicemail. "She's not picking up." Dorothy informed Stacy.

"Okay, that shouldn't stop us from going to her house to find her right?" Stacy said and Dorothy nodded her head.

"Come on, let's go look for her." Stacy said and they both did.

****************

Anthony, Liam and Chris waited patiently for the doctor to get back to them after she was taken in for check up.

Anthony has been crying ever since he saw his daughter all battered up. His heart ached and one more person he wanted to strangle apart from Lucas was Chris for failing to do his job.

Anthony wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to look at his daughter after all she has been through without crying. He had failed to do all he promised and she was exposed to the harsh part of life.

After hours of waiting for the doctor, he came. Anthony rushed to where the doctor was to hear what he has to say concerning his daughter. "Doctor, how is my child?" Anthony asked with a hint if worry laced on his tone.

The doctor smiled, "She is fine and all parts of her body with injuries have been properly treated and covered.

"I will advise that she isn't stressed and is taken care of properly." The doctor said.

Anthony and Liam heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much Doctor." Anthony said.

"Can we go see her now?" Liam asked and he nodded his head.

Chris waited outside the door as Liam and Anthony made their way to the room Lily was in. The pain he felt in his chest had no subside yet Ashe blamed himself for everything that happened. He regrets ever letting his life get complicated and he hated that he had let himself get into a situationship with Lily knowing well the ending was going to be bad.

Lily was sleeping peacefully when her father and Liam entered. Anthony's heart clenched as he saw his daughter and the tears streamed down his cheek once again.

"I'm so sorry." Anthony cried.

"Daddy's at fault. I'm so sorry for my precious one. I made you go through all of this. Daddy won't ever let it happen again." He said, holding onto her hands.

One who didn't know Anthony would call him a heartless man but truth was, he wasn't as heartless as people made him. In front of his daughter, he was the best, a man who could do no harm and a man the very best for Lily.

"Lily, I promise to be a better father. You won't have to face this situation ever again."