UNTIL THE END

Chapter Fifty Five

Lily followed over to collect her belongings from between the crowds of other girls.

"I'm so glad my parents always come to my recitals" a girl snickered to her friends next to Lily.

Lily gazed up and caught the girls staring at her before they looked away giggling to one another. Lily tried to ignore them and carried on getting her things.

"Me too, I would hate for them to not come, it would be so embarrassing" another girl added.

"Imagine bragging about them coming and then they don't actually bother to turn up" the first girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, how awkward, poor Lily, seeing her father turn up right at the end and miss most of her solo" the second girl said before they all laughed.

"Sally you deserved that solo way more, at least your parents would of come to see it" the third girl stated.

Lily tried to blink away the tears in her eyes as she heard them speak about her father not coming. She knew everyone thought it was embarrassing, she knew they saw her as pointless and disappointing.

"Ignore them Lily, they're just jealous you got a solo and they didn't" Clara said as she came up behind and rubbed Lily's arm.

"Lily!" Noah shouted from over in the corner, where all the other parents were stood waiting to collect their children. He waved his hand like crazy in the air to get her attention.

Lily ignored him and sulked over, holding her bag loosely on her shoulder. Whispers were heard from behind her as the girls noticed and turned.

"Is that Lily's father? the one that never comes to her recitals" one girl whispered to her friend.

"I think so, at least he came to pick her up" another girl added.

"Lils?" Noah questioned wondering why his daughter seemed so glum.

"What's the matter dear?" Noah asked as he cupped his hand under her chin, worriedly.

"Nothing" Lily lied, turning her head away and not making eye contact with her father.

"There is clearly something wrong, so tell me" Noah said, more sternly now.

"I said it's nothing, now can we please go" Lily insisted as she turned round and saw the girls still whispering to each other and looking over.

"Okay.." Noah sighed as he held around Lily's shoulders and they walked out.

......

The car ride home was silent, Lily sat with her head rested in her hand gazing out of the window and Noah stayed focused on the road ahead.

"Lils, I'm sorry I forgot" Noah blurted out, breaking the silence.

Lily continued to ignore him, gazing out the window away from him.

Noah sighed as he gave up trying to get to his daughter, clearly she was upset and annoyed he had forgotten her recital again. He felt so guilty for missing nearly all of it but he had at least managed to make it by the end.

She had reminded him this morning, and not to mention months leading up to it and yet he had still forgotten. He was so busy at work he was too focused on business there that he forgot all about something so important to his daughter.

He had even insisted to Adaline's mother that he would go along and she didn't have to this year, and he had even messed up that. At least if she had still gone, Lily would of had someone there throughout the recital.

They drove up onto the driveway and Noah let the engine die down slowly. Noah and Lily sat in silence once again.

"Lily, please talk to me" Noah sighed.

"I don't want to talk to you.." Lily finally spoke up but she still continued to not make eye contact.

"Lily..don't say that" Noah pleaded.

"Why? why shouldn't I, why shouldn't I not want to speak to the one person I trusted more than anything and they still let me down" Lily shouted before she grabbed her bag and rushed out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

"Lily Grace Bowman!" Noah said raising his voice as he stumbled out of the car after her.

She ran through the now open door, as the maid had it open as she was about to leave, and eran up the stairs throwing her bag down onto the floor and shoes half up the stairway.

Noah apologized to Rosita who had been knocked into by Lily before proceeding up the stairs to Lily's room.

He stopped outside slowly knocking on the door and leaning his head against it.

"Lily.." Noah said quietly.

"Go away" Lily shouted slightly muffled through the closed door.

"Lily please" Noah added.

"I told everyone you were coming, I saved a seat for you" Lily began to say.

"I told everyone you would be there and you would be watching be do my solo, I made them believe you were the greatest dad in the world" Lily said as her voice broke.

Just as she said that, Noah turned the door knob and walked inside, seeing Lily sat over on the edge of her bed crying.

"Lily" Noah said as he rushed down by her side, holding her hands in his lap.

"Lily, do you not think that..?" Noah questioned feeling the hurt of what his daughter had just said.

Lily stayed quiet a moment, she sniffed as she stared down at her feet.

"no.." Lily said and Noah felt his heart break.

"But-" Noah went to say but Lily cut him off.

"The greatest dad in the world..wouldn't forget" Lily added.

"Lily I'm so so so sorry okay, I promise you I remembered it's just work got so-" Noah went to say but Lily cut him off.

"Work got so busy, I know...it always does" Lily said as she unclasped her hands from Noah's and got off the bed,moving away from him.

Noah sat defencelessly as he felt his chest ache, he had no idea he had such a big effect on his daughter and made her feel that way.

"Lily I'm sorry I missed some of your recital, I tried to get there in time I really did it's just I got stuck up in the office" Noah added.

"Are you trying to apologise or just reason why you missed one of the most important things in my life?" Lily shot back as she sat at her desk, gazing out of the window.

"I Uh-" Noah went to say but stopped himself, his daughter was right. He wasn't apologising for missing her performance instead he was just trying to reason why he had missed it which was not the right thing to do.

"I think I'm going to pass dinner tonight, I'm not very hungry" Lily then finished before she got up from her chair.

Noah just sat across on her bed waiting a moment, before he sighed and got up to leave. He felt so guilty for missing his daughters performance, especially since this was her first real solo.

He walked downstairs and knew he had to find a way to make it up to Lily, he felt so bad for what he had done and felt like he was failing at being a parent.

"Hi, Julie? I need your help with something" Noah asked down the phone as he stood in the kitchen.

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Other books:
Until The End
Unpredicted Love
Love That Hurts
Who Are We Fooling

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